Theofilos in Makrinitsa

The cafe Theofilos is located in its beautiful square Makrinitsa on Pelion and is famous for a painting by Theofilos.

The building was built in 1910 and in 1911 the laikos painter Theofilos Hadjimichael painted inside the ground floor cafe a large mural. It is the time when the crazy fustanelas painted here and there, in cafes, in taverns, in shops in houses to provide the necessary - a plate of food - to live.

The continuous operation of the cafe in the past years, caused great damage to the mural, a fact that led the Ministry to its maintenance in 1988 and then to the characterization of the entire building as "historical monument".

Today, the ground floor of the building where the coffee - ouzo "Theofilos", is owned by the Community of Makrinitsa and its operation has been granted since 2005 to a young local couple, Ria and George.

Entering the small cafe with all five tables you are impressed by the mural 3.15 x 2.50 m. Which covers most of the surface of the east wall of the room. Theme of the hero Katsantonis, one of the first Greek revolutionaries during the Turkish occupation.

The composition is narrative, unfolding on various levels, as it describes a party in the camp of Katsantonis in a rich natural environment, bordered by a small river at the bottom. The protagonist of the composition, Katsantonis, stands out due to his larger size than his comrades, playing the tambourine with only his leg. Elsewhere they skewer lambs, elsewhere they pour wine from the barrels, elsewhere they play instruments, souravlias and tambourines while there is no lack of dancing and singing.

The space of the cafe is small, the awe and emotion is great. For those who do not skimp on a lot of arts cafe Theofilos compensates them with rakes, appetizers and two or three hot lentils, of which the Pelion bug (sausage with beef spleen and heart and rice filling) and spetsofai it's amazing. Personally, I enjoyed the bread and the spectacles!