Green Cultural Routes May 2026
EPHORATE OF ANTIQUITIES OF PIERIA
GREEN CULTURAL ROUTES 2026
The Ephorate of Antiquities of Pieria participates in the anniversary communication initiative of the Ministry of Culture, “Green Cultural Routes” 2026, with educational thematic guided tours and lectures.
These activities are addressed both to school units of all levels and to the general public. Their aim is, on the one hand, to present the interventions for the protection and promotion of selected archaeological monuments and the stories they carry through time, and on the other hand, to highlight the protection and promotion of their natural environment, as well as its inseparable connection with the human-made environment.
In detail:
1. Archaeological Site of Dion
The activity “Then, Now and Forever? Snapshots of Daily Life in Dion” will take place.
It includes:
A) A thematic guided tour of the recently restored complex of the Roman Agora of Dion.
B) An interactive and comparative approach to daily life in the past and present, based on selected archaeological finds from Roman Dion, their construction materials, their use, and their environmental footprint.
Target audience: 5th and 6th grade primary school students (up to 40 students)
Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Meeting point: Entrance of the Archaeological Park of Dion
Event coordinators: Maria Papathanasiou, Sofia Koulidou
Phone: +30 23510 53644 (Dion)
2. Leivithra Experiential Park
The activity “Cultural Botanical Routes of Olympus – Leivithra, a Biodiversity Ark” will take place.
It includes:
A) A thematic guided tour of the Experiential Park focusing on the timeless relationship between the human and natural environment, and how the ancients created myths to interpret the creation of the world and the cyclical course of nature.
B) A guided tour of the photography exhibition by flora researcher Eleftherios Kipopoulos, featuring rare wildflowers of Mount Olympus, hosted at the park.
Target audience: Primary and secondary education students (up to 45 students)
Date: Friday, May 22, 2026
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Meeting point: Entrance of Leivithra Experiential Park
Event coordinators: Eleni Klinaki, Vasiliki Kyprianou
Phone: +30 23510 53644 (Dion) & +30 23520 33884 (Leivithra)
3. Kato Milia
Lecture: “From the Hexagonal Martyrion and the Early Christian Basilica of ‘Vrontismeni’ to the Post-Byzantine Antiquities of the Area – A Tribute to Giorgos Chandolias”
Since the 1980s, when Georgios Chatzigeorgiou first observed a scattered abundance of remains from Christian churches in an area locally known as “Vrontismeni,” and through subsequent research findings, the site has become a cultural landmark marking the transition from the Roman to the Early Christian period.
Inspired archaeologists led efforts to protect and highlight the site, which is officially protected by the State (Government Gazette 391/B/21-6-82). It is located east of Kato Milia in the regional unit of Pieria, approximately halfway to the village of Moschochori, bordered by two streams to the east and west, hills to the north, and the Katerini–Elassona public road to the south.
Ano Milia, the core settlement of the Milia residents, is adorned by the Church of Agia Paraskevi, whose apse features blind arcades and stone carvings, along with an elaborate bell tower. The churches of Agios Georgios in Mesa Milia and Agios Dimitrios in Kato Milia, along with their preserved relics, reinforce the historical continuity of the area.
A site that came to symbolize beauty and freedom through the centuries still preserves its symbol today—the standing Tower of the Lazaios family.
Collaborating organizations: Cultural Association of Kato Milia “Oi Lazaioi”
Target audience: Students, educators, and the general public
Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Meeting point: Kato Milia Gymnasium (Middle School)
Event coordinator: Evpraxia Doulkeri
Phone: +30 23510 52360 & +30 6944944970 (Ms. Doulkeri)
Admission to all events and activities is free.
