Neochori (Magnesia), Greece
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Neochori (Greek:Νεοχώρι), seat of the municipality Afetes, is a village situated on the peninsula Pilion and belongs to the prefecture of Magnesia, which again forms the eastern part of Thessaly. The village is hidden in the embrace of a vast pine forest 480 meters over the sea level and about 35 km southeastern of the prefecture's capital Volos.
The places Agios Dimitrios, Plaka, and Klossou at the Aegean Sea side belong to Neohori as well as the villages at the Pagasitikos Gulf like the popular touristic center Afissos (ancient port of Neohori) and the settlement Zervohia.
A beautiful village square is established in the centre of Neochori, which is decorated by the centuries old plane trees and a roofed fountain dating from 1807. There are two taverns and also a small kafenion. The Agios Dimitrios church below the square was constructed in 1768 and is truly remarkable. Externally, the church looks pretty simple, but the inside impresses with its wooden carved icon screen and the wall paintings by the Epirote painter Pagonis.
Neochori is famous for the slates of its quarries. Furthermore honey, apples and olives are typical products of Neochori and its vicinity.
[edit] History
Neochori is, like the name says, a "new" village (neo chori = new place). In former times, the region was settled completely from the Aegean side up to the Pagasitikos Gulf. Neohori however was built in the Middle Ages by inhabitants of the surrounding settlements as well as by settlers from the Aegean side and from the northern of Greek.
The history of the region around Neohori is very old. It started already in the ancient world; we know about the myths of Afetai, the myths of the kingdom of Lai and existing reports, talking about Minoan settlements, as well as settlers at Agios Dimitrios (Neohori) and Cape Klossou, which is named in many old maps as "Knossou". The historians Strabo and Herodot wrote reports about Afetai already.
