Arriving
at the
city of
VÓLOS
gives
little
hint of
Pílio's
promise.
It's
hard to
imagine
the
mythological
past of
this
busy
modern
port,
but this
is the
site of
ancient
Iolkos,
from
where
Jason
and the
Argonauts
set off
on their
quest
for the
Golden
Fleece.
One of
Greece's
fastest-growing
industrial
centres
and a
major
depot
for
long-distance
truck
drivers,
Vólos
was
rebuilt
in
utilitarian
style
after a
series
of
devastating
earthquakes
between
1947 and
1957,
and is
now
edging
to its
natural
limits
against
the
Pílio
foothills
behind.
This
admitted,
it's a
lively
place
with a
large
university-student
population,
beginning
to revel
in
recently
acquired
prosperity,
and you
could do
worse
than
spend a
few
hours or
even a
night
here
while
waiting
for a
bus up
the
mountain
or a
boat to
Skiáthos,
Skópelos
or
Alónissos,
for
which
Vólos is
the
main
port
.
The
most
attractive
place to
linger
is along
the
eastern
waterfront
esplanade,
between
the
landscaped
Platía
Yeoryíou
and the
archeological
museum,
which is
itself a
highly
recommended
diversion.
Imaginatively
laid out
and
clearly
labelled
in
English,
the
Archeological
Museum
(Tues-Sun
8.30am-2.30pm;
¬1.50)
features
a unique
collection
of
painted
Hellenistic
grave
stelae
depicting,
in now-faded
colours,
the
everyday
scenarios
of fifth-century
BC life,
as well
as a
variety
of
graves
complete
with
skeletons.
It also
has one
of the
best
European
collections
of
Neolithic
pottery,
tools
and
figurines,
from the
local
sites of
Sesklo
and
Dimini (both
of which
-
respectively
15km and
3km west
of Vólos
- can be
visited).
Sesklo
remains
of
essentially
specialist
interest,
but
since
the
1990s
ancient
Dimini
(open
Tues-Sun,
no fixed
hours;
¬1.50)
has
emerged
as
something
of a
local
attraction,
with the
circuit
of
Neolithic
walls
clean
and
labelled,
plus two
fairly
intact
Mycenaean
thólos
-type
tombs.
Adjacent
to the
site,
and
still
closed
for
excavations,
is a
large
Mycenaean
palace
complex
which
some
think
may
actually
be
ancient
Iolkos.
Along
with
Lárissa,
Halkídha
and
Ioánnina,
Vólos
was
historically
home to
one of
the
larger
Jewish
communities
of
central
Greece.
Local
Jews
were
well
integrated
into the
social
and
political
life of
the
town,
such
that
during
World
War II
only 155
out of
the
thousand-strong
community
were
caught
and
murdered
by the
Nazis;
the rest
joined
the
resistance
or were
otherwise
hidden
on Mount
Pílio.
The
victims
have a
prominent,
sculpted
memorial
in one
corner
of
Platía
Ríga
Feréou,
donated
by one
of the
survivors.
