Back to Nature: 5 Enchanting Guesthouses in Thessaly

Montanema Handmade Village

In September 1999, Christos Athanasiadis went on trip to Lake Plastiras. Jaded together with his job and his every day routine in Athens, he was recharged by his break. He satisfied the proprietor of the home he stayed in to promote it and a parcel of land to him. “This little home, ‘To Konaki’ as we name it, served as a refuge. It may very well be reached solely on foot or by way of a mud street. There was no electrical energy, however there was a stream, so there was loads of water. With out electrical energy, every thing was tough however it was additionally very attention-grabbing for an Athenian like myself. I chopped wooden for the woodstoves and fireplaces, and it was enjoyable. All my pals who would go to me once in a while had been impressed, as a result of in addition they bought to expertise one thing that was new to them. Regardless of a scarcity of sure issues, you didn’t really feel such as you had been lacking out on something. Quite the opposite, it was as when you had travelled again in time. You can think about how individuals lived with simply the necessities, and that made you’re feeling self-sufficient.

“My buddy Dimitris Panagopoulos was one in all my guests,” Christos continues, “and after I informed him my thought, he was excited as a result of he noticed the love I had for the place. We began this enterprise collectively, with the thought of designing one thing that will mirror what we’d skilled right here, solely larger. And that’s how Montanema Handmade Village was born.”

Only a few kilometers from Lake Plastiras, on the western slopes of the Agrafa mountain vary, on a peak overlooking the Athochori Gorge and in a rugged mountainous area the place the primary snow makes its look in December and solely begins to soften away in March, the development of a guesthouse is not any straightforward process. However Montanema isn’t just a guesthouse. It’s a mountain vacation spot for hospitality comprised of 34 homes that stretch round a foremost constructing with a restaurant, espresso store, spa, kitchen and workshops. There’s a farm, an orchard, a wine cellar and vineyards as effectively.

A group of pals

The guesthouse opened in 2014, however it didn’t take its remaining type till 2022. Each home is exclusive, and the Village has been in-built such a manner that, wherever you keep, you may have a view of each the gorge and the pine-filled slopes. Every home has been rigorously designed and embellished by Christos himself. Most of the objects are from his private assortment. Lining the wall of the steps that result in the spa are keys that he purchased at a flea market in Peru, the lounge space is embellished with objects that he introduced again from his journeys to China and India, the wooden carved object within the reception space is an outdated candle stand from a church in Mitropoli, a village that lies alongside the street from Lake Plastiras to Karditsa, and different objects have been made by him.

Artemis joined the crew two years earlier than Montanema opened its doorways. Dwelling right here and adjusting to a slower tempo of life, she started to become involved with important oils and the manufacturing of soaps, an exercise that’s now provided to friends. “Folks come right here to calm down, to take walks in nature, to see us and our canine,” says Artemis, whereas Christos provides: “We wish to create a group. Folks know what to anticipate after they go to Montanema. In comparison with once we first opened, we have now turn into a bit extra minimalistic. For instance, at first the homes had televisions, however we took them out a few years in the past.”

Christos and his crew develop their very own fruit and veggies and work the farm, producing their butter, cheese and meat. In addition they make wine and tsipouro, in addition to fragrant merchandise for the homes. “Our subsequent purpose is to turn into absolutely autonomous and self-sufficient,” says Christos.

A number of actions

Round Montanema, trails zigzag their manner via fir timber and wildflowers to mountain peaks and to the waterfalls of Anthochori, in addition to different factors of unparalleled magnificence. You’ll be able to cease in on the farm; you’ll be able to play on the massive swing, with its views of the forest. The guesthouse’s employees may give you instructions or accompany you, as you want. The guesthouse additionally organizes woodland picnics. What’s extra, mushroom and fruit foraging excursions are on provide. Youngsters will love the horse rides, and there’s even an archery space. On the guesthouse, guests can take cooking classes; in spring, they will learn to make cheese. On the cleaning soap workshop, friends can attempt their hand at making their very own cleaning soap. The spa has a pool, Jacuzzi and hammam, and numerous remedies and massages are provided. A restaurant and low store are open all day in the principle constructing.

Kalderimi Nation Home

From 1983 onwards, Elisavet Proestaki and Xenophon Karydis spent holidays in Pilio – they spent their honeymoon there, too. It wasn’t till 4 years after that journey, nonetheless, that they realized that Pilio is, the truth is, the place for them. In 2005, they purchased an outdated constructing, which they supposed to make use of as a summer season home. On the time, they lived and labored in Athens. Xenophon was a biologist and Elisavet was a instructor. Though the village of Mouresi hasn’t made its manner into the journey guides but, that hasn’t stopped individuals, together with various artists, from shopping for a home there. Their home used to belong to a rich household; it wasn’t straightforward to carry it again to its outdated glory.

