Platamon fortress - Katerini - Thessaloniki

Route: Volos - Platamon fortress - Katerini - Thessaloniki - Volos
Duration: 10 h
During our tour we will visit to Platamon fortress, city Katerini and town Thessaloniki. Our first stop will be at Platamon fortress. After the fall of Constantinople during the 4th Crusade in 1204, Platamon came under the jurisdiction of Boniface of Montferrat, king of Thessaloniki, who ceded it to the Lombard knight Rolando Piska. He is the one who rebuilt the castle on top of the old ruined construction. The castle is located in a strategic positon, at the exit of the Tempi valey and it controls the route from Macedonia to Thessaly and to Southern Greece. The castle soon became Byzantine again. In 1218, it was captured by the despot of Epirus Theodoros Aggelos and after the battle of Pelagonia (1259), by Michail Paleologos of Nikea who later became the Byzantine emperor. The Turks captured the castle in 1385 and paid much attention to its maintenance because they needed the castle to control the strategically important area. After a short break between 1425 and 1427, when the Venetians managed to conquer the castle, the Turks returned and stayed until the beginning of the 20th century. Our second stop will be at city Katerini. Katerini, unlike many cities in Greece, has not been there forever. It was probably established sometime during the Ottoman Occupation, which is to say the early 1400's. A century or two before that, a place called Hatera found its way on maps of the area.  Felix Beaujour, who was the French counsul to Greece in the late 1700's, wrote the name down as "Katheri," which is the literal meaning of the proper name "Katerina," and means, simply, "clean." Katerini is a nice city that can be used as a base to explore the immediate area, especially Mt. Olympus, which looms on the southern horizon. Its highest peak, at nearly 10,000 feet (2918 m) is the highest spot in Greece. After we will go to our last place of our tour Thessaloniki. Our excursion in Thessaloniki will start from visit to the White Tower, a historical landmark, before continuing on to the Archaeological Museum which houses interesting finds from the Archaic, Classical and Roman periods.  It is here, where you will have enjoy a superb panoramic view of the entire city from the Acropolis, located in the upper part of the city. Next visit the restored St. Demetrios Basilica; marvel at the beautiful mosaics and visit the famous crypt, where Demetrius, now the patron saint of the city, was confined and later executed by the Emperor Gallerius. After we will drive along the modern street, Egnatia, named after the famous Roman road. View the Arch of Gallerius and St. George’s Rotonda and end with a short stop at the well preserved Byzantine Basilica of St. Sophia, rich in mosaics and frescoes. Free time. After we will back to Volos.
Price: per person