Velvento: It takes a village

I remember my former colleague and avid traveler Dinos Kiousis often saying: "The only way to experience true hospitality is to visit Velvento." I bore this in mind as we crossed the impressive Lake Polyfytos Bridge, which traverses a reservoir created by the Public Power Corporation (PPC) some 40 years ago to harness the power of the Aliakmonas River and now so beautiful that it's hard to believe it's man-made as you travel into the foothills of the Pierian Mountains and up to the village of Velvento.

The reason for our visit was the peach festival, held every August, an occasion during which the village - or small town, given its population of 3,500 - celebrates the harvest and treats guests to a product that is a mainstay of the local economy and famed around Greece.

The welcome we received was indeed very warm, but as is often the case, it took a crisis to really...