Finally, Xenophon and Elisavet determined to show it right into a guesthouse. “It was very tough,” says Xenophon, “not solely as a result of it’s situated in an space that’s tough to succeed in, but in addition as a result of renovation works are much more difficult than establishing a brand new constructing. We wished to retain as many parts from the unique constructing as we might, however it wasn’t all the time attainable. For instance, on the aspect that faces the ocean, the home was darkish as a result of it had very slim home windows, just like the openings you see in fortifications. So, we made them larger.” 

The renovation efforts

With the assistance of a specialised firm, they stripped out the outdated materials after which started on the design and building work. They took nice care, when it comes to each the inside design and the furnishings. The linen is comprised of natural cotton, the 2 marble corbels on both aspect of the fireside within the widespread room are comprised of Pentelic marble and had been salvaged from a home within the heart of Athens that was demolished; the lights are handmade; the leather-based couches had been imported from overseas; and so was the desk on which breakfast is served right now – an outdated picket desk from England.

Each object has a narrative behind it and Xenophon and Elisavet are all the time keen to inform them. Within the bedrooms and within the room the place breakfast is served, the partitions are adorned with work. Breakfast contains selfmade dishes which might be ready with as many native components as attainable. A girl identified affectionately as “Mrs. Demi” comes from the neighboring village of Kissos to make bread from Thessalian flour; fruit comes from the orchards; and, in the summertime, the backyard provides the guesthouse with greens for the omelets and soups. Within the open kitchen, friends can see how dishes are made, and each morning they wake to the scent of freshly baked bread.

The views, the paths, and the ocean

A conventional cobbled path – which is the place the guesthouse will get its identify from (in Greek, “Kalderimi” means “cobblestone path”) – runs subsequent to the guesthouse and leads, after a couple of 35-minute stroll, all the way down to the ocean. “The phrase kalderimi carries a sure connotation. Up to now, individuals would talk by way of cobblestone roads. That is what we wish to carry again,” says Elisavet. Foreigners who come right here to benefit from the actions and the mountain climbing trails actually admire the paths, {couples} love the views, households like the straightforward entry to locations the place youngsters can play, hikers love the plentiful nature that surrounds the village, and beachgoers love the proximity to the ocean.

It’s this number of choices that Xenophon and Elisavet cherished about japanese Pilio, and why they made their residence, which they now speak in confidence to everybody, on these mountain slopes. Within the breakfast room, Elisavet is wanting on the work. One depicts a ship and the phrases that George Seferis, the Greek poet, penned about Pilio. She recites them by coronary heart “ʽIn Pilio among the many chestnut timber / the centaur’s shirt / rising from the waters of the ocean / I encountered the waters of the mountain.’ I say these strains, and I’m overcome with emotion, as a result of that is what Pilio really is,” Elisavet says.

Guesthouse Souliotis

The constructing that right now homes the Guesthouse Souliotis was constructed by a affluent household from Smyrna round 1850 however Roulis Souliotis didn’t come throughout it till 1995; from that second on, he was decided to make it his. Till 1999, when he succeeded inpurchasing it, Roulis would stroll by the home and marvel at it. He preferred how massive it was, and the way its courtyard held it in “a heat embrace,” as he described it. The formidable renovation venture that adopted the acquisition lasted a 12 months and a half; the builders used the identical native stone as the unique. The guesthouse, which opened its doorways at Easter of 2001, is constructed on an excellent rock. In truth, the rock is an architectural component of one in all its rooms. “I attempted,” Roulis says, “to offer guests a way of the area, to know the place they’re. On the identical time, I additionally let my neighbors know that an outdated constructing may be reused; it could mix the comforts of a contemporary home with the aura of the time when it was constructed.”

A lot of the village’s homes have three tales and are manufactured from stone. They’re comparatively spacious and had been constructed by craftsmen from Epirus who introduced their data of building to the realm. This type of structure, along with the peacefulness and the fantastic thing about the panorama, got here to be appreciated by musicians, architects and journalists who, over time, settled right here, too, restoring outdated homes and saving them from destruction in such nice numbers that Metaxochori got here to be referred to as “the village of artists.” “Guests come right here as a result of they understand it’s a village that hasn’t undergone quite a lot of adjustments, with out quite a lot of tourism, a village that’s alive, with a standard espresso store, a standard village sq. and native individuals. They wish to go to a spot that hasn’t misplaced its character,” says Roulis.

