The presidents, general managers and other representatives of the news agencies of the countries of Southeastern Europe - members of the Association of the Balkan News Agencies - Southeastern Europe (ABNA-SE) visiting Greece for the ABNA-SE Conference and General Assembly - had the opportunity to visit the municipality of Naoussa and learn about the history of Naoussa since antiquity, from the Hellenistic years to the present day.
The Nymphaeum of Mieza, an area with impressive vegetation, caves, springs and running waters, where the Nymphs were worshipped and which was the natural setting chosen by Aristotle for his itinerant teaching, with students such as Alexander the Great and the patricians of the Macedonian Court, was the first stop on the tour in the municipality of Naoussa by the ABNA-SE delegation, led by its president, the president and general director of the Athens-Macedonian News Agency Aimilios Perdikaris. At the site, they were informed about the archaeological excavations that uncovered the ancient theatre of Mieza and the burial monuments of the Macedonian city, which flourished during the classical and Hellenistic years, especially.
The members of the ABNA-SE delegation were then welcomed to the Cultural Centre of the Aristotelous School by the mayor of Naoussa, Nikolas Karanikolas, who presented the actions of the municipality to highlight the tourism, culture, history, and industrial heritage of the region.
The delegation was next given a tour of the "Kyr-Yiannis" vineyard and winery on the eastern foothills of Mount Vermio, in Giannakochori, and heard the story from its founder, former Thessaloniki mayor Yannis Boutaris. They also had the opportunity to learn about the various stages of wine production and especially about the indigenous grape variety of the region, Xinomavro, and to enjoy the experience of tasting fine wines.
During their visit to the Industrial Heritage Centre of Naoussa - ERIA, the news agency representatives were briefed on an important part of the history of Naoussa, marked by its flourishing textile industry, one of the main branches of economic activity in the region. They toured the exhibition "Threads of History. The textile industry in Naoussa" which presents the factories-former businesses, the production processes, the role and operation of the machines as well as the organisation of work and brings to light the stories of the workers and industrialists, employers and employees. The executives of the news agencies expressed great interest in the audiovisual material and the recreations of offices and rooms in houses of the time.
"The municipality of Naoussa is an area of multifaceted tourist interest for all seasons of the year, with hospitality facilities that are of a high standard. We make a continuous effort, with actions and initiatives, to highlight culture, tourism, our industrial heritage, wine tradition and local gastronomy, but also to promote the comparative advantages of our region, with the natural beauties of Vermio, the grove of Agios Nikolaos, the two ski resorts close to Naoussa and the important archaeological sites, such as the School of Aristotle and the ancient theater of Mieza," said the mayor of Naoussa, Nikolas Karanikolas, to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.
The president and general director of the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, Aimilios Perdikaris, thanked Karanikolas for the hospitality and stated: "We decided to show ...our colleagues from the news agencies of the Balkans and the wider region of Southeastern Europe all aspects of central Macedonia. For this reason, with the valuable help of the mayor of Naoussa, Mr. Karanikolas, who immediately accepted our proposal, we were welcomed and shown around the area, we showed them the Macedonian land, as this is reflected in the area's wineries, vineyards, factories etc., but also the history of Naoussa."