Pinnacles between earth and heaven

When you are on the pinnacles of the huge, dull rocks which are the locales of the patios of the religious communities of Meteora, and as your eye takes in the serene plain of Thessaly, your heart thumps with a changed pace.

The beguiling scene of the stones with their green cover around them produces sentiments of wonder mixed with amazement — absolutely on the grounds that from up there man feels his vulnerability before the miracles of the Creator.

As you look at the huge rocks which ascend around you, you encounter a condition of otherworldly elevation and reflection. The monasteries — built between the 14th and 16th centuries — feel impossibly fused to the rock itself.

What to see

• Great Meteoron — the largest and oldest of the six active monasteries.
• Varlaam — striking 16th-century frescoes inside a tiny chapel.
• Roussanou — perched on the narrowest pinnacle, often photographed at sunrise.
• Holy Trinity — featured in the James Bond film "For Your Eyes Only".
• St. Stephen & St. Nicholas Anapafsas — quieter, with stunning views.

Stay overnight in Kalambaka or Kastraki to catch sunrise mist drifting around the rocks — it's a sight no photo can do justice to.