Greece's most fertile plain, often called the “breadbasket of Greece” is embraced on all side by the imposing mountains of Pindus, Olympus, Pelion, Othrys, Ossa and Agrapha and enriched by the Pineios River which cuts the region in two. This is the land of gods and centaurs, of Paleolithic ancestors and the most hospitable modern Greeks.
The big commercial centre and the region's capital is Larissa, situated right in the middle of the Thessaly plain, with its proud mansions and luscious gardens, utterly spellbinding. Volos, the coastal capital of the Magnesia prefecture, sits crouched at the foot of the Pelion Mountains and overlooks the Pagasitic Gulf. Near Volos is Iolkos, where Jason and his Argonauts took cover and to go even further back in history, there are settlements dating back to the Neolithic Age in Seklo and Diminio.
Pelion is the land of the great centaurs of mythology. And the surrounding villages are verdant and serene rich in running streams and olive trees and the characteristic stone mansions of the region.
Karditsa enjoys the blessed location of being close to the cliff-hanging monasteries of the Meteora and in the Agrafa mountains the artificial lake of the Plastira is a spectacular oasis in this mountainous landscape. And the ancient Mycenean beehive tomb, dating back to 1500 BC, near Georgiko is one of many other ancient artefacts to be found in the region.
Karditsa once belonged to the Kingdom of Macedonia. In later years the city was ruled by the the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Great Wallachia, the Ottoman Empire. With a rich history of occupation the region has developed a vast mix of culture and tradition making it completely charming
In Trikala, the remains of the Byzantine Empire are present in the hill-top fortress on the site of an even more ancient structure, the Acropolis. The Litheos River offers the area natural beauty and the numerous churches add to the landscape.
But it is the cliff-hanging monasteries of the Meteora, based near the modern city of Kalambaka, that are the real stars of the region and some would argue of Greece as a whole. These are massive rocks where monks built their private and difficult to access monasteries.
Apart from the spiritually sublime Meteora, Thessaly is very much a land of the verdant earth, of hearty food and intoxicating drink, of slow and steady dances, of mythical history and contemporary folklore. It is a mountainous and rugged land with serenity along its coastlines. Thessaly proves to be an unforgettable destination, authentically Greek despite its complex history.
