The city remained under Ottoman rule from 1430 until captured by Greece in the First Balkan War in 1913. It enjoyed considerable prosperity, and reached the height of its pre-eminence under the rule of Ali Pasha, who became the ruler of a large semi-autonomous state encompassing much of modern-day Greece and Albania between 1787 and his downfall and execution in 1822. (source of text: Wikipedia)
The castle of Ioannina is located in the southeastern part of the city, on a rocky peninsula on lake Pamvotis. Its current form dates back to the late Ottoman period with many elements of the earlier Byzantine fortification which is based on a fortress from the Hellenistic period.(source of text: kastra.eu)
It is about 3 hours by car from Thessaloniki on the Egnatia highway, and about 2 hours from Patras on the Ionian highway.