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'Pelion' or 'Pelium' (Greek, Modern:
Πήλιο ''Pilio'', Ancient/Katharevousa: Πήλιον, Lat: ) is a mountain at the southeastern part of
Thessaly in central
Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the
Pagasetic Gulf and the
Aegean Sea. The
GR-38 runs in the southern portion of the peninsula and the
GR-38A runs in the middle.
In
Greek mythology, Mountain '
Pelion' ''(which took its name from the mythical king
Peleus, father of
Achilles)'' was the homeland of
Chiron the
Centaur, tutor of many ancient Greek heroes, such as
Jason,
Achilles,
Theseus and
Heracles. It was in Mount Pelion, near Chiron's cave, that took place the marriage of
Thetis and
Peleus. The uninvited goddess
Eris, to take revenge for having been kept outside the party, brought a golden apple with the inscription "To the Fairest". The polemic then arisen between the goddesses
Hera,
Aphrodite and
Athene gave way to events leading to the
Trojan War. When the giants
Otus and
Ephialtes attempted to storm
Olympus, they piled Mount Pelion upon Mount Ossa, which became a proverbial
allusion for any huge but fruitless attempt.
Geography
Today, Mt. Pelion is part of the prefecture of
Magnesia (capital city:
Volos) and embraces 24 villages including:
Most significant:
★
Agios Georgios Nileas
★
Agios Lavrentios
★
Portaria
★
Makrinitsa
★
Milies
★
Mouresi
★
Tsangarada
★
Zagora
★
Argalasti
More:
★
Agios Dimitrios
★
Anilio
★
Artemida
★
Drakeia
★
Kanalia
★
Kissos
★
Neochori
★
Pinakates
★
Vlasios
★
Xinovryssi
The mountains are entirely forested, with
beech,
oak,
maple and
chestnut trees. Pelion is a tourist attraction throughout the year: the mountain includes trails and sidewalks for walking within small and large beaches with sand or pebbles. Modern Pelio has twenty-four villages built with traditional Pelian architecture.
History

Mt. Pelion is covered in forest.
Electricity, radio and automobiles were first introduced in the
1950s except for Volos, which had those utilities from earlier times. Television arrived in the
1970s and the
1980s and computers and Internet in the late-
1990s. The northern part of the Pelion mountains was struck by a forest fire (see
Summer 2007 Wildfires in Greece) on Wednesday
June 26,
2007 which started in Siki and damaged its forests, mostly at the middle part of the mountain. The fire lasted for several days and stopped on
July 1. Several villages were damaged. As of late August however, a natural rebirth of the forest was already being noticed, with several trees gradually turning green again, as well as bushes appearing on the ground.
Communications
The mountain has a telecommunications tower that broadcasts radio and television including
ANT1,
Mega,
ERT,
Star Channel,
Alter,
TRT and more and radio including
ERA,
ANT1 FM and many more.
Panorama
Its panorama offers a views of the valley, the mountains of western Magnesia, the plain of
Thessaly and its nearby mountains,
Mavrovouni,
Euboea,
Central Greece and the
northern Sporades.
External links
★
Pelion Outdoors Web Guide
★
Accommodation in Pelion
★
Free Pelion Images
★
Pelion Mouresi: official municipal website
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Mt. Pelion in original photographs and sketches
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Prefecture of Magnesia, capital city of Volos, and Mt. Pelion
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Portaria: Official municipal website
★
The Pilion Railway, which played a big role in the economic development of the Pelion region
★
Online Guide to the region of the Pelion Peninsula, its villages, history and other useful information
★
Official website of Mount Pilio
★
Guide for Pelion
★ 'Map and Aerial Photos':
★
★ Street Map Information:
Mapquest,
LiveLocal,
Google or
Yahoo! Maps
★
★ Satellite Images:
Google or
Microsoft Virtual Earth
★ Coordinates: