Practical guideLarissa
Vale of Tempe, Greece: the gorge between Olympus and Ossa
The narrow passage of the river Pineios between Mount Olympus and Mount Ossa: the chapel of Agia Paraskevi, the suspension bridge, the Vale of Tempe in Greek mythology, and Ampelakia above.
At a glance
- What it is
- The gorge of the river Pineios, between Mount Olympus and Mount Ossa (Kissavos)
- Where
- North of Larissa, on the road to Thessaloniki
- Pronunciation
- In Greek, Tempi: TEM-bee
- Don't miss
- The chapel of Agia Paraskevi and the suspension bridge over the Pineios
- Nearby
- Ampelakia (382 m), Stomio and the mouth of the Pineios
North of Larissa, the river Pineios finds its only way to the sea: a narrow, green gorge between Mount Olympus and Mount Ossa. This is the Vale of Tempe, one of the most celebrated landscapes of ancient Greece.
In mythology
According to tradition, Apollo was purified at Tempe after killing the Python, and the laurel branches for the victors' wreaths at the Pythian Games in Delphi were cut here. Tempe was also the main pass from Macedonia into southern Greece, and so a strategic point in every age.
What to see
The stop almost everyone makes is Agia Paraskevi: a small chapel on the riverbank, with a sacred cave and a spring, reached across a suspension bridge over the Pineios. Above the valley, on the slopes of Mount Ossa, Ampelakia (382 m) has 18th-century mansions and the story of one of the first cooperatives in Europe, for dyeing cotton yarn. Further east, at Stomio, the Pineios meets the Aegean.
Remembrance
The name Tempi is now also tied to the rail disaster of 28 February 2023, in which 57 people were killed. Anyone who travels through the valley also travels through that memory.
For the river that carved the valley, read the magazine's feature on the Pineios.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Vale of Tempe?
North of Larissa in Thessaly, where the river Pineios cuts between Mount Olympus and Mount Ossa on its way to the Aegean. The Athens–Thessaloniki motorway runs through the valley.
What does the Vale of Tempe mean in Greek mythology?
In myth, Apollo was purified in Tempe after killing the Python, and the laurel for the victors' wreaths at the Pythian Games in Delphi was cut here. In antiquity it was also the main pass from Macedonia into southern Greece.
How do you pronounce Tempe?
In English it is often said TEM-pee. The Greek name is Tempi (Τέμπη), pronounced roughly TEM-bee.
What is there to see near the Vale of Tempe?
Ampelakia, the village on Mount Ossa with its 18th-century mansions and the story of one of Europe's first cooperatives, and Stomio, where the Pineios flows into the sea.