Meteora Monasteries

Six Eastern Orthodox monasteries built on top of sandstone pillars -- natural rock formations that rise 400 metres from the Thessaly plain -- in the 14th and 15th centuries by monks seeking isolation from the world, the Meteora complex was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 for both its natural landscape and its Byzantine architecture. Monks were originally hauled up in nets; today 146 steps cut into the rock provide access to monasteries where icons, frescoes, and illuminated manuscripts from the 11th century are preserved.