Το μονοπάτι της αγάπης

"The Path of Love"

• A hiking trail in Ano Milia, Pieria: This is a picturesque, easy trail through a forest of beech, black pine and chestnut, with many springs and resting points, which starts from the settlement of Ano Milia in the Pieria Mountains.

How to get there:

After 10 km on the road to Agios Dimitrios, you pass the village of Kato Milia and turn right (there are signs). The remaining 15 km. are easy uphill, a country road with several bends, it just requires a little attention.

After passing Mesaia Milia, you will reach Ano, at the church of Agia Paraskevi on the main road.

The path is easy, without ups and downs, 700 meters through the cool forest and the thick shade cast by the trees (and 700 on the way back, total route 1,400 m.). Beech, chestnut, oak and fir trees. Picturesque wooden bridge. Mountain fountain with drinking running water next to the church

The starting point of the trail is 100 m. after the church and the playground above. You park next to the church of Agia Paraskevi and from there you walk uphill, passing the playground, on the left is the wooden sign for the trail entrance.

It is worth walking another 400 m. behind the church, to the chapel of Kosmas Aitolos in the fir trees (or even going by car).

The path was named “of love”, perhaps because it is located on the mountain of the 9 Pierid muses. Some of them, such as Erato and Thalia, praised love and romance.

The chapel is actually a large regular church, a three-aisled basilica, dedicated to Saint Cosmas the Aetolian. It was built during the Turkish occupation and in April 1822 the Ottoman conquerors burned the village and the church. In 1854 the inhabitants of Milia rebuilt the church as evidenced by the relief above the window of the niche.

Wooden bridge, oxygen, panoramic view. The route is short, through trees, easy even for small children and the elderly.

The route starts from the church of Agia Paraskevi in ​​Ano Milia, taking the adjacent asphalt road, approximately 200 meters to our left we see wooden signs that lead us to the path of love (a beautiful path with wooden bridges, springs and picnic areas).

At the end of the path from the bakery location, we climb up to the left of the ravine and emerge onto a dirt road that comes from Ano Milia.

We turn left and follow it and it leads us to the monument to the victims of the December 1997 plane crash. We continue after the first Yakovlev monument which leads us to the second point, the Yakovlev monument.

We could return by going back to the first monument we encountered, continuing the dirt road to the left until we find the path that goes up from Ano Milia to the 5 Towers , which is a safer option, but we chose to follow a ravine on our left, turning from the second monument towards the first, gaining about 200 meters in altitude and coming out onto another dirt road, and continuing left to come out again onto the path we would have been on in the first option reaching the 5 Towers. The view towards the snowy Olympus is excellent.

The return is via the classic 5 Towers - Ano Milia path, well signposted

At the end of the path outside the village, on our right is the shelter of the EOS Katerini and on our left is the path of the muses, there are relevant wooden signs.

Following the path, passing through 2-3 wooden bridges, after about 2.5 kilometers we find ourselves in front of various waterfalls.

The return is via the same beautiful path.