bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

It is mesmerising to watch Anita Cota roll out the dough in front of her. With just a thin wooden rolling pin she flattens the dough over and over again.
The filo pastry is getting thinner, which is just how the young Albanian wants it.
Her recipe? Flour, water and salt. But she does not weigh anything. You have to have a feel for the dough.
She teaches about cooking with filo – with its many layers – and using lots of olive oil in her cooking classes.












View this post on Instagram























A post shared by Karaiskosfarm (@karaiskos_farm)



Today, savoury Greek pie is on the menu.
The class’ participants have collected fresh vegetables and herbs at Karaiskos Farm in Portaria, a village nestled 600 metres (2,000ft) above sea level on Mount Pelion overlooking the city of Volos, on Greece’s Pagasetic Gulf.
Even outside summer, fresh vegetables such as broccoli, leafy greens and spring onions grow in the farm’s garden as well as fresh herbs from dill to parsley and rosemary to lavender.
While chef George Kandilas heats up the wood-fired oven and the filo pastry rests, the ingredients for the filling are chopped, mixed and seasoned.
The chef also reveals the secret to a good tzatziki, which is as important to the green pie as salt is to a boiled egg. It is all about getting the right mix: Greek yogurt, olive oil, strained cucumbers and garlic. Do not forget the herbs!

Traditional Greek cuisine can be found in every restaurant in Pelion.
The area is more than four hours’ drive from Athens and three from Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city, but that does not stop city dwellers in search of peace and quiet coming here for the weekend and during holidays.
Around 800 people live in Portaria year round, with the population multiplying at weekends, even in winter.

Good food and tranquillity are not the only draws on Pelion – the mountain and surrounding area are great for hiking. There are many villages, including Kala Nera, Pinakates, Vizitsa and Milies.
Manos Manou, a botanist in Portaria, offers tours along steep paths and through narrow alleys covered in vegetation – rosemary and other herbs grow along the side of the road.
Olive trees are a rare sight; it is too cold for them here. “Not everything that grows further south can survive up here.”
People here are used to living from and with nature; it is a way of life maintained through old traditions and craftsmanship that visitors can learn about in workshops.

Estia Pelion is a cultural space in Portaria where Antigoni Tsirogianni works on two looms to make fine fabrics and coarse carpets adorned with stripes, patterns, pom-poms and more.
She also shows visitors how she makes the fabrics, which she then uses to make clothes and bags.
Moving the wooden weaving shuttles through the threads of the loom while simultaneously determining the direction of the threads with one’s feet is not easy.
Estia Pelion was founded by Angeliki Vogdanou. Her husband, Christos Gianakopoulos, is a potter. He makes vases and bowls from cool clay and is enthusiastic about the history of pottery in Greece. Old pottery shards can be found near the small town.

Like Tsirogianni, he introduces people to his art, which is like therapy for some. “It’s not easy for inexperienced fingers to form a pot that’s uniform and the right shape,” he says.
This would not be Greece without a few myths, and there are some surrounding the three mountains around Pelion.
Centaurs – mythical creatures half human, half horse – are said to have once ruled in Pelion. The wisest was Chiron, who taught medicine and was a tutor to heroes such as Achilles and Asclepius.

The region above Volos can be explored not only on foot and by car, but also by narrow-gauge train. Hidden in the forest, tracks lead from Ano Lechonia to Milies.
The train takes around an hour and a half to cover the relatively short distance between the two towns as it winds up and down the mountains and over some impressively high bridges.
In Makrinitsa, reachable from Volos by car via narrow mountain roads, it is worth taking a relaxed stroll through the cobbled town – which seems to have been carved into the rock – and visiting the modern Byzantine Museum with its icons and church treasures.

A monastery was founded here in the 13th century and numerous manors were built during Ottoman rule in Greece (from the mid-15th to the early 19th century).
They are well preserved, as are numerous churches and a painting by the Greek folk artist Theophilos Hatzimihail.
Some buildings are listed as historical treasures.
Portaria is nice and quiet in the evening. The village’s restaurants serve good food. And the green pie with crispy filo pastry will taste extra great now that you know the secrets of the dough and the filling – and the effort that goes into making it.


