Larissa, Regional capital in Thessaly, Greece
Larissa is a regional capital in Thessaly, Greece, that spreads across the fertile Thessalian plain along the Pineiós River. The surroundings consist of agricultural lands framed by the Olympus mountains to the north and the Pindos range to the west.
The settlement served as a major medical center in the 5th century BCE, where Hippocrates spent his final years. Over the centuries, rule shifted between Byzantine, Ottoman and Greek authorities until the city definitively joined Greece in 1881.
The name derives from the Thessalian root 'laris', referring to fortresses or fortified settlements that once watched over the plain. Today residents live in a modern center organized around wide squares and pedestrian zones, where cafes and shops shape social life.
The central railway station offers regular connections to Athens and Thessaloniki, while a municipal bus network links neighborhoods. Visitors can explore the center on foot, as most points of interest sit within or close to the pedestrian zone.
The ancient theater from the 3rd century BCE once held 10000 spectators and still shows its stone seating rows on the hillside today. Temperature extremes range above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in summer and drop below freezing in winter, creating pronounced seasonal shifts.
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