This tour will be a great chance for relaxation before the conference! We will start in the morning and our first stop will be in Veria, where you can find authentic mediterranean city life in the midst of significant historical and religious legacies. The approximately 50,000 residents counting city, with its attractive old town and numerous churches from the Byzantine period, is located in northern Greece, about 68 km west of Thessaloniki, at the edge of the central Macedonian lowland.
After our stop, we will continue our trip, heading to our final destination, Metéora. The Metéora (Greek: suspended rocks, suspended in the air or in the heavens above – etymologically similar to “Meteorite”) is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos.
The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios River and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. We can locate the first traces of their history from 11th century, when the first hermits settled there. The rock monasteries have been characterized by UNESCO as a unique phenomenon of cultural heritage and they form one of the most important stations of cultural map of Greece. The nearest town is Kalambaka, a very beautiful small town, where we are going to stay for one night.
On our way back to Thessaloniki, we will also have the chance to visit Tempi valley and the famous Pineios river.
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