People who have been ther
e at least
once say that Milies (Greek for “apple
orchard”), 28 kilometers east of the city
of Volos in the verdant district of
Mount Pilio (Pelion), was not named
after the Biblical tree by chance: It is
too enticing to resist the temptation
of returning. At 400 meters above sea
level, it is a traditional settlement with
stone-built houses and cobblestone alleys
in one of the most scenic areas of
the country. Mt Pilio, a paradise for the
nature lover, was in Greek mythology
the homeland of the Centaur Chiron,
who tutored many an ancient
hero, including Jason, Achilles, Theseus
and Hercules.
It was 1975 when Tania Tsanaklidou,
then an up-and-coming young
singer, went to Milies with a group of
friends for the first time. The visit was
destined to change her life.
“When I first saw this place I was
bowled over,” she recalled. “It was a
sheer poem. I said to myself, ‘This is
where I want to live.’ I kept coming
back at every opportunity – even
though I was working like a dog
those days and only had one day off
a week. In 1982, I found an old ruin of
a house and bought it. It’s nothing special,
mind you. I’ve done three renovations
since then – a tiny house on
which I’ve spent as much as a villa.”
Having grown up in the northern
port city of Thessaloniki, Tsanaklidou
had never considered living far from
the sea. She thought she would feel
out of place. “Pilio changed by mind.
It was the mountainous terrain I had
always craved, only I hadn’t realized
it. To be sure, the sea is not far. From
my living room window, the Pagasitic
Gulf beckons in the distance.”
“When I have to be in the city, my
mind keeps flying back here, particularly
in the fall and winter – my favorite
season and the best for someone
to visit Pilio, when the mountain
is full of colors. The view from the window
when it rains is something I can’t
describe. You feel as though you are
in the best of spas,” said Tsanaklidou.
“And when I feel like stretching my
legs, there’s no better walk than
down the trail to Vyzitsa, about halfan-
hour away, with several springs on
the way,” she continued. “The setting
of the old railway station is one of the
most enchanting places I’ve seen in my
life, right next to a magnificent gorge
– one of the few that still retain some
water in the area.”
The station is the terminus of the
narrow gauge (60 cm) Pilio Railway,
built between 1895 and 1903 by Italian
engineer Evaristo de Chirico – father
of artist Giorgio de Chirico – which
connected it with the industrial center
of Volos. The train operates only
between April and October. In winter
it is worth taking a short walk toward
the Taxiarchis Gorge to admire some
of the engineering works, especially
the bridge.
However, not all is rosy in Milies.
Tsanaklidou is worried by the building
boom in recent years. “They come
and build big villas with swimming
pools. There is no biological treatment
plant for sewage, as every house has
its own septic tank, and so all the chlorinated
water is emptied into a sensitive
ecosystem. Not to mention that
most of these constructions are aggressively
huge. What do they want
a palace on the mountain for? It’s only
the nouveaux riches that build
houses like this, just to spit in their
neighbor’s eye. Established wealthy
families in the area are not such big
showoffs,” she mused.
Transport & basic info
Volos is 325 km from Athens and 216
km from Thessaloniki. If you do not
own a car, you will need to rent one in
the city to get around the area easily.
Τhe intercity bus from Athens (tel
210.832.9585) takes about four hours
and the train 30 minutes more. The
respective times from Thessaloniki are
two-and-a-half hours and three-and-ahalf
hours. From Volos there are six
local buses to Milies on weekdays and
four on weekends. Area phone code:
24210; Volos taxi center: 28555/27777;
Volos regional bus station: 33253/4;
police: 39063; hospital: 94200/20.
Where to stay
A top option in the area is Archontiko
Sakali, a finely restored 18th-century
mansion in Pinakates (5 km
from Milies, tel 24230.86561,
www.sakalihotel.gr); Filippidis, a
municipal guesthouse in a restored,
stone-built, traditional two-story
mansion 300 meters from the central
square and easily accessible, has
two double, two triple and two
4-bed rooms (tel 24130.22937); the
Alatinos guesthouse in Pinakates is a
restored three-story mansion with six
double rooms and wonderful sea
views (tel 24130.86995).
Where to eat
In Antonis’s Salkimi taverna, next
to the central square and opposite
the bell tower of the church, you will
find authentic Pilio cuisine as well as
dishes originating from Asia Minor
(tel 24230.86010). Liostasi
(tel 24230.86082), on the left-hand
side of the road before you enter the
village, is owned by a young couple
who left the city to raise their child
here – they also cook wonderfully.
Palios Stathmos (tel 24230.86425),
the old stone building at the train
station, serves classic Greek dishes;
the first floor is a guesthouse.
What to see
The impressive 1741 Church of
Taxiarches in the central square, a
triple basilica with 12 internal domes, a
fine iconostasis and superb acoustics
owing to unique architectural
features; the old municipal library with
more than 3,300 books and rare
documents from the War of
Independence in the 1820s; the folk
history museum, in the municipal
office, has paintings by self-taught folk
artist Theophilos and a collection of
old photographs; the cave near Milina
where Chiron the Centaur was reputed
to have lived.
Walks & what to buy
Several old-style alleyways starting
from the central square in Milies offer
rewarding strolls around the village’s
various neighborhoods. One route
starts right next to the library building
and becomes a trail leading to
Tsagarada. Another starts from the
bottom of the square, leads to the
railway station and then to Kala Nera;
more walks start from Pinakates, 5
kilometers from Milies (see Page 43);
visit the municipal shop at Kala Nera
and the modern fruit preserves
workshop and distillery, where you will
find a wide array of fine local products.
