Six vibrant, creative and bold women created an Agritourism Cooperative in the scenic Ano Poroia village in Serres, named “Niviasta” a word in the local Vlach dialect meaning bride.

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It may come as little surprise then that, all the cooperative’s founders came to the village as brides. They grew to love the place so much that they made it their goal to promote its beauty, gastronomy and uniqueness.

Three of these dynamic ladies, who reside in the village and took the reigns of the project, rolled up their sleeves, tied on their aprons, put on their wellies and set to work creating a great business model. Hey presto after some blood sweat and tears, Niviasta came into existence.

A dreamy café with a view

First off, in no time they set up a lovely little café on the eastern side of the village, overlooking Kerkini lake, the Krousia mountains and the small valley at the foot of mount Belles.

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The three leading ladies of the Women’s Cooperative in Ano Poroia / Photo: Niviasta
The view from the café, towards the west side of the village / Photo: Niviasta

We arrived at the village on a weeknight. Parking our car in the centre of the village, we strolled up the path that leads to the headquarters of Niviasta. We were drawn in by the resplendent colours; the purple of the blackthorn, the bright red berries and all the shades of yellow and gold, the turning autumnal leaves on the plane trees.

Reaching our destination, there was a large dish of pleska pie (traditional pie from Serres with leeks and feta cheese) which was heading to a village home. “Ordered for a celebration,” Danai told us and we anxiously asked whether there would be any for us.

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Cornelian cherry cordial, the forest’s flavour /Photo: Xinomavri
Freshly baked pleska pie, the most famous pie in Ano Poroia / Photo: Xinomavri

​Pleska, kavurma pies and cornelian cherry cordial

​Pleska is one of the most emblematic dishes from the village. It’s a pie made without filo dough but with corn flour, sauteed leeks and cheese. A good pleska is thin, not very oily, light and crispy. It’s a unique type of ‘pita’ pie.

Danai brought us Greek coffee flavoued with mastic and a few fragrant orange cookies and started talking to us about warping and wefting, a method used to turn thread or yarn into fabric. She told how she learned weaving here, in Ano Poroia, and then went on to complete seminars in Crete and Cyprus, and now she is getting ready to train locals and visitors who are interested in this dying (pardon the pun) art. “For a very long time, I visited the old weavers of the village to learn and ultimately preserve the traditional patterns and types of local weaving and thread dying techniques.” These visits were an opportunity “for old chests to open and small works of woven art seeing the light of day for the first time in years” Danai told us as she served us pie made with filo pastry kneaded with beets.

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Filo dough kneaded with spinach / Photo: Niviasta
Creating traditions! Pie with filo kneaded with beets / Photo: Niviasta

Danai specializes in savoury dishes, and Athina in sweets. She was baking a chocolate hazelnut pie and a lemon cake for a children’s birthday party.

“I’ve been excited about it from the start. My children have now grown up and even though I work in the morning, I find time for the cooperative in the afternoons and on weekends. We have many plans and I’m feeling very positive with our start,” Athina told us as she made a test batch of melomakarona (traditional Christmas cookies).

Apart from pleska (yes they had saved a batch for us) we also tried small pies with buffalo kavurma from Kerkini, and a crispy, fragrant cheese pie.

Niviasta have already started packaging and bottling some of their products. The famous cornelian cherry cordial and the fragrant fig marmalades were on display. Mountain tea, mint, and oregano in paper packets scented the space, and two baskets with freshly picked quince were waiting to be turned into spoon sweets (traditional preserve).

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Fragrant orange cookies to have with our coffee / Photo: Xinomavri
Danai’s crochet and stitch creations decorate the space / Photo: Xinomavri

​Picnic with local delicacies

As well as running the café, the Cooperative organises picnics in the forest of Belles. Wooded slopes, small mountain plateaus, magical locations surrounded by plane trees and tinkling creeks, become the al fresco dining area for visitors to delight in the local delicacies lovingly prepared by the Nivista women. The picnic basket opens on a gingham tablecloth and ‘kali oreksi’ bon appetit.

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Impressive light as we enjoy our coffee / Photo: Niviasta
After a small hike you reach an idyllic location for a picnic / Photo: Xinomavri

​A French teacher teaches horseback riding

We met Anna, the third of the group, (who among other things is also in charge of their communications) in the heart of the forest accompanied by a dozen Pindos horses. Anna, who has studied French language and literature, owns a stables with her husband and they organise hacks in the beautiful forest of Belles.

“Now, Niviasta organises events that combine horseback riding, short hikes and picnics. We want to share with our visitors the abundant nature of our home, to give them a tour and help them experience the village and its uniqueness like a local,” Anna tells me as she mothers a foal.

The group is completed by the adult educator Hrisa Grigoriou, who helped inspire and direct the first steps of Niviasta.

A little history

Every detail is important and creates significance. Niviasta is also the former name of Nymfaio, this emblematic village of Western Macedonia, from where, during the Ottoman rule, many Vlach families left and came to Ano Poroia. So, with the cooperative’s name, after almost two centuries, this historic bond is revived. After the second world war, the residents began leaving both Nymfaio and Ano Poroia in droves, abandoning their homes for the cities. Today, however, sustainable tourist development is attracting creative and imaginative young people who are breathing new life into the area.

“Niviasta” Women’s Agritourism Cooperative of mount Belles

Tel.: 0030 6973901746 (Danai) & 0030 6981602365 (Anna)

info@niviasta.gr

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