Milies

Milies

Village in Greece

Milies is a village and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality South Pelion, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 63.754 km². It is a traditional Greek mountain village, at a height of 400 m on Mount Pelion. It is 28 km from Volos, the capital city of Magnesia. Milies is connected with the GR-34A It has traditional stone houses, cobbled roads, good restaurants and accommodation in abundance. Milies is also notable for being the terminus of the narrow gauge Pelion Railway, built between 1895 and 1903 by the Italian engineer, Evaristo de Chirico, father of the famous artist Giorgio de Chirico. This proved to be of considerable economic advantage to the region. The recently railway runs between Ano Lechonia and Milies twice a week at the weekend. The village commands striking views across the Pagasetic Gulf and benefits from the many streams and water sources for which Mt. Pelion is renowned. These result in rich vegetation and cool, forested mountain slopes.

Wikipedia

MILIES - PELION ( PILIO ) - GREECE

This is a traditional mountainous village at an altitude of 400m and 28km from Volos. The combination of natural beauty and tourist development result in Milies being a perfect place for vacations.

There is also the obvious historical past of the village, with traditional Pelion architecture. You will walk along the cobble-stoned paths and see the old houses, mansions and spring water fountains.

Milies is the hometown of Antimos Gorzis and Gregory Koustanta, who are two very important men in Greek history. They founded the school "Yihis Akos" in 1814.

You can visit the church of Panmegiston Taxiarhon, built in 1741, in the village square. It was from here that the revolution against the Turks started in May 1821, under the leadership of Anthimos Gazis.

You must visit the rail station. It is here that the steam train "Moutzouris-Smudgy" reaches its destination. The Italian engineer Jiorgio de Kirico developed this project in 1895, and created one of the most beautiful and difficult rail lines, with the help of local workmen.

The original length of the rails was 29km from Volos. Today however, only 16km is still in use, and runs from Lehonia to Milies. From the train you will find a truly magical view, where you will see two, three and four arched bridges, which are surrounded by a stunning green background.

During the summer, many festivals take place, such as "Milies Night" in the middle of August and the "Pear Night" at the end of August. A large festival also takes place on the name day of Agia Paraskevi on July 25th to 27th, with traditional music and dance.

If you are looking for something lively you can visit the village Kala Nera, where you will find restaurants, fish tavernas and bars. For swimming you can drive 8km and you will find the beautiful sandy beach of Koropi (Boufa). It is the biggest beach on the Pagasitic gulf with crystal clear waters.

Aroundppelion

Milies

A handful of restaurants, a few coffee-bars, and a couple of gift shops come alive on weekends and during holidays. That’s why we love Milies. Because despite the waves of tourists, Milies remains an introverted village. But again, that’s what Pelion really is. Small unpretentious villages that despite hundreds of daily visitors remain authentic and relatively unchanged. Apart from the Athenian license plates, nothing else in the village shouts “tourist destination.”

The history of the village is tumultuous. Legend has it that its founders came from Milies on Euboea sometime in the early Ottoman period (15th century) fleeing the devastating effects of the pirates and Ottomans. The inaccessible slopes of Mount Pelion became a safe refuge where they transferred their lives as well as the name of their village. In the 18th – early 19th century, Anthimos Gazis, Gregorios Konstantas, and Daniel Fillipidis, born and raised in Milies and influenced by the European Enlightenment movement, envisioned a liberated village and a country with well-educated people. With great effort and care, they founded a higher education institution at Milies under the name “Soul Therapy” («Ψυχής Άκος»). In 1821, Milies was the first Pelion village to join the Revolutionary Waragainst the Ottomans. Yet, independence for Pelion would come much later (1881) and after many additional struggles. The Greek Revolutionary flag that Anthimos Gazis raised on May 7th 1821 in the Church of the Archangels is piously kept in the village library along with hundreds of other heirlooms of that time including rare books and manuscripts. Among them a photograph from 1903 with all the villagers (some 2,500 of them) standing in front of the school, all dressed up as they celebrate the arrival of the little train of Pelion and the inauguration of the railway line connecting Milies to Volos. These happy days were interrupted again with loss and sadness when in 1943 the German army burned the village down to the ground including the historic 19th century college. Only the church and a few other structures were saved.

Today, Milies is a hub for wealthy Athenians and celebrities seeking the quiet and slow pace of life in the countryside. The village has a lot to offer to both one-day visitors and long-term residents. Its location is excellent as everything is only a few kilometers away: the city of Volos, the spectacular beaches of Eastern Pelion, the picturesque seaside villages in the Pagasitikos Bay, the main mountain villages, several monasteries, and numerous trails.

Moutzouris, the little train of Pelion, ends its journey at the Milies station and the itinerary is honestly better than one can imagine. Quick landscape shifts, stone bridges, olive groves, peaceful beaches, lush gorges, farmers working in their fields, dark tunnels, huge retaining walls, caves, and old mansions. The train station itself is picture perfect as is the manually operated turn table. The Church of the Archangels of the mid-18th century is mesmerizing with its architectural secrets and the beauty of its wall paintings most of which revolve around one topic: the vanity of life. Horse-back riding on the cobble streets of the village, strolling along the rails, rappelling from the metal bridge of Evaristo De Chirico, and the constant search for the cave of the Centaur Chiron are only some of the daily activities of those who were lucky to have experienced Milies.

pelionculture

Milies village Pelion

One of the most picturesque and traditional big villages of Pelion, Milies is built in an amphitheatrically style, on the green mountain slopes of Mount Dikri. The village is called Millies (apple trees) known for the production of apple trees. Full of old mansions, marble fountains and olive trees, Milies offers the perfect harmony. Milies is the place with the beautiful famous cave where the mythic Centaur Chiron and his students used to live.

The village is the birthplace of some of the leaders of Neo-Hellenic Enlightenment like Anthimos Gazis, Danil, Philipidis and Grigorios Konstantas. The famous school of Millies is also there, operating as a spiritual and cultural creative centre during the Turkish occupation. Really interesting to see are the Library of Milies which contains four thousand rare books, the Folklore Museum of the community and the three-aisled basilica of Pamegistoi Taxiarches.

greeka

The culural and literary centre of Pelion in the 18th c., with the old mansions, olive groves, kalderimia (cobblestone paths) and streams galore. The old school house still functions as the local high school and the once celebrated library has a collection of old heirlooms and valuable manuscripts. The church of Pammegiston Taxiarchon, built in 1741, has a guilded icon screen and wonderful frescoes. The legendary miniature train that used to serve the area has been restored after a 25 year break and puffs its way to Ano Lehonia on the coast and back during the summer. It is definitely worth a ride.

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Walking the path towards Ceantaur Chrion's Cave

Following the railway path