The settlement of Ktismata (formerly Arinista) is located at the northwestern edge of the Ioannina regional unit, next to the Kakavia customs post on the Greek-Albanian border.

It is situated at an altitude of 425 meters, on the foothills of Mount Kasidiaris and in the valley of the Drinos River, a significant natural passage between Greece and neighboring Albania. The passage is overseen by a Hellenistic acropolis crowning the hill of Agios Nikolaos, with a wall perimeter of approximately 1,500 meters and an enclosed area covering 122 stremmas (about 12.2 hectares).

Within the acropolis, excavations revealed a rectangular late Hellenistic house with a peristyle courtyard and about twelve rooms. The building measures 27×24 meters, covering a total area of approximately 650 square meters.

In the center of the village, behind the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, part of a Roman villa rustica (country estate) was excavated. It was primarily in use from the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE during the Roman Imperial period. Rich dietary remains (animal bones) were found inside, as well as traces of household (millstones and loom weights) and other craft activities (iron slag and glass masses).

In historical times, the broader area was inhabited by the Atintanes tribe (mentioned by Thucydides), and a notable local find is a Roman bronze figurine of Kerdos Hermes (Hermes of Profit).