Meteora

Meteora is a spectacular collection of monasteries built high atop Greek mountains in a stunning natural setting. "Meteora" roughly translates as "suspended in the air." Meteora is a magnificent network of massive black stone pillars rising outside Trikala, near the Pindos Mountains. After Mount Athos in Halkidiki, the monasteries that perch atop these cliffs are Greece's second most prominent monastic community. Only six of the thirty monasteries that were founded over the centuries are still operational today.

The Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron, erected in the mid-14th century and now a museum, is possibly the most notable of the Meteora monasteries. Agias Triados, Agiou Nikolaou, Varlaam, Agias Varvaras Rousanou, and Agiou Stefanou.

Each of the monasteries charges a nominal fee to enter. Men and women are expected to wear clothes that cover them in general when visiting Meteora. The monasteries themselves are full of holy artifacts, wall paintings, icons, and libraries full of antique manuscripts, in addition to affording a wonderful perspective.

Location: Thessaly