The beautiful natural landscape, cool springs , traditional mansions and quaint cobbled streets make village Portaria in western Pelion, one of the regions of Greece where visitors can find peace and tranquility in winter season . Then village Makrynitsa , designated in 1980 as the ” traditional village protection”. Makrynitsa stands for its architectural profile, a fantrastic view to the Pagassitikos Gulf and at the city of Volos, the well-preserved or restored mansions and tower houses, churches and cobbled streets .
Villages of West Pelion
- Ano Volos
- Katichori
- Anakasia
- Stagiates
- Portaria
- Makrinitsa
- Drakeia
- Chania
Sights in Portaria
As you ascend from Volos to the villages of western Pelion and in particular in Anakassia, you will see the Theofilos Museum, a building with the characteristic architecture of Mount Pilion. The museum of Theofilos is located at Hatzianastasi mansion. It is a stone-built building that houses the wall paintings of Theofilos divided into two zones, in the first zone we will see works with birds, flowers and hunting, while in the second zone you will see 14 works with themes from the Greek Revolution. It has been designated by the Ministry of Culture as a “historic listed monument” since 1962. Tel. 0030 24210 47340.
Theoxenia
Worth visiting is the “Theoxenia” hotel, which is close to Portaria’s square and has left its remnants, which after 1900 was considered the most luxurious Balkan hotel in the pre-war period. Other sights of Portaria include Panagia Portarea (a 11th-century chapel), the Historical and Folklore Museum in the two-storied mansion of Zoulia (formerly operated as a Professional School of Females), the Mother’s Spring, the natural waterfall of Karavos and the small komplomous museum where you can buy candy from materials such as amber, eucalyptus and others. It is housed in the building where the “Old Oven of Portaria” was located.
Also in Katohori you will find the Agricultural Economics Showcase of the family Hatzigiannis with the family and the tools for the production of tsipouro and wine, photos of festivals of the inhabitants of Katihori and others. The Hatziyiannis oil mill is next to just seeing the process of making oil with old machines. Read our aricle about general info about Portaria. Also see all available hotels in Portaria.
Makrinitsa
The Museum of Folk Art and History is hosted at the Topalis Mansion in Makrinitsa, next to the church of Metamorphosis with numerous exhibits of old photographs, traditional costumes, tools, jewelery, weapons, the banner of the revolution of 1878 and a collection of works by painter N. Christopoulos with themes from boats. You will find it open on weekends from 11am to 2:30pm. Entrance 2 euro. Tel. 0030 2428099505.
The marble fountain with “Immortal Water” in the village’s central patrimony. Of course, a stop in the central square of the village is imposed under the age-old plane trees of Makrinitsa. Also inside the café-ouzeri Theofilos next to the village square you can see the largest wall painting of Theophilos. Other eight frescoes of Theophilos can be found in Fourno Velentza above the central square of Alli Meria, which has been designated as a historic listed monument by the Ministry of Culture, built since 1897 and preserved since 1986. Finally in the Koukourava district it is worth seeing tower of Skotinouio with the characteristic Pelion architecture.
See all available hotels in Makrinitsa. General info about Makrinitsa.
Events in Portaria
May – Portaria International Dance Day.
1st June – Katohori Tsipouro Festival.
July – The May’s Festival in Makrinitsa
End of July – Feast of Sausage in Stagiates
August – International Dance Festival in Portaria
End of August – Revival of the Pelion Wedding in Portaria
Where to eat
Restaurants and traditional taverns are located in Portaria and Makrinitsa offering delicious food and views to the city of Volos and Pagasiticos gulf.
Activities
Hiking in the network of trails that exists in the villages of western Pelion is one of the main activities that you can do during your stay, either within the villages or longer routes. You will see detailed instructions for each route in our article here.
In winter, weather permitting and snow, do not forget to go to the ski resort located just a few kilometers from Chania. Details about the ski resort are mentioned here.
Also try horseback riding from the Equestrian Club of Portaria, which organizes one-day and two-day excursions.
From the city of Volos follow the sign either before entering the city that directs you to Portaria via a ring road or if you are in the city center you will follow the signs to Portaria and East Pelion. The road is the one that ascends to Ano Volos-Anakasia and continues to Portaria and Chania. In some parts of the road the road becomes narrow so it needs a little attention. To head to Makrinitsa, turn at the crossroads just a few meters before the main square of Portaria.