We live in the outskirts of Τhessaloniki in a residential area called Pefka (Pine trees). The distance from the city center is only 6.5 km. In the past Pefka was called Retziki,a turkish word which means »Paradise» and this is true, since the area was full of trees,especially pine trees and a lot of greenery.

 Pefka is opposite Thessaloniki “s  «Seikh-Sou»  forest  and occupies an area of about 6000 acres. Until the 17th century there were no residents in Pefka, while the whole area was planted with various trees. Not many years later some rich people built their villas which were used  only during summer. In 1900 they began staying there in  winter months too. In 1922  many families  started settling   in the area permantly, and since 1925 some refugees from Minor Asia came to stay  here ,too. Thus ,the first suburb  with few residents was created. The village had 500-1000 inhabitants until 1990. Afterwards,  the population began to grow faster by many people who were seeking a better life near the forest and there was a huge increase of construction buildings  .

Today, Pefka is a wide suburb of the city with many residents. Many people visit our area because of the greenery and also of the  tasty food that restaurants serve. Furthermore, in the center of Retziki there is a thicket (area of bushes). This is a historic botanical garden created in 1825 by Djeck Abott. In this thicket you can find  300  different species of trees and plants from all over the world.

To sum up , we believe that Pefka is one of the most beautiful areas to live  in Thessaloniki and the only thing you have to do in order to agree  is to explore it!