From Thessaly, Central Greece to Attica, we explore neighborhoods with history and unique beauties. We take our bike and roll along the river Pinios in Larissa to the park of Alcazar. We walk in the comfortable streets of Nafpaktos with the leafy plane trees. We discover the historical neighborhoods of Messolonghi.
We follow Kostis Palamas’ favourite walk from his house to the Windmill – the place of the sacrifice of Joseph of the Rouges and continue to the houses of Malakasis and Akakia Kordosis. We visit the Garden of Heroes, where the Mesolonghi warriors fought bravely and were buried.
We follow in the footsteps of the prime ministers of Greece – Trikoupis, Deligeorgis and Valvi. In Athens, whatever their condition, we will always be charmed by the routes to Plaka, with its neoclassical mansions, cobbled streets, and the picturesque Anafiotika, with its island style, under the shadow of the Holy Rock of the Acropolis. The neighbourhoods of Kifissia retain their stately and natural beauty while the beaches of Voula and Varkiza take us to more exotic places that even in winter remain charming.
We choose folk songs that dominate the tradition of Thessaly and Roumeli – as Sterea Greece is otherwise called, or island songs from Pelion and Karystos with the well-known Kavodoroiko.
Aromas of the beneficial mountain tea that grows in the mountains of Thessaly, Central Greece and Attica. Sage and oregano from the foothills of Mount Olympus, Oiti and Dirfys to flavour our food and warm us with their decoction on winter days. The scent of the water lilies that are found in every corner of Athens and the jasmine from the neighborhoods of Lycabettus.
In Central Greece, pork is a winter favourite. We combine it with mushrooms from Dirfy, dried figs from Kymi or Taxiarches, Arachovite formaela, graphiera from Agrafa, Skopelos plums and all kinds of zarzavats from the Thessalian cabbage. We welcome Christmas with traditional Trikalian “gournada” – roast pork and Evivoian kontosouvli. We accompany with the famous Thessalian herb pies and the pan-fried bread of Chalkida with their rich cheesy taste. An indispensable addition to our Christmas meal are the delicious quesadillas, melomakarona and baklava.
Forest roads and paths of unparalleled beauty leading to snow-covered mountain peaks, to the imposing rocks of Meteora, masterpieces of nature. We walk on stone arched bridges in a lush landscape with fir trees, in the villages of Trikala. We carefully climb the snowy villages of Pelion through paths with chestnut, plane and oak trees. We explore the forest paths of Parnassos starting from Arachova and discover paths next to our house, such as in Ymittos and Parnitha in Attica.
INFO Do you know “what is the being that has a voice, in the morning walks on four legs, at noon on two and at night on three?” Presumably, such a riddle was posed by the Sphinx, the mythical monster with a woman’s head, wings and lion’s body, to those heading to Ancient Thebes and anyone who did not find it, did not end well. The only one who answered correctly was Oedipus, the later king of the city. The answer that led the Sphinx to the cliff and, of course, to the redemption of the passers-by was “man”.
