{"id":8276,"date":"2018-09-24T11:30:09","date_gmt":"2018-09-24T15:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/?p=8276"},"modified":"2018-09-24T11:30:09","modified_gmt":"2018-09-24T15:30:09","slug":"fascinating-facts-meteora","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/fascinating-facts-meteora","title":{"rendered":"Five things you need to know about Meteora"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meteora \u2014 one of the holiest and most beautiful places in Greece \u2014 is a breathtaking experience and a bucket list requirement for world travelers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Made up of a series of monasteries sitting atop natural pillars in central Greece, Meteora is one of the country\u2019s premier tourist destinations and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in two categories \u2014 nature and art.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the first time, this spectacular site is featured on an Explorica tour\u2014<\/span>Italy, Meteora, and Athens<\/span><\/a>. Check out the itinerary, and read on below for five things you need to know about Meteora.<\/span><\/p>\n

1 – Meteora means \u201csuspended in the air\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

The name says it all: <\/span>Derived from the ancient Greek word met\u00e9\u014dros<\/span><\/a>, meaning \u201craised from the ground, hanging, lofty,\u201d Meteora gets its name from the monasteries that sit high atop the stone pillars. Averaging about 1,000 feet above the ground, on a foggy day, it looks like the buildings are suspended in midair.<\/span><\/p>\n

The monasteries aren\u2019t all that\u2019s suspended in the air, though: Meteora also features caves where hermits lived, as well as a prison where monks who were expelled from the monastery were kept.<\/span><\/p>\n

2 – The pillars took millions of years to form<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

The rock formations are made from sandstone and conglomerate rocks rising from the ground; they took about 60 million years to form. The area is significant for its archaeology as well as its geology: The nearby <\/span>cave of Theopetra<\/span><\/a> contains archaeological evidence of Neanderthals, and the first evidence of a man-made structure, a stone barrier that blocked the cave\u2019s entrance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

3 – Monks have lived there for over a thousand years<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

Hermit monks first settled in Meteora as early as the 9th century to live lives of solitude and meditation. They climbed the tall pillars to isolate themselves from civilization and, at times, to escape persecution. <\/span><\/p>\n

The first Eastern Orthodox monasteries were built in Meteora in the 14th and 15th centuries, using incredible architecture and decorated with <\/span>post-Byzantine style<\/span><\/a> paintings. The monks who lived in the monasteries used baskets and ropes to climb the cliff sides and to obtain goods and food. When not in use, rope ladders could easily be pulled up to restrict access.<\/span><\/p>\n

4 – Six of the original 24 monasteries are still standing<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

Six of the original 24 monasteries are still functional, with four serving as monasteries and two as nunneries, and a total of just over 50 people still living there. The rest of the monasteries sit in ruin, though the remaining six have also had their struggles: Bombing during World War II caused damage to two, <\/span>St. Stephen\u2019s Monastery<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>Roussanou Monastery<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

5 – Today, thousands flock to Meteora each year<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

Luckily for visitors, rope ladders were replaced with steps carved into the rock in the 1920s, so tourists can climb up to view the monasteries up close and see the incredible panoramic views from the tops of the pillars. More daring tourists go rock climbing. <\/span><\/p>\n

James Bond fans tend to flock there as well, as the Holy Trinity Monastery was featured in this hilariously awful action sequence in the movie <\/span>For Your Eyes Only<\/span><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

Whatever reason brings you there, you\u2019ll be thrilled by this beautiful site. Take a look at the itinerary for our <\/span>Italy, Meteora, and Athens tour<\/span><\/a>, and give us a call to learn more about how we can get you there!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meteora \u2014 one of the holiest and most beautiful places in Greece \u2014 is a breathtaking experience and a bucket list requirement for world travelers. Made up of a series of monasteries sitting atop natural pillars in central Greece, Meteora is one of the country\u2019s premier tourist destinations and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,173,63,172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-explorica-news","category-parents","category-students","category-teachers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8276"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8288,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8276\/revisions\/8288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}