The northeastern part of the municipal unit covers the western end of the wide valley of the river Cephissus.

The name is of Slavic origin, pointing to a settlement of the area after the 6th century; initially it was the name of a local river (mod.

[4] The castle was most likely built by the Crusaders in the early 13th century, being mentioned for the first time in 1259, when the Prince of Achaea William II of Villehardouin crossed the local pass on his way to the Battle of Pelagonia.

[4] In 1275 it was one of the castles ceded by the ruler of Thessaly, John I Doukas, to the Duchy of Athens, as the dowry of his daughter Helena Angelina Komnene.

Odysseas Androutsos along with a group of Greek soldiers successfully repelled an attack from the Turkish army led by Omer Vryonis in May 1821.