The mountain village of Ano Melpia is built on the southeastern slopes of Mount Terazio at an altitude of 700 metres. Around the 8th century AD, Milingoi Slav settlers settled in the area and created the settlements of Ano and Kato Garantza, which means "security". Thus, until 1927, the village was called Ano Garantza.
In the village, with its green landscape, visitors can see the stone-built houses, the church of Agios Athanasios, as well as the bust of Mitropetrovas, the leader of the Revolution of 1821, who came from here. For hiking lovers, there is a route (lasting 5 hours) through dense vegetation and running waters, which connects Ano Melpia with Kato Melpia.
At a distance of 7 kilometres from the village, in the "Petroula" location and at an altitude of 1000 metres, an archaeological excavation brought to light the ruins of a temple dating back to the Classical period. The excavation was carried out in 2010, while the site had already been identified since 1995 when the area's inhabitants demolished a small church to rebuild it. A section of the foundation of the ancient building is visible at a maximum length of 5.50 metres, while in the area, there is also scattered ancient building material.
If you find yourself in the area, do not miss visiting the small church of Agia Theodora, on the roof of which 17 trees have grown, as well as the temple of Epicurean Apollo - one of the most important archaeological monuments in Greece.
