Magnesia is a magical place, with mountains, snow, green sceneries, flowing waters and of course the famous villages of Pelion. Volos is the largest city and the capital of the Magnesia prefecture. It’s surrounded by the Pagasetic Gulf from one side and the Aegean Sea from the east; while between them Mount Pelion rises steeply from the edge of sea, forming many wonderful beaches. It also includes the valleys of Almiros and Volos-Velestinos, which is the continuation of the plain of Thessaly which offers famous products.
Pelion, the area’s main point of attraction, is adorned with traditional villages with the characteristic architecture of the area. The raw materials stone and wood which are provided in abundance from the mountain are used to build houses, churches, arched bridges and fountains.
In particular, the northern side of the mountain has thick forests of chestnut, beech, oak and ash trees. Additionally, all over Pelion there is an abundance of medicinal herbs, something which relates to the mythology, about the therapist centaur Chiron who lived there. Those who know about herbs will find them in abundance in the countryside, alternatively they can be found in local shops, having been collected by nature lovers.
The wonderful nature of Magnesia is accompanied by the exceptional local cuisine of dishes from Pelion like spetzofai, boubari, rooster in wine sauce, and wild mushrooms collected from the mountain. At the tsipouradika which is the common way of entertainment in Magnesia, you can drink tsipouro along with delicious small dishes, mainly fish, fteres, kritama and tsitsiravla. You can find many tsipouradika at the promenade of Volos, in Nea Ionia, as well as at the Pelion villages. There is also the famous local junk food painirli, with chips and ougareza sauce. The spoon sweets (of quinces, grapes, baby eggplants, cherry tomatoes, sour cherry, neratzaki etc), the semolina halvas, walnut cake (karidopita) and baklava are all characteristic traditional sweets of the area.
Whether you choose to drink a tsipouro by the fireplace in the snowy white villages of Pelion, wander around the developing city of Volos, or play all day in the sea where you may come across dolphins, Magnesia will simply be pleasantly unforgettable.