The Pelion Peninsula is one of Greece’s best kept secrets. Green and lush all summer, its seemingly endless forests are home to jet black squirrels, martens and wild boar. Bubbling streams rush down wooded valleys to the sea. Its boasts a huge network of cobbled paths, still used by locals to travel by mule between their olive groves on the lower slopes and the mountain villages.
The peninsula has two distinctly different sides – the Pagasitic Coast, warm and sheltered with many sandy beaches, and the wild Aegean where steep cliffs plunge down to enclose tiny coves.
The Pelion is famous for its food – local specialites include the hearty spestofai – a sausage stew made with sweet pepper and leeks and kouneli stifado, rabbit stew. The local sprit tsipouro, which is similar to ouzo, is enjoyed with mezedes, mini portions of meat, cheese or fish, rather like the better known Spanish tapas
