Horto, Argalasti

The first signs of life in this area were found near the cave of Sipiada and are dated back to at least 1150 BC. It was here that all the signs and findings indicate that it was the ancient city Sipiada.

A large number of Persian Xerxes’s ships were destroyed here as the result of a huge storm in 480 bC, when they were sailing to southern Greece ( Herodotus book Z’ & H ).

According the famous historian, on the site today where the village of Platanias is located, was the ancient city Afetes, a safe haven that was used by the Persians during their expedition to Greece, for the boats that remained intact after the storm.

Those ships, after the battle with the Greek navy, were heading to the Artemision cave of North Evia, recording the historical battle ship of Artemisio.

The ancient city Afetes was also the port that the Argonauts made a final stop for repairing and water supplies, before they sale towards the far city of Kolhis. The city of Afetes diminished and finally disappeared in the later centuries without living any trace or information on why and how the city ceased existing.

During time, the village of Promiri began to florish, where in the beginning of the 18th century there were 1500 habitants and had 400 houses. Since then, as in the neighboring village of Lafkos, a very strong economy structure based in agriculture and live stocks was developed.

From the 18th century and after, throughout all of the Pelion villages, developement led to strong manufactural activities such as production of raw silk and silk products, and weaved materials, all of those were transported by the ships of Zagora village to both local and foreign markets.

At the same time with the development of the economy, the culture and religious life of Pelion began to blossom, which resulted in the building of many monasteries and churches, all of which were beautifully decorated. Many of these churches and monasteries still operate today.

Culture and literature flourished, cultivating in the spirit of freedom and independence, where all the people of South Pelion, contributed to the Greek revolution against the Ottoman occupation in the 1821.

The Turkish authorities retaliated in a fierce way by burning the houses in Promiri and killing more than 1000 inhabitants of the village on the 8th of May 1823. Nevertheless, the people of South Pelion contributed with same passion and strength, which led to the revolutions of Pelion in 1854 and 1878 against the Turks.

The first revolution on the 25th of March 1854, was started in Promiri with leader Georgios Filaretos. The revolution corps of G. Filaretos, were disembarked in Platanias, after coming from Evia.

They headed up to Promiri, raised the flag of the revolution, distributed a proclamation of the revolution and declared the beginning of the revolution, which was then followed by the revolting of all the villages of Pelion.

The second revolution, started on the 1st of May of 1878, also from Promiri, by the leader Leonidas Voulgaris, who, with his revolutionary corps, disembarked in Katigiorgis, and revolted all the Pelion villages. Those two revolutions, put pressure on the allies, who then recognized the rights of the Thessaly and obliged the Turkish to withdraw. This lead to the desired Freedom of Thessaly in 1881, after of 480 years of slavery and occupation.

Promiri is the birth place and home land of great men, such as Georgios.N. Filaretos, who was written into history as the “Father of Democracy”, Giorgos Zorbas - the leader of soldiers in the 1821 revolution , Nikos Zorbas - the leader in the revolution that started in Goudi in Athens in 1909, and many great heroes.

South Pelion (Pelion Mountain)

The mountain is thickly forested, both deciduous and perennial forests, mainly of beech, oak, maple and chestnut trees, with plane tree groves surrounding places with water. Pelion is considered the most beautiful mountain in Greece and is a popular tourist attraction throughout the year: hiking trails and stone paths give access to springs, coves and numerous beaches, sandy or pebbly, set among lusciously green slopes. Pelion is an amply watered mountain, with an abundance of springs, gorges, streams and rivulets, with many streams routed in carved-stone artificial beds to bring the water to the villages and their thriving orchards. The higher elevations of the mountain receive enough snowfall so as to host skiing facilities that operate from Christmas to Easter.

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Modern Pelion's twenty-four villages retain traditional Pelian architecture and construction, with stone buildings made out of expertly carved local grey, blue, or green slate and red clay. They are built on terraces on the slopes and offer stunning vistas of the surrounding slopes and the sea. Houses are usually multi-storied and feature the characteristic Pelian oriel construction, with tall windows and abundant painted ornamentation. Pelian tradition calls for three-level houses, with the ground floor used for work (tools, kitchen, storage, washing, weaving), the middle floor used for socializing (common rooms), and the top floor for private rooms (bedrooms). Heat is provided by fireplaces, the chimneys of which run through the walls to provide heat to the upper levels, whereas the top level, being well ventilated, provides for summertime cooling. Interior construction is usually of chestnut timber, stained dark brown and often elaborately carved. Many of the larger Pelian mansions (the archontiká or "lordly mansions") have been converted into boutique hotels and hostels.

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Pelian cuisine specializes in charcuterie, its most famed dish being spentzofáï, a stew made of sliced pork sausage, mild green peppers and spicy red ones. Pelion is also renowned for its orchard fruit, with pride of place going to the firíki, an originally Egyptian apple varietal of very small, oval-shaped, intensely fragrant, crisp and slightly tart apples that withstand long storage without refrigeration.

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from Wikipedia