Sklithro, Larissa

Sklithro, district of Melivoia municipality in Greece, not far from Larissa and Volos.

Sklithro is a small village hanging near the top of one of Mavrovounion mountain peaks. In the past every winter the snow made communication with the rest of the world impossible and even in the beginning of Spring the river Rakopotamos gave to the locals a hard time. As a result the inhabitants adjusted their lives and became self-reliant and radically independent. During the Turkish Occupation of Greece the local legend has it that two Turks who had the "nerve" to climb the mountain in order to collect taxes were buried in the main path that lead to the village as a reminder and a warning. Helas after the Second World War and although Resistance against the German occupation forces was unanimous, the Civil War left its shadow dividing one of the village's families. In recent years roads were made and Sklithro is always in contact with Ayia and Larissa or Volos. The Civil War wounds are healing as time passes and life is sweet in the beautiful square where you can taste excellent gourmet dishes, i.e. local wild mushrooms, wild boar chops and a one of the best "tsipouro" (kind of schnaps or eau de vie) that Greece has to offer. You can always find fresh fish even though it is on an altitude of close to 2500 feet above sea level because the beach and the port of Ayiokambos is just 15 klm away. In fact it is one of the rare places where you can swim all day long under a bright Aegean sun and then at nights sleep on top of a mountain. Local fairy tales are abundant and of course history is present as the whole territory was inhabited since the very early time of human presence in the Greek peninsula. European programs helped to organize a network of paths where one can, either guided or in groups, discover the landscape.