Most visitors to Meteora stay in Kalambaka or drive straight up to the monasteries. But turn off a little earlier, towards Kastraki, and you find a village that lives literally under the rocks. From the yards of the houses the grey stone towers rise so close you feel you could touch them.
A village for climbers
For years Kastraki has been the base for climbers at Meteora. The rocks around it carry hundreds of routes, and among the visitors you will see people with ropes, helmets and packs setting off early in the morning. In September, Kastraki and Kalambaka hosted the 37th Panhellenic Climbing Meeting, which gathers climbers from all over Greece every year.
If you don't climb, you can simply sit and watch. Seeing small figures on vertical walls a hundred metres high is gripping.
The custom of the kerchiefs
Every year, on the feast of Saint George, Kastraki lives one of the most unusual customs in Thessaly. Young men of the village climb the rock where the hermitage of Saint George of the Kerchief (Mandilas) stands and hang new kerchiefs there, offerings from the faithful, in place of the old ones. From below, the coloured cloth on the grey rock can be seen from far away. The custom is old, and it shows how closely village life is tied to the rock.
Footpaths
Paths start from Kastraki and climb to the monasteries, along the old ways the monks used before the asphalt road was built. Walking them, you understand better what life was like here a century ago: climbs through the trees, stone steps, and suddenly a monastery appearing above your head.
Practical notes
Kastraki is about two kilometres from Kalambaka. It has guesthouses, tavernas and a campsite, and it is quieter than the town in the evenings. If you stay there, get up early: the first light on the rocks is the reason many photographers choose Kastraki.
For the monasteries, check each one's opening days and hours, because they are not all open every day.
