During the summer, you can enjoy sound and light shows here. Visit Nafplio to discover the Ancient Fortress of Akronafplio along with two Venetian Fortresses - Bourtzi in the harbour and Palamidi crowning the hilltop.

Naflio came to prominence as the first capital of Greece. When the capital moved to Athens, Nafplio settled into the role of quietly beautiful seaside resort. Located in the Peleponnese, Nafplio is a two and a half hour bus ride from Athens, or one hour fifteen minutes from Corinth. The old part of the town is situated on a spit of land that protrudes into the Argolic Gulf.

Sail out to Bourtzi Fortress

Walk along the harbourfront and you can’t help but notice a fortress covering an entire, tiny island in the gulf. The Bourtzi Fortress was built by the Venetians 600 meters from shore and can be reached by boat from the harbour along Akti Misouli. In modern times the fortress is sometimes used as a venue for the Classical Music Festival held in late May and early June.

Walk up to the Akronafplia Fortress

The second fortress in Nafplio sits on a promontory above the old city. Start from Saint Spiridons Square and walk up Potomaino, a stepped street. Enter the fortress through the gate at the top. Some of the walls here date back to the Bronze Age. Although the site was used as a political prison until the 1950s, most of it has since mouldered into the ground. The view however remains spectacular.

Hike up to the Palamidi Fortress

The largest and most spectacular fortress in Nafplio sits 216 meters above the city. The Palamidi Fortress was built by the Venetians from 1711-1714 and at the time was considered a masterpiece of military architecture.

Within the extensive outer walls are several independent bastions located across the site at strategic points. The Agios Andreas Bastion stands at the top of the stairs that come up from town. Originally the home of the Garrison Commander, it is named after the small chapel that sits in its inner courtyard.

The largest bastion, Miltiades was used as a prison for condemned criminals from 1840 – 1920. Theodore Kolokotrones, a War of Independence hero spent time there after being condemned for treason. Although you can drive up the backside of the mountain to reach the fortress, it is much more impressive to climb up the innumerable stairs– 999 according to locals. Be sure to pause along the way to catch your breath and enjoy the increasingly stunning view.

Enjoy the Ambiance

After a long day of discovering the sites, take time to unwind. Choose one of the many seaside restaurants, order a bottle of wine and revel in the fresh sea air. Remember, you’re in Greece where of an evening there is nothing more pressing than a leisurely meal in the company of friends. When the last after dinner coffee is gone, enjoy a stroll long the waterfront. The lights dazzling the Bourtzi Fortress across the water bring an excellent close to your day in Nafplio.

Source: Easy voyage
By Gwendolyn Copeman

History

The site of ancient Corinth was first inhabited in the Neolithic period (5000-3000 BC), and flourished as a major Greek city from the 8th century BC until its destruction by the Romans in 146 BC.

Its commanding position on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow strip of land that separates the Peloponnese from northern Greece, was the primary basis of its importance. Corinth controlled the diolkos (Greek for "haul across"), the 6th-century BC stone-paved roadway that connected the Saronic Gulf with the Gulf of Corinth. This overland route was highly valuable in that it allowed passengers and cargo to avoid the difficult and time-consuming trip around the southern end of the Peloponnese.

Being a leading naval power as well as a rich commercial city enabled ancient Corinth to establish colonies in Syracuse on the island of Sicily and on Corcyra (modern Corfu). These colonies served as trading posts for the richly ornamental bronze works, textiles, and pottery that Corinth produced.

After 1204, when Constantinople fell to the Fourth Crusade, Corinth was a prize sought by all. Corinth was captured by the Turks in 1458; the Knights of Malta won it in 1612; the Venetians took a turn from 1687 until 1715, when the Turks returned; and the city finally came into Greek hands in 1822.

In 1893 a 4-mile (6-km) Corinth canal was finally completed, providing an essential shipping route between the Ionian and Aegean seas. Like its ancient predecessor, modern Corinth is the center of commerce between northern and southern Greece. Today, it has a population of about 30,000.

Systematic archaeological excavations of the area, initiated by the American School of Classical Studies in 1896, are still continuing today and have brought to light the agora, temples, fountains, shops, porticoes, baths and various other monuments. The finds are exhibited in the on-site Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth.



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Its capital and main port, Gaios (Gáios), is separated from its natural breakwater, the tiny island of Agios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas), by a narrow channel, displaying one of the most beautiful port sceneries in Greece.

Not to be missed:

• the Venetian fortress of Agios Nikolaos
• the English Governor’s House
• the Paxi Museum and the churches and chapels of the area.

Visit the picturesque villages of Lóggos, Lákka and Oziás, tucked away in pine and olive trees. In the areas of Oziás, Yaná and Glyfáda, sulphur thermal springs offer an alternative treatment for rheumatics and other health conditions. Innumerable ravishing beaches await the fitter ones as a starting point for scuba diving into underwater caves and shipwrecks, and for top-notch windsurfing.


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Because if health –in accordance with the definition prescribed in the constitution of the World Health Organization (1946) – is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not just the absence of an illness or a disability”, a person can easily understand that the meaning of health is not given only by medicine, but also by other factors such as environment, economy, work, etc, and is based solely on a feeling of well-being.

Apart from the rare landscapes and special natural beauties, nature also endowed Greece with springs with important therapeutic properties. Spas are part of the country’s national wealth, while their therapeutic properties were already known in ancient times.

Natural therapeutic springs are found in many different places in Greece, and the water from specific springs differs from ordinary water owing either to its high temperature, or to the presence of rare active components.

Greece is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural spas. Thermal and mineral springs appear at 850 different geographical locations.

In addition to revitalising the spirit, the large number of mineral springs in Greece offers visitors an opportunity to receive treatment for chronic conditions in a natural way (hydrotherapy). Ailments like arthritis and rheumatic disorders are traditionally associated with the elderly, and therefore everyone believes that spas are for the “therapeutic” treatment of mainly senior citizens. However, the beneficial properties are much broader as they also benefit people of all ages. They start by improving appearance (concerns mainly the condition of the skin) and arrive at the more generalized feeling of relaxation and well-being.

The development of health and spa tourism in Greece has been rapid and there is to observe a significant growth of supply and service differentiation. The forms of hydrotherapy treatment applied in Greece are spa or mud therapy, drinking or inhalation therapy.

Fourteen hydro-therapeutic centres (