Meteora · Monasteries Reached Only by Rope

Meteora is a group of rock pillars standing on the plain, with monasteries built on the summits. In the past the only way in or out was a basket and a rope, hauled up by the people above.

A visitor asked, “When is the rope changed?” The monk answered, “When the one above breaks.” The exchange has been quoted for six hundred years.

Steps and a cable car have since been built, and several of the monasteries on the pillars are still in use. At sunset the rock faces turn deep red.

Historical Mysteries / Thessaly · Greece / 14th century