Pelion
If you were told of an area of extensive Chestnut forests alongside vast orchards of apple and pear trees, that the area was mountainous yet had splendid beaches and fishing villages, a landscape kept lush and green by an abundance of freshwater springs turning to vibrant reds and gold's as the deciduous forests change for autumn then perhaps you would be thinking of places far from Greece. Yet surprising though it may be the area we are describing is a narrow peninsular on the Greek mainland and the name of this area is
Pelion.
At the heart of the peninsular lies Mount Pelion, it's foothills reaching all the way to the coast and to some of the most charming coastal villages.
On the eastern slopes, the forests and orchards extend down to the shoreline forming a dense backcloth to the unspoilt beaches below. By contrast the vegetation along the western coast is more typical of the Mediterranean with pinewoods and olive groves dominating the landscape.
Between the two coastlines are many unspoilt villages unaffected by tourism where the apple and pear harvests are the main concern of a rural Greek life that seems to have changed little in decades.
The peninsula takes its name from Mount Pelion, which lies east of the port of Volos and reaches right across to the Aegean coast. Below Mount Pelion, a densely wooded area of land dips steeply into the sea. At the heart of mount Pelion lies the winter Ski resort making this an all year holiday resort. To the east, the coastline is wild and rugged, with pebble beaches and fishing villages clinging to steep rock-faces. To the west it's gentler, as hills and olive groves roll down into the calm blue waters of the Pagasitic Gulf. Inland, mountain roads wind ever-upwards through dense forest, skimming gorges and ravines.
There are around 24 villages within the Pelion region. Pelion houses are tall and slim, with narrow windows and with steep stone staircases anchoring them fast into the mountain. Many also have overhanging upper storeys supported on wooden corbels. Each of the mountain villages in the Pelion has a village square. Tsagarada has four, all at different levels of the mountain side. Typically, the squares are elegant and spacious, flagged by huge stones and shaded by plane trees. The enormous plane tree in Tsagarada's Agia Paraskevi square is said to be 1,000 years old. From the sandy beaches and blue waters of the Pagasitic Gulf and the Aegean Sea, to the dominating mountainous slopes, the Pelion peninsula is a haven for those who seek natural beauty, stunning scenery and holidays that will stay in your hearts and minds forever. It is an area long known as a holiday destination for the Greeks but it was not until the year 2000 that the area started to be opened up with the introduction of flights to a military airport near Volos.
Thanx to GREECEMAD!
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