Greek Villages Milies-Vizitsa: A Station Of Architecture And Tastes

A pilot initiative entitled “Milies-Vizitsa: Station of Architecture and Tastes” has been launched by the Region of Thessaly that aims to manage the cultural values of villages in Pelion to increase their economic and social development and attract more tourists all year around.

The initiative will introduce unique experential experiences to Greek and foreign tourists through its main attractions: the train station in Milies village, its local architecture and local cuisine.

During a recent familiarization trip, the Region of Thessaly introduced these attractions to a team of Greek tourism professionals and travel journalists through a series of guided tours and experential experiences.

Architecture

The architecture of Milies-Vizitsa is distinctive and distinguished in all houses, mansions, old bridges, fountains and churches that continue to follow the traditional style. The houses impress with their imposing beauty and offer a piece of architecture that blends in perfectly with the natural environment and has retained the image of the area untouched by time.

Michopoulos Mansion

Vizitsa mansions
Vizitsa can easily be considered an open museum as a result of the distinct grandeur of the Pelion-type architecture.

The village has been proclaimed a listed settlement and in 1976, the Greek National Tourism Organization began restoring the old, three-story stone manor houses to transform them into guest houses.

Train station, Milies village

At the train station in Milies, an old steam train, which dates back to 1892–1903, is still in operation as a tourist attraction today. It departs from Ano Lehonia and travels about twenty miles through beautiful terrain before it arrives at Milies.

Currently one train runs every Saturday, Sunday and on public holidays from mid-April to the end of October, while the service runs every day during July and August.

The Region of Thessaly aims to upgrade the train station and extend its operation throughout the whole year.

TIP: Check out the small museum at the train station in Milies and gain insight on the very interesting history of Pelion’s railway.

Local cuisine

During the fam trip, the Region of Thessaly held a competition of local traditional cuisine at Vizitsa Square.

Twenty local restaurants each produced a dish that contained exclusively local products, which were then judged by a 3-member tasting committee.

The competition as an event was symbolic as the aim was to introduce the region’s gastronomy to travel professionals and journalists who had the opportunity to taste the local delicacies of the contestants.

Weekend activities for tourists/Promoting local products

During a recent familiarization trip, the region offered participants (tourism professionals and travel journalists) a hands-on experience: apple picking.

“This is just one of the activities in which tourists can get involved in when visiting Milies,” Nikolaos Pitsoulis, from the European project SY_CULTour for Pelion, informed guests.

In cooperation with travel agencies and local hotels, the region hopes to launch travel packages that will include such activities for weekend stays.

“In this case, we offer visitors the chance to get involved in exactly what the area is famous for. Its apples,” Mr.Pitsoulis said.

“After picking apples, the experience continues with the making of apple pie, which the tourists will be able to enjoy the next day at breakfast,” he added.

The experiential experiences are connected with the region’s further aim, which is for hotels to promote the region’s local products through their breakfast menus.

The “Milies-Vizitsa: Station of Architecture and Tastes” initiative is part of the European project SY_CULTour that includes Pelion as a pilot area.

The project is co-financed under the South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Program.