Affectionately known as the City of the Argonauts, in Greek mythology, Volos was where Jason boarded the Argo on a quest for the Golden Fleece at Colchis. As a nod to this ancient hero there’s a replica of an ancient Trireme ship berthed at the city’s port.
Volos has real history of its own at the Neolithic settlements of Dimini and Sesklo, more advanced than anywhere else in Greece 6,000 years ago. At Volos you couldn’t be in a better place to travel the dreamlike landscapes of Mount Pelion.
This peak has 24 villages, which, like Portaria below, have unmistakeable “Pelian” houses made from green, blue or grey slate and with painted wooden window frames and doors.
You’ll be tempted to go on a driving expedition, past gorges, waterfalls and orchards growing plums and firiki, a small, oval apple that originated in Egypt.