The area of Ptolemaida is one of the most environmentally degraded areas of Greece, because of high pollution due to thermoelectric power plants of the Public Electricity Company which produce 70% of the country's total energy needs.
The village of Vlasti is located at short distance from Ptolemaida (24 km), in the center of the Region of West Macedonia and at an altitude of 1240 m. The village is build as an amphitheater around the great pasture which dominates the landscape in this small plateau surrounded by Mountains Mouriki (1800 m) and Siniatsiko or Askio (2111 m). The area around the village consists of pastures with scarce cedrus bushes, reforestations with pines and forests of oak and beech. Higher in the mountains, above the treeline, are extensive rock faces, screes and stepic alpine or subalpine meadows, which give a particular character to the area.
There are important ecological features in the surrounding area, as this is a habitat for the bear and many raptors such as the Golden Eagle, Long - legged Buzzard, Short-toed Eagle and Peregrine Falcon, while in the summer the Egyptian Vulture is also there, the smallest of the vultures to be found in Greece.
The flora of the area is particularly rich with an impressive variety of wild flowers. From a botanic point of view, Mount Siniatsiko is very interesting because of the serpentine geological substrate. For all the above mentioned reasons the area is included in the European Network of Protected Areas "Natura 2000".
The history of the village dates back to the 15th century, when the Turks were established in the neighboring plain of Ptolemaida and the Christian population who lived there moved to more inaccessible and thus safe areas, in the mountains. At the end of the 18th century the local population grew with the influx of refugees from other areas of Macedonia and this gave a boost to the development and prosperity of the village. At the end of the 19th century the population of Vlasti numbered over 6.500 inhabitants.

The economic peak of the village at that time is reflected in the bourgeois organization: many public buildings and impressive two floor stone mansions.

The inhabitants of Vlasti were enganged mainly in stock raising, because of the mountainous relief of their area and the extensive and rich pastures. They had the largest herds in Macedonia. Many of them immigrated to the most developed cities of Europe, where they prospered, but they did not cut their ties with the motherland.

The prosperity and financial peak of Vlasti started to diminish at the beginning of the 20th century when the village experienced the dramatical consequences of the two World Wars. The Village was burned by the Germans and during the civil war, it had the same tragic fate as most of the mountain communities in the country: most of the inhabitants fled to the big cities looking for job oportunited and better loving conditions. Today the permanent inhabitants do not exceed 100 during winter, but people who originate form Vlasti have kept strong ties to their village and every summer the village becomes lively again with more than 2000 people.

Nature and history create suitable conditions for the development of low impact tourism activities and the support of the local economy with no harmful effects for the environment. Moreover the village benefits from its geographical position in the center of Western Macedonia, as it serves as a basis for exploring all the natural and historical sites in the wider area.