About the village
Neochori, head of the Afetes municipality, is a traditional mountain village of Pelion with incredible views towards every sea since its borders extend from the Pagasetic to the Aegean. Its magical views are combined with a dense forest of pine, chestnut and plane trees surrounding it and with beautiful refreshing ravines. Addition to this scenery is the dam Panagiotioko and its artificial lake on the west. Visitors here will embrace nature and will enjoy peaceful and relaxing holidays all year round.
The village is famous for the quarries from which the famous Pelion slabs and stones are mined and are key ingredient of the traditional Pelion architecture. They are located just outside of Neochori and a large portion of the local population is employed there.
The name suggests that it’s a new village neo-chori (Greek: new-village) and was built by the end of the medieval years by people living in the nearby villages, however Afetes municipality is full of ruins that indicate the existence of older settlements.
Many are the sights within the village, so you must dedicate a lot of your time visiting them. Start your tour with a walk through the scenic pathways to appreciate the stone mansions of Pelion architecture and continue by stopping at the impressive church of Agios Dimitrios, who is also the patron saint of the village. The church was constructed on the second half of the 18th century (1760) and has beautiful frescoes from the famous Epirus painter Ioannis Pagonis, a gold wooded iconostasis and bishops throne, various relics and rare icons. Just above the church, at the roof level, stands the lovely picturesque square, build amphitheatrically on several levels paved with stone slabs. The aged plane trees and the stone fountains, characteristic of most Pelion squares, are found here as well offering shade and breeze to the visitors, while the scenic taverns offer vibrance and wonderful delicacies to visitors.
In various locations outside of the village, you will discover other sights, many of which belong to the religious category. In the area “Spalathria” just 4km outside of Neochori, you will find the monastery “Tourkogianni” dedicated to The Assumption of Virgin Mary. In its surviving church you will admire wonderful art murals, however praying to the old icon of Virgin Mary will have to be done back in Agios Dimitrios where it is kept. Every year on the 15th of August a festival is held for celebrating The Assumption.
In the beach of Klossos, we found the chapel of Agios Georgios (St.George) and nearby is the church of the Ascension.
Another chapel is that of Panagias Plakiotissas (Virgin Mary) located in the route Neochori-Plaka. Build in 1655, it is the Patron Saint of the areas' queries and has magnificent post Byzantine frescoes.
After finishing your walks, you can head for swimming in the not so famous but magical beaches of Plaka and Klossos. Near the Plaka beach laid the ruins of a post Byzantine castle, Palaiocastro (Old Castle) that is worth visiting.
