Drosinis named it “Mountain, the pride of all mountains”. Pelion can not be easily described. You can only let it feel and awaken your senses. Located on the East Side of Thessalia, surrounding Magnesia, Pelion is one of the most popular and talked about mountains since the time of the great poet Homer.

This mountain is a special place, which God chose as an example of beauty. On this mountain, on its mountain peaks and its ever green forests took place the wedding of Pileas with Thetis. Euripidis mentions in his play “Ifigenia in Aulida” that in this reknown wedding that took place in Pelion, the guests where all Gods and semi-gods and there were also 50 beautiful Nymphs that danced with their delicate bodies, holding hands, celebrating this way the union of this mythical couple. It was also in mountain Pelion that the first beauty contest took place, where the son of Priamos, the well known Paris, choose as the most beautiful goddess Aphrodite and gave her as a price the deep red apple.

It was within Pelio’s deep streams that the well known battle of Centaurs took place, between the Centaurs and the Lapithes, during the wedding of the King of Lapithes, Pirithiou, to the beautiful Ippodamia.

It is here that the renowned hero of the Trojan War was raised, Achilles, the son of Pileas and Thetis. He was raised by the wise Centaur Herona and it was because of him that the immortal Iliada was written.

Pelion was a well-known mountain throughout history. Great writers mention it during the time of Homer, throughout the classical ancient Greek period, up until the Roman times.

During the 7th, 8th and 9th century AC Pelion and the surrounding region was under the attack of Slavs, whose siege of the area ends after the catastrophic earthquakes that shook the east Mediterranean sea. During this time we see the destruction of the Ftiodites Thives, named Nea Anxialo today, as well as the destruction of Demitriada and the royal settlings of Pelion. The abandonment of Pelion is completed after the siege by the Sarakinoi.

Right at the end of the 9th century, begging of the 10th century monasteries appears in Pelion. One can find them even today hiding within the dense vegetation of the mountain slopes.