In 2007 a Hollywood film crew set up cameras in a small cove on eastern Pelion. In "Mamma Mia", released the following year, Meryl Streep sings and dances on an island that does not exist. Some of the scenes, though, were filmed here, at Damouchari.
Before the film
Damouchari was a small harbour long before the cameras came. In the years when the villages of eastern Pelion lived from trade, mountain produce was loaded here, oil, chestnuts and more, for other Aegean ports. Around the cove survive stone buildings and ruins from that time, among them remains of old fortifications.
The old cobbled paths that came down from the villages to the sea are still there. One of them links Damouchari with Mouresi and Tsagkarada.
The beach
The cove is small and sheltered. The beach is pebbly, with clear deep-blue water and olive and plane trees coming very close to the waves. Next to it there is a second, more open beach. Small boats tie up in the little harbour, and there are a few tavernas and cafés.
Because it lies on the eastern, Aegean side of Pelion, the sea here is more open and cooler than the Pagasetic Gulf. On days with a north wind there can be waves.
Getting there
By car, the road comes down from the area of Agios Ioannis and Mouresi. There is parking near the cove, but in August it fills early.
The nicest way is on foot. The cobbled path from Mouresi descends through olives and chestnuts and reaches the sea in under an hour. The way back is uphill, so save some energy and water.
When
September and October are ideal: the sea is still warm, there are fewer people and the light is soft. For fans of the film, Damouchari is worth a song by the waves. For everyone else, the quiet is enough.