For more Info contact our member
http://www.tempitravel.com/
e at least
once say that Milies (Greek for “apple
orchard”), 28 kilometers east of the city
of Volos in the verdant district of
Mount Pilio (Pelion), was not named
after the Biblical tree by chance: It is
too enticing to resist the temptation
of returning. At 400 meters above sea
level, it is a traditional settlement with
stone-built houses and cobblestone alleys
in one of the most scenic areas of
the country. Mt Pilio, a paradise for the
nature lover, was in Greek mythology
the homeland of the Centaur Chiron,
who tutored many an ancient
hero, including Jason, Achilles, Theseus
and Hercules.
It was 1975 when Tania Tsanaklidou,
then an up-and-coming young
singer, went to Milies with a group of
friends for the first time. The visit was
destined to change her life.
“When I first saw this place I was
bowled over,” she recalled. “It was a
sheer poem. I said to myself, ‘This is
where I want to live.’ I kept coming
back at every opportunity – even
though I was working like a dog
those days and only had one day off
a week. In 1982, I found an old ruin of
a house and bought it. It’s nothing special,
mind you. I’ve done three renovations
since then – a tiny house on
which I’ve spent as much as a villa.”
Having grown up in the northern
port city of Thessaloniki, Tsanaklidou
had never considered living far from
the sea. She thought she would feel
out of place. “Pilio changed by mind.
It was the mountainous terrain I had
always craved, only I hadn’t realized
it. To be sure, the sea is not far. From
my living room window, the Pagasitic
Gulf beckons in the distance.”
“When I have to be in the city, my
mind keeps flying back here, particularly
in the fall and winter – my favorite
season and the best for someone
to visit Pilio, when the mountain
is full of colors. The view from the window
when it rains is something I can’t
describe. You feel as though you are
in the best of spas,” said Tsanaklidou.
“And when I feel like stretching my
legs, there’s no better walk than
down the trail to Vyzitsa, about halfan-
hour away, with several springs on
the way,” she continued. “The setting
of the old railway station is one of the
most enchanting places I’ve seen in my
life, right next to a magnificent gorge
– one of the few that still retain some
water in the area.”
The station is the terminus of the
narrow gauge (60 cm) Pilio Railway,
built between 1895 and 1903 by Italian
engineer Evaristo de Chirico – father
of artist Giorgio de Chirico – which
connected it with the industrial center
of Volos. The train operates only
between April and October. In winter
it is worth taking a short walk toward
the Taxiarchis Gorge to admire some
of the engineering works, especially
the bridge.
However, not all is rosy in Milies.
Tsanaklidou is worried by the building
boom in recent years. “They come
and build big villas with swimming
pools. There is no biological treatment
plant for sewage, as every house has
its own septic tank, and so all the chlorinated
water is emptied into a sensitive
ecosystem. Not to mention that
most of these constructions are aggressively
huge. What do they want
a palace on the mountain for? It’s only
the nouveaux riches that build
houses like this, just to spit in their
neighbor’s eye. Established wealthy
families in the area are not such big
showoffs,” she mused.
Transport & basic info
Volos is 325 km from Athens and 216
km from Thessaloniki. If you do not
own a car, you will need to rent one in
the city to get around the area easily.
Τhe intercity bus from Athens (tel
210.832.9585) takes about four hours
and the train 30 minutes more. The
respective times from Thessaloniki are
two-and-a-half hours and three-and-ahalf
hours. From Volos there are six
local buses to Milies on weekdays and
four on weekends. Area phone code:
24210; Volos taxi center: 28555/27777;
Volos regional bus station: 33253/4;
police: 39063; hospital: 94200/20.
Where to stay
A top option in the area is Archontiko
Sakali, a finely restored 18th-century
mansion in Pinakates (5 km
from Milies, tel 24230.86561,
www.sakalihotel.gr); Filippidis, a
municipal guesthouse in a restored,
stone-built, traditional two-story
mansion 300 meters from the central
square and easily accessible, has
two double, two triple and two
4-bed rooms (tel 24130.22937); the
Alatinos guesthouse in Pinakates is a
restored three-story mansion with six
double rooms and wonderful sea
views (tel 24130.86995).
Where to eat
In Antonis’s Salkimi taverna, next
to the central square and opposite
the bell tower of the church, you will
find authentic Pilio cuisine as well as
dishes originating from Asia Minor
(tel 24230.86010). Liostasi
(tel 24230.86082), on the left-hand
side of the road before you enter the
village, is owned by a young couple
who left the city to raise their child
here – they also cook wonderfully.
Palios Stathmos (tel 24230.86425),
the old stone building at the train
station, serves classic Greek dishes;
the first floor is a guesthouse.
What to see
The impressive 1741 Church of
Taxiarches in the central square, a
triple basilica with 12 internal domes, a
fine iconostasis and superb acoustics
owing to unique architectural
features; the old municipal library with
more than 3,300 books and rare
documents from the War of
Independence in the 1820s; the folk
history museum, in the municipal
office, has paintings by self-taught folk
artist Theophilos and a collection of
old photographs; the cave near Milina
where Chiron the Centaur was reputed
to have lived.
Walks & what to buy
Several old-style alleyways starting
from the central square in Milies offer
rewarding strolls around the village’s
various neighborhoods. One route
starts right next to the library building
and becomes a trail leading to
Tsagarada. Another starts from the
bottom of the square, leads to the
railway station and then to Kala Nera;
more walks start from Pinakates, 5
kilometers from Milies (see Page 43);
visit the municipal shop at Kala Nera
and the modern fruit preserves
workshop and distillery, where you will
find a wide array of fine local products.
For more Info contact our member
http://www.tempitravel.com/
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