Palaios Agios Athanasios Pella

The village was built in the late 16th century, probably by farmers and builders and formed the eastern boundary of the area that was under control of Ali Pasha of Ioannina. It is built on a plateau at an altitude of 1.180m – 1240 m. The traditional Macedonian architecture, the stunning views of Lake Vegoritida and, of course, the Kaimaktsalan ski resort have highlighted Palaios Agios Athanasios in the most popular mountainous destination of Western Macedonia and one of the most important of Greece. In the mid-80s, the residents abandoned the village and created New Saint Athanasios, just a few kilometers below, in the plain, after the snow had blocked the village for months. But in the early 1990s the creation of the ski center brought the village to the top of mountain tourism.