Trikala

Combine your stay at Chatzigaki Manor with an excursion to Trikala, one of the most beautiful and oldest cities in Greece. Trikala is built on the banks of the Lithaios River, under the well-preserved Justinian fortress, and inhabited since 3000 BC. Guests are fascinated by the traditional character of the picturesque old town, its remarkable attractions and the riverside green belt with the bridges that connect both sides of the city.

Trikala, located 45 km from Pertouli, is the town called “Trikke” in Homeric legend, as well as the birthplace and main residence of Asclepius, the god of medicine, and one of the oldest cities in Europe. It is worth visiting the Asklepeion of Trikke (which was, according to Strabo, one of the “most ancient and most prominent” of healing temples), to ascend to the Byzantine castle that overlooks the city, explore the Varoussi and Manavika districts of the old town, visit the Kursum Mosque, go cycling along the banks of the Lithaios River and in the extensive cycle-path network, and admire the central, metal bridge of the city, built by French engineers in 1886.

The most important sights of Trikala are:

• The archaeological site of Ancient Trikke and the Asklepeion
• The Byzantine Castle built by Justinian with its imposing clock tower, a major city landmark
• Varoussi (the old city), the old noblemen’s district of Trikala, with its narrow streets and beautiful, well-preserved traditional 2-storey houses dating back to the 17th and 19th centuries, along with some of the oldest churches of the town
• Manavika, the old Turkish neighborhood that now hosts traditional cafés and taverns
• The Mill of Matsopoulos, the first milling and pastry factory in Greece, which today is an industrial park. Here, every year at Christmas time, a Christmas theme park called “Mill of the Elves” is created
• The Kursum Mosque or Osman Shah Mosque, with the lead-covered canopy
• The Prophitis Ilias hill, with the homonymous church and the zoo
• The park of Agios Georgios, which is an ideal place for sports and recreation
• The central square of Iroon Polytechniou
• The pedestrian zone of Asklipiou street, with its cafés and shops
• The Railway Station building, built in 1886
• The Municipal Art Gallery
• The Municipal Folk Museum, with exhibited objects of everyday use, folk art, costumes, tools of traditional professions from the late 18th to the middle of the 20th century
• The Center of Greek Music By Local Composers, which also functions as a museum of folk music history. Here are displayed personal artifacts of the musicians Vasilis Tsitsanis, Apostolos Kaldaras and Kostas Virvos, and audiovisual material.
• The Tsitsani Museum.
• The Kliafa Centre for History and Culture. Housed in the old ice factory of the Kliafa Company, an industrial building of 1926, this cultural centre hosts the City museum
• The Katsikogianni museum where you can see more than 1.000 paintings and 100 sculptures and designs.