The stone bridge is located about two kilometers west of the village Pyli and about 20 minutes away from Trikala. Beneath it flows Portaikos River and until 1936 this bridge was the only passage from Thessaly to Epirus, joining the mountains Itamos and Koziakas. It is the second largest arch bridge of Thessaly built in 1514 by St. Vissarion, as we see in the marble inscription at the base of the bridge. It is a stone arch bridge with a semicircular arc with construction materials of limestone and sandstone.
The opening of the arch is 29 meters approximately, the maximum height reaches the 13 meters, has a total length of 65.67 meters and a deck width of 2.10 meters. The bridge has been restored in 1968 and 1983 and most recently in 2005 and 2006 there have been construction efforts in order to highlight the bridge. Now the stone bridge of Pyli has excellent access to cross it, pass to the opposite shore and get amazed in the paths that continue next to Portaikos River.
The area of the bridge has been established as a travel station of many visitors before they go uphill to the villages of Koziakas and especially to Elati, Pertoyli, Neraidohori and deeper into the villages of the enlarged community Aspropotamos. For that reason, there have been formed parking spots and seating benches underneath large plane trees under the sounds of running water and impetuous waters of Portaikos. Also, you can find two Coffee shops with a view to the bridge and small shops, within a short walking distance, with local products and delicious “sapoune halva”.
An also important monument is the church Porta-Panagia or otherwise «Virgin Mary of the Great Gates» which is located just a few minutes away from Pyli, to the village Porta which is located across from Pyli village and, in a larger distance, the also very famous and characteristic bridge of Palaiokarya. Porta Panagia was built in 1283 by the sebastokrator John Angelos Komnenos Doukas, has especially peculiar architecture and the unique technique of the two mosaic pictures of Christ and the Virgin makes these images unique to Greece.
