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| SPRING ROUTES: PILIO |
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Pilio one of the most beautiful destinations for Autumn weekends, is placed at the middle of the route Thessaloniki-Athens. For those we adore walking and those who are venturous enough to handle difficult tracks, the Mountain of the Centaurs is the best choice. In Autumn the mountain is full of sycamores, chestnuts, oak and apple trees and plenty of water.
If you get exhausted from climbing, be patient...the view compensates everyone. Villages built on the slopes of the mountain, little churches, springs, bridges and stone cobbled roads, take all your exhaustion away and fill your eyes and souls with the calmness of nature.
Mansions built two centuries ago and recent houses, all build according to the architectural tradition of Pilio. The houses rise up as towers, with the top floors overhanging from the rest of the house, creating the saxnisia, with outside decorative cut glass elements and painted lunettes, wooden shutters and wooden wall binding with the famous roof made from Pilio slates.
The visitor can begin his/her venture from Volos, go towards the sea to Kato Lexonia and up again to St. Giorgis in West Pilio. The scenic bays and small ports of Kato Gatzea are spread all over the Gulf of Pagasitikos, and if the visitor turns his/her eyes a little bit higher, he/she can see the olive groves of Ano Gatzea, where the famous train of Pilio used to pass by to its way to Milies. The famous Moutzouris recently restarted its routes (1996).
From St. Giorgis we go to Vyzitsa and Milies, villages filled with traditional rebuilt houses, and from there we can go around the mountain through Tsagarada, reaching Xania, the highest point of Pilio with the ski resort placed at 1471 meters. From there and through Portaria we go back to Volos. An alternative course we can take begins from Volos, going up to Ano Volos, Portaria, Xania. Right after Portaria we find Makrinitsa. Another beautiful village worth of visiting is Zagora. Wherever we stand, either at the villages looking at the Gulf of Pagasitikos, or those that look at the Aegean such are Xorefto, St. Giannis and Mouresi, we feel that we are seated at a balcony.
Even the last edge of the Gulf of Pagasitikos, Trikeri, offers a breathtaking view. In winter or summer, Pilio is blessed to combine mountain and sea creating a magical landscape. Don't forget to taste chestnuts, firikia (a special kind of apples), and quinces.
If you like flowers make sure to buy gardenia of Pilio. You should stay in Volos, an Olympic City 2004. Go to its famous tsipouradika and taste seafood and meat snacks. Always keep in mind that tsipouro is boiled in Autumn. Make sure to try tsitsiravla and kritama spicy snacks for tsipouro. Most of all, lay back and enjoy the coppery colors of nature, the sundown in Pagasitikos and the rise of the moon in the Aegean.
SAE Advisor
Maria Datseri
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