Anovolios Traditional Houses

Village Within a Village

• The six stone houses in the resort were built in the 1600s in the Northern Greek style, from stone mined on the Pelion peninsula. Greek refugees fleeing the Ottoman occupation brought their stone-building skills with them to the mountain towns of the gulf and built the area's venerable houses.

  Used today as luxurious vacation getaways, Anovolios houses are furnished with art, comfortable sofas, tables, chairs, desks and beds, plus modern amenities. The main house and five smaller houses have a total of 15 rooms. The resort accommodates 40 people.

Architectural Style

• Anovolios stone houses are two and three stories high, set on a solid stone bases. Stone walls, 8 inches thick, keep the interiors cool in the summer and warm in the winter. A grand front doorway opens into the foyer of the main house, but the windows on the lower floor are small and let in little light. The upper floors have large windows that spill light into the rooms. Stacked-stone chimneys rise from the quarried gray-slate roofs, and small niches in the walls hold flowerpots.

Public Spaces

• Elaborate stone terraces and narrow stone staircases surround and join the houses. They are furnished with wooden tables and chairs for outdoor dining, as well as large stone-slab benches and low stone walls for sitting and enjoying the view. Gardens, as well as traditional ironwork railings complement the multilevel outdoor stonework.

Rooms

• Each room is different, but all offer views through windows set into the soundproof stone walls. Each has its own entrance. Most rooms have exposed stone walls, tile floors and traditional wood-burning fireplaces that are lighted and maintained by the staff. Some have hot tubs. Modern amenities include satellite TV, phone, Internet, room service, minibar and a safe.