By Nicolas Bard

The Ampelakia is a small, traditional village of Larissa, built on the northwestern side of Mount Ossa (or Kissavos), at an altitude of 400 meters, at the entrance of the Tempi Valley. The village is famous for its beautiful and well -preserved mansions, souvenirs of the glorious past that the area has experienced, with the processing and painting of yarns in red, produced by the processing of the plant. Economic growth brought about building frenzy and the settlement was filled with beautiful mansions, many of which stand up today and reveal to us the splendor of those times. There are fewer than 400 inhabitants there today, but on weekends the village comes to life again, as the Larissians choose it for daily trips. There you will see many well -preserved mansions, stone fountains, picturesque cobbled streets and traditional taverns, and you will also get clean, mountainous air.

We do not know precisely when the history of the village begins. From our sources it is known that it Medieval era The Ambelakia area was a member of a Fortress -Fortress in the Tempi Valley, the so -called Lycostomi, and probably with the conquest of the area by the Turks in 1393 – 1394 the inhabitants of the Byzantine Lycostomi went up to the mountains of Ossa. The Ampelakia became a settlement by the current name of about 1454 with 1455 on the initiative of a Turkish Timarius, who gathered in the area of ​​villagers who had no land, nor belonged to the land of others, and put them live and work in the fields of his area. As for the name of the village, some argue that it comes from the name “Amphiplakia”, which means “between two pits”, while it is more likely that the version is named after the many, small vines that were once cultivated there.

During the period of the Turkish occupation The Ampelakia were from the lucky villages, which had some privileges, and also were not inhabited by the Turks. Thus, the Greeks were able to cultivate their fields and carry out their craft activities, such as weaving, silkworms, filament with viticulture and viticulture only in their own interest. Residents, however, were obliged to pay a slavery tax, but beyond that they were free to self -government. This has helped greatly in the development of the country, but also in the preservation of the Greek element, in a difficult, common confession, period for Hellenism. The settlement was developed on the axis of the main road leading to the village bazaar, and from there on the fields, vines, dyes, and school. In the bazaar, in the heart of the settlement, there is the square, the retailers, the oven, the cafes and the church.

A one of the most important attractions The village is the famous mansion of George Mavros or Schwartz. The building was purchased in 1965 by the State, and today it is open to the public. George Mavros was the president of the Ambelakiotis cooperative. The Germans and the Austrians, with whom he traded, had also given him the name “Schwartz”, with which he became known. Black built a large mansion in Ampelakia, which is one of the most important examples of traditional architecture in the whole country. The mansion is stone, three -storey, with the upper floor protruding slightly. The building has a wooden lining and rich decoration, with frescoes and wood -carved ceilings.

In Ampelakia you will also see the Greek (Manias School). This is the school of the village, founded in 1749 and operated in the church’s pronaos, where Agia Paraskevi is founded today. This school was invited by famous Greek teachers, among them Gregory Constanta, Anthimos Gazis, Eugene Voulgaris, Neophytos Doukas, Constantine Kouma and many others. Indicatively, we mentioned that in 1882 300 students were attending this school, both from Ampelakia and from the surrounding villages. There ancient Greek, philosophy, higher mathematics and natural sciences were taught. At the expense of the Ambelakian community and with the sum of 21,500 Fiini, Anthimos Gazis wrote and published the “Dictionary of the Greek Language”, which was finally printed in Vienna in 1809.

The well -preserved, stone mansions, standing upon the passage of time in combination with the lush slopes of Ossa and the endless serenity that the place exudes, make Ampelakia one of the most beautiful and rising quiet of Thessaly, Nothing the famous and more prominent villages of Pelion. Just 30 kilometers from the city of Larissa you can make a journey through time, and disconnect for a while from the intense and pressing daily routine. Can you think of something better for weekend break?