Amidst nature

Positioned among the many foothills of Mt Kissavos on the street in direction of the Thessalian seashores, near the town of Larissa on the Thessalian plain, Metaxochori is well accessible. Regardless of that handy location, nonetheless, it has the texture of a distant mountain village. The close by ravine, the various aircraft timber within the village sq., the 02 Nationwide Path that runs previous the guesthouse and hyperlinks Mt Olympus to Mt Pilio, the oak forest on the decrease plains, and the dense beech forest excessive on Mt Kissavos appeal to hikers and different nature lovers.

In cooperation with a neighborhood outside exercise firm, Roulis gives excursions to Mt Kissavos, in addition to via the gorges and alongside the rivers of Thessaly. He additionally conducts excursions of Metaxochori itself, displaying guests the historic homes and church buildings and guiding them across the cobblestone streets. He additionally organizes visits to the Yiam Taste Lab, a culinary workshop run by Avra Panousoupoulou; the lab is nestled between apple and quince orchards just a bit exterior the village of Agia. On the workshop, guests can witness firsthand how marmalades, preserves and different meals are made, and even assist in their manufacturing.

The guesthouse has seven bedrooms and a big widespread room with a fire the place breakfast, espresso and drinks are served all day. The partitions are adorned with works of native painters, and the music is all the time rigorously chosen. The cool, flower-filled courtyard with views of the plain and the mountains is a perfect refuge in the summertime. Breakfast contains selfmade pies, marmalades, native honey and fruits. Roulis’ plans to extend his capability additional by renovating the stone home throughout from the present guesthouse.

Kritsa Gastronomy Lodge

The village sq. of Portaria is a well-liked assembly place. The restaurant Kritsa and the guesthouse that operates above it are open all 12 months spherical, from afternoon till late at night time. “The constructing itself has historic significance. It operated as a dairy store from 1912 and as a resort from 1932 – on the time it was one of many area’s first inns,” say Eleni Kraiskakou, who, from 2000, has been working the guesthouse and the restaurant collectively together with her household.

In 1920, the village of Portaria was listed in a royal decree (together with the Athenian suburb of Kifisia and the island of Hydra) as a spot for recreation and a spot of excellent pure magnificence. In 1978, Portaria was among the many first settlements in Greece to be characterised as a standard settlement and be given particular safety standing. Its proximity to Volos, the area’s wealthy flora and the views it affords of the Pagasetic Gulf make Portaria one of many high vacationer villages of Greece.

Two sisters, Niki Liamou-Andrinou and Eleni Karaiskou, grew up in Portaria and all the time dreamt of opening their very own restaurant. Each are wonderful cooks, so that they looked for a spot within the village the place they may showcase their culinary expertise. They named their restaurant “Kritsa” in honor of the constructing’s proprietor.

The restaurant opened its doorways on December 23, 2000. “We started with the dishes we knew, those that we made for our personal households. We didn’t have a look at what different eating places had been doing. We bought a pen and paper and began writing down the dishes we cooked in our personal houses. For the primary time, menus had sautéed greens with eggs, sunny aspect up; spentzofai [country sausages with red peppers and tomatoes]; trachana [fermented cracked wheat]; savoury pies; boubari [a local sausage made with offal]; hen soup – dishes we had been already making. Our home was all the time open to everybody, which meant that we all the time had lots of people over. And that is how I really feel within the restaurant. Folks come and I host them,” Eleni says.

In 2001, they fastened up the 2 flooring above the restaurant and began working a guesthouse. Everybody lends a hand on the restaurant, together with the youthful family members, who come again from college over the summer season to assist out. Later, they opened the café Agora 1955 on the village’s foremost sq.; it serves espresso, breakfast, mild meals and native merchandise. Their love for the agricultural lifestyle spurred them on to purchase 1.2 hectares of land two kilometers exterior of Portaria at an elevation of 700 meters; right now it’s a working farm with animals, crop fields and some buildings.

Cooking within the countryside

On the heart of that farm, subsequent to a room with a big monastic-style desk, George and Annita are ready for us within the kitchen. They’ve each labored with the household for years, working within the restaurant and organizing the cooking classes which might be given on the farm. Fried meat with leeks, savory treats made with filo pastry, and lots of different conventional native and nationwide dishes are ready right here below the steering and supervision of the 2 cooks. Stefanos, who wasn’t there that day, attended cheesemaking programs on the American Farm Faculty in Thessaloniki and normally reveals guests the way to make trachana and completely different cheeses; George makes pickled greens and tsitsiravla (a neighborhood spicy meze with greens); and Annita makes marmalades and preserves. The grounds are filled with fruit timber, together with plum, fig, apricot, cherry, bitter cherry and quince timber, and within the winter backyard, they develop cabbage, lettuce, spring onions, leek and numerous fragrant herbs. Anybody who needs to take cooking classes has to collect the greens they wish to use from the backyard and take the eggs they want from the hen coop earlier than they’re allowed to enter the kitchen.

