Volos from Makrinitsa

Makrinitsa's terracotta rooftops descend in tiers toward Volos, with the full breadth of the Pagasetic Gulf opening below.

A deep peace settles over this entire view. Your eye just naturally travels down the slope, past the city, all the way to the water's edge. Notice the warmth in the architecture—those earthy ochres and siennas—and how they’re answered by the cool teals of the gulf. The paint holds so much texture up close on these stone walls. Then it softens as you look out, letting the sky and the shimmer on the water just breathe. The late afternoon sun is low, picking out the rooftops and leaving the little pathways in soft shadow. A held quiet rests at the edge of everything, the kind of hush a high balcony keeps for itself.