Ano Poroia is a village located in Macedonia, Greece, with unique Macedonian architecture. It is hidden in perennial plane trees and crystal waters and embraces mountain Belles, keeping it safe as a treasure that has not been touched by time.
The history of the village began during the Turkish occupation when Turkish beys had their stone country houses there which exist until today. They used to call the village Small Constantinople, while doctors recommended consumptive patients to reside in Ano Poroia in order to be cured.
Vlachs, people from Asia Minor, Pontian Greeks and Thracians resided in the village, which developed a lot after the Turkish occupation. This development continues until today as the stone hotels of the region host more than 20,000 tourists per year. The village has more than 2,000 permanent residents.
The first inhabitants, of Greek origin, were descendants of the Vlachs. According to history, groups of families originated from Moschopolis, Ioannina, Argyrokastro, Trikala, villages of the Olympus mountain, of Mount Pindus, Mount Gramos, as inhabitants of Metsovo, Samarina and Avdella, who were persecuted by the Turks, were the first migrants that constituted the core of the village’s population at the beginning of the 19th century.
Greek refugees uprooted from their ancestral homes in Asia Minor were the next to settle in Ano Poroia. The gradual mixture of the refugees with locals changed things in the village. Bakeries, grocery stores, cobbler shops, draperies, tailor shops, cook-houses, cheese shops, butcheries, coffeehouses and entertainment venues turned Ano Poroia into a cultural center.
The old mansions, the neighborhood stone alleys, the beautiful plane tree forest, the endless wellsprings and flowing waters, the country churches of Saint George and Saint Dimitris with hagiographies on their walls cannot leave the visitor untouched.
Hundreds of Greeks and foreigners flock to taste the region’s traditional delicacies and gastronomic recipes of buffalo meat, fresh trout, traditional pasta and sweets.
During Easter, the village is flooded with tourists from all around Greece, as Ano Poroia is characterized in modern times as a paradise on earth just a few kilometers away from civilization and routine. It is located 65 km from the town of Serres and only 130 km from Thessaloniki.
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