Thessaly
(Thessalia) is the geographical department that occupies the central
section of mainland Greece. It is surrounded by high mountain
ranges encircling a low plain. It borders Macedonia to the north,
Sterea Ellada to the south, Epirus to the west, and its eastern
shoreline is on the Aegean. It has a higher percentage of flatland
than any other district in Greece.
 The
climate is continental; the winters are cold and the summers hot
and the temperature differential between the two seasons are large.
One of the characteristics of the climate of the plain of Thessaly
are frequent summer rainstorms. These frequent rains amplify the
fertility of the plain, often called the breadbasket of Greece.
The entire plain is surrounded by the mountains Pindus, Othrys,
Ossa, and Agrafa; among them flows the Pinios river which
drains into the Aegean, after passing through the Thessalic Tempi.
The district was the home of the ancient gods and of the
Centaurs. Here, in this place among the woods, the gorges, and
the picturesque villages, Meteora reach for the sky. Twenty four
Byzantine monasteries have been clinging to the tops of the tall
grey rock shafts for over six hundred years, challenging and inviting
pilgrims and visitors from all over Greece to this centre of Christianity.
 Larissa
is the capital of Thessaly: Old mansions with yards and gardens
in bloom in the middle of the plain of Thessaly. Amid the proud
mountains and traditional villages, the visitor will find spas,
churches, and antiquities.Karditsa, the capital of the district
of Karditsa, is built on the banks of a tributary of the Pinios
river. A modern town with well laid-out streets, it is at the
same time especially picturesque with its traditional villages
scattered on the peaks of the Agrafa mountain range. Spas at Smokovo
and Kaista as well as many antiquities and Byzantine monuments
Built on the site of Homeric Trikki, Trikala today is crossed
by the river Litheos. The ruins of the most ancient sanctuary
of Asclepius are here.Kalambaka, famed for its Byzantine churches,
is built where the river Pinios leaves the Pindus mountains, at
the foothills of Meteora. Nearby the Pagasitic gulf embraces Pelion,
the mythological land of the Centaurs: imposing and verdant, rough
and scenic, wild and accessible. With beech covered peaks, streams
running down the slopes, villages rooted among the chestnut and
olive trees, Pelion is a wonder. Makrinitsa, Portaria, Milies,
Vizitsa, Tsagarada, Zagora : magnificent large old stone houses
with wall decorations and slate roofs.
Beautiful resorts dot the seaside.Volos, the capital and economic
centre of the district, is located in the Pagasitic gulf. Its
verdant surroundings are alive with ancient memories; lolkos (the
hide-out of Jason and the Argonauts), Dimitrias.
To the west are the neolithic settlements of Seklo and Diminio.
Splendid blue waters lap at beautiful beaches and local specialities
complete the region's portrait.
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