American Airlines resumes US flights after Christmas Eve technical issue strands thousands

Shimao slashes Hong Kong Sheraton hotel price by 25% to speed up restructuring

China’s extended visa-free tourist stays drive momentum for opening

The rocky path to enlightenment: the building of Hong Kong’s Big Buddha

Tourism

A hidden gem in Greece, Mount Pelion is heaven for hikers, foodies and craft aficionados

Makrinitsa, a town on Mount Pelion in Greece. Four hours from Athens, it has hikes, cookery and craft classes, and good food to offer visitors. Photo: Shutterstock

A traditional house in Portaria. Fresh vegetables may grow in the mountain village’s gardens even outside summer, but it is too cold for olive trees. Photo: Instagram/@traditional_house_in_portaria

Pinakates, one of the villages on Pelion mountain hikers can enjoy. Photo: Shutterstock

At Estia Pelion, there are looms Tsirogianni uses to make fine fabrics and coarse carpets adorned with stripes, patterns, pom-poms. Photo: Instagram/@estia_pelion

Pottery workshops are held at Estia Pelion, in Portaria. Photo: Instagram/@estia_pelion

An engraving showing Apollo handing his child Asclepius to the centaur Chiron. The centaurs are believed to have once ruled in Pelion. Photo: Shutterstock

Inside the Byzantine Museum of Makrinitsa. Photo: Wikipedia

Far from Seoul, natural and cultural gems make for a special autumn retreat in South Korea

A traditional fermented paste producer in South Korea’S Jeolla region. Photo: Instagram

Gwanbangjerim Forest, in Damyang County, South Jeolla province, is one of the spots in the Jeolla region the South Korean government is promoting to spotlight the country’s more peaceful side. Photo: Shutterstock

Juknokwon, a sprawling bamboo grove, is one of Damyang’s “Three Great Forests” promoted as part of the Local 100 initiative. Photo: Getty Images

South Korean culture minister Yu In-chon speaks with tourists at Damyang County’s Juknokwon bamboo forest. Photo: Instagram

Master Ki Soon-do (centre) demonstrates the process of making “jang”, a Korean fermented paste, at her fermentation centre in Damyang County, South Jeolla province. Photo: Instagram

A scene from a modern rendition of Chunhyang-ga, performed by the Namwon Municipal Orchestra for Korean Traditional Music, near Gwanghallu Pavilion. Photo: Instagram

Beyond Venice and Florence, vintage trains in Italy take tourists to hidden gems

Tourists in front of an old train on Italy’s “Trans-Siberian Railway”. Photo: Reuters

An old train arrives at a station on Italy’s so-called Trans-Siberian Railway, which is taking tourists on “special” journeys to lesser-known towns, and helping local economies. Photo: Reuters 

Passengers pose for a selfie in front of a vintage train at Palena, the first stop on the so-called Italian Trans-Siberian Railway through the Abruzzo highlands in the centre of the country. Photo: Reuters

A train conductor stands by the door of a vintage train at Sulmona, where the “Trans-Siberian Railway” begins. Photo: Reuters

The train’s vintage carriages feature wooden seats. Photo: Reuters

Italian folk musicians serenade tourists at Palena. Photo: Reuters

Bali beyond the beach: 7 hidden cultural attractions away from the crowds, from Keliki Art Village to Kusamba salt farms

The salt farmers of Kusamba, Bali, bring salt water up the black-sand beach in palm-leaf buckets. Photo: Ronan O’Connell

Pak Wayan Gama inside his Keliki art studio. Photo: Ronan O’Connell

An artistic map of Bali painted by Keliki artists. Photo: Ronan O’Connell

Tenganan is one of Bali’s oldest villages. Photo: Ronan O’Connell

Nurul Huda Gelgel is Bali’s oldest mosque. Photo: Ronan O’Connell

Towering statue of mythical hero Kebo Iwa. Photo: Ronan O’Connell

Bali Museum in Denpasar explains many aspects of Balinese heritage. Photo: Ronan O’Connell

A Balinese Wayang Puppet mask at Setia Darma House of Mask and Puppets. Photo: Ronan O’Connell

The salt farmers at Kusamba, Bali use hollowed-out logs to help them crystallise sea salt. Photo: Ronan O’Connell

Shenzhen travel guide: how to get a visa on arrival, which apps to download and cashless payment in the Chinese city

To get to places in Shenzhen like Dongmen Pedestrian Street (above), Hong Kong residents without the right visa can apply for one on arrival. That’s not all you need to know - we break down the essentials for your trip from Hong Kong. Photo: Shutterstock

WeChat is useful for electronic payments and for its mini-programs – apps within the app. Photo: Shutterstock

The simplest option within Hong Kong to reach Shenzhen is to take the MTR East Rail Line to Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau stations. Photo: Erika Na

Shenzhen taxis can be ordered via Didi Chuxing, the Chinese equivalent of Uber. Photo: Shutterstock

Alipay accepts foreign-issued credit cards and can be used to make e-payments in Shenzhen. Photo: Shutterstock

Baidu Maps is more accurate than Google Maps in Shenzhen. Photo: Shutterstock

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

Food & Drink

Four hours from Athens and too cold for olive trees, Mount Pelion offers cookery and craft lessons, guided hikes and historical treasures


Four hours from Athens and too cold for olive trees, Mount Pelion offers cookery and craft lessons, guided hikes and historical treasures.


Greece

Food and Drinks

Hidden Gems