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Learn the story behind St. Kori and walk in her footsteps to feel her aura in the space where she lived. Follow the path towards the homonymous waterfalls. Take a refreshing dip in the crystalline waters and enjoy your coffee under the shade of the trees. Visit the ruins of Old Vrontou and admire the view from the impressive monastery of Holy Trinity. It’s time for a beautiful tasting journey at a family-owned winery.
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According to the myth, Saint Kori lived during the period of Ottoman rule in one of the villages of Epirus, during the time of the governor of Ioannina, Ali Pasha (1788-1822 AD). The Turkish ruler wanted her for his harem and ordered a detachment to bring her to him. However, someone of Greek origin from the detachment managed to warn her. The girl, devoted to God, refused to submit to slavery and dishonor. She took with her the icon of the Virgin Mary and disappeared into the mountains.
After enduring many hardships, she arrived at Mount Olympus, finding refuge in the area next to the chapel of the Holy Trinity in the old village of Vrontou. It is possible that she was helped to reach there by some woodcutters from Epirus, who went every winter from the villages of Epirus to Mount Olympus to work as loggers. Ali Pasha, who spied on everything, learned that she was hiding in Vrontou and sent his men to capture her.
The hunted St. Kori fled to her last refuge, in the deep gorge. There, she avoided approaching people out of fear they would discover her hiding place. During her stay, she discovered a cave where she could hide. She subsisted on roots and springs and whatever else she could found, choosing to renounce worldly possessions and live with temperance and purity.
Many of the shepherds approached her and gave her food, but she kept her identity and martyrdom story secret. It is not known how many years she lived before dying from hardship and deprivation.
After some time, the residents found her dead in the ravine, in the place where the chapel and the sanctification of her are located today, and they buried her in the same place near the cave where she had been hiding.
We depart from Thessaloniki at 08:00 heading to the chapel of St. Kori, near Vrontou village.
We reach the entrance that leads, after 169 steps, to the chapel and cave of St. Kori
Following a short, uphill hike, we reach the magnificent waterfalls where we can enjoy the cool waters and the picturesque surroundings. It’s time to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee.
After our refreshing dip in the beautiful waterfalls and once we have enjoyed our coffee, we will hike for a short while until we reach our van again, and depart for the impressive monastery of Holy Trinity, which is built on a rock, above a steep slope. Its presence composes an extremely beautiful and one of the most characteristic images of Mount Olympus.
Our next stop is at the abandoned settlement of Old Vrontous, where we will explore the ruins and the preserved monument of the Church of Saint Nikolaos.
Next destination is the village of Rachi. There we will visit the beautiful family-owned winery to taste award-winning wine labels accompanied by exquisite local flavors, while enjoying the idyllic landscape.
With our souls nourished by the beauty and experiences of our day trip to Mount Olympus, we make our way back to Thessaloniki in the late afternoon.