The farm additionally has lodging for individuals who choose a quieter, extra peaceable atmosphere than what they’d discover within the heart of Portaria. “A number of years in the past, we added gastronomy to the resort’s identify. We at the moment are known as Kritsa Gatsronomy Lodge. To us, meals performs an vital position. I don’t wish to exaggerate, however that is what we do. That is our core exercise; making good, conventional meals. A whole lot of our guests inform us ‘We have now come to eat and keep’. And we have now quite a lot of return prospects” says Eleni. The guesthouse was one of many first to affix the “Greek Breakfast,” a culinary program of the Hellenic Chamber of Resorts stressing using Greek merchandise within the hospitality trade. The restaurant was one of many first to obtain the particular Greek Delicacies distinction from the Greek Nationwide Vacationer Group. Since 2019, their farm has hosted the Pelion Gastronomy Competition, welcoming the participation of many small native producers. Final 12 months, the floods in Thessaly pressured the organizers to cancel the competition; this 12 months the competition will probably be held in June.

Amanita

Dwelling in Athens, however with fond childhood recollections of rising up within the nation, Filaretos from Karditsa and Marianna from the island of Sifnos travelled lots round Greece. In 1992, they purchased a plot of land within the village of Tsagarada; it had an outdated derelict home on it, and their plans had been to construct a summer season home there sooner or later. The years glided by, they usually each put in lengthy hours within the metropolis, Filaretos in advertising and marketing and Marianna as a lawyer. In 2002, they determined to transform the outdated home right into a small guesthouse. So, they started renovating the property and its outbuilding, and opened the guesthouse in October 2006, with six rooms to lease. “We knew nothing in regards to the area or in regards to the resort enterprise. We took on the endeavor from the angle of a visitor: what would we wish, how would we prefer to be taken care of? Between 1992 and 2002, we had stayed in quite a lot of guesthouses round Pilio. So, we knew what the area didn’t have.”

A novel breakfast thought 

Amanita rapidly made a reputation for itself by providing outside experiences and actions at a time when the resort panorama was dominated by swimming pools and Jacuzzis. The very first weekend after they opened, they organized a mushroom hunt, counting on what Filaretos had discovered from a carpenter who had labored on the guesthouse renovation. Different actions included strolling excursions and participation within the manufacturing of conventional sweets and the distillation of tsipouro. On the forefront of what they provided was their wonderful breakfast, which performed an vital position within the guests’ expertise. “I started making marmalades; I looked for native cheeses and meats; I introduced hand-kneaded bread again from the close by villages of Lehonia and Palaia till I started making it myself. A girl in Zagora gave me yeast and I began baking bread on the guesthouse. I keep in mind that, at first, the breakfast we provided was very primary, however it had a sure component of care and authenticity to it. That authenticity was us. And as our guesthouse took off, the idea of small producers started to develop, too. We had been among the many first to be invited to the “Greek Breakfast” program, a culinary initiative of the Hellenic Chamber of Resorts.”

Filaretos and Marianna slowly started to work on the land across the guesthouse. Their holding was a 3rd of a hectare. With the assistance of a neighbor, they planted about 50 timber – native forms of apple, pear, plum, bitter cherry and cherry. In addition they planted a kitchen backyard and an herb backyard, and sought out indigenous seeds within the neighboring villages of Pilio. In Peleti, they attended seminars on medicinal herbs.

In the course of the financial disaster that hit Greece, the guesthouse turned to overseas vacationers, to individuals who on the time had been extra acquainted with expertise tourism than their Greek counterparts. On this manner, the guesthouse was capable of develop its shopper base. As well as, it added two studio residences within the herb backyard and one other house to the present six rooms in the principle constructing. New actions additionally continued to be added as a result of, as Filaretos says, sustainable tourism wants change or it stagnates.

Over the previous few years the experiences provided at Amanita have turn into extra oriented in direction of gastronomy; friends can choose fruits from the timber and greens and herbs from the gardens, take cooking classes from chef Kostas Patistis or take pleasure in wine and olive oil tastings organized in collaboration with the Patistis brothers, who’re additionally wine and olive oil producers. The actions are tailored to the guests and what they wish to do. The expertise, nonetheless, that’s provided is an actual farm-to-table expertise enriched with the fervour and data of the guesthouse’s homeowners. “A bunch of pals who cook dinner after which eat collectively,” says Filaretos, in a spot that has been warmly welcoming friends for the previous 17 years.