Portaria used to be the most important commercial centre for the Pelion villages and still boasts some beautiful neo-classical buildings. Many of these are now hotels and many of the newer buildings still keep to this style.

Just 3 kilometres from Portaria is the beautiful, traditional village of Makrinitsa.

This village, which has been kept in immaculate condition in the traditional Pelion style, is known as the balcony of Pelion. With it's breath-taking views over Volos across the Pagasitikos Gulf and out to the mountains of the central Greece, you can see how it got its nickname.

You cannot drive your car in Makrinitsa but walking on the narrow cobbled paths through the village is a delight. Water tumbles down alongside many of the paths and gushes out of three fountains in the main square. All the cobbled paths lead to, and meet in, the square where stands the stone-built church of Agios Ioannis. This is a tiny church but typical of the Pelioritic architecture.

The Church and fountain in the main square in winter.

There are massive old plane trees in the square, conjuring up a sense of timelessness and peace very different from today's busy world.

Like most Pelion villages, Makrinitsa "tumbles" down the hill side with the roof of one house being on the level of the bottom of the house above. 

Worth visiting is the Topali Mansion House which has the Museum of Popular Art and History of Pelion.
This is a faithful reproduction of a typical Mansion House with all the old furniture, pictures, traditional dress and jewellery, books, old documents and many other articles of interest.

Below Makrinitsa is the village of Koukourava. It can be reached by car or by a broad cobbled street that was used by donkeys and mules in the times before Pelion had paved roads for vehicles.

Koukourava has about 200 houses of which roughly 20 are inhabited. Like Makrinitsa, many houses are now being bought and renovated and the village is slowly returning to its natural beauty. It also has wonderful views out to sea and to the mountains of central Greece.

One of the renovated houses belongs to Stephen Jones and is available for rent. Click here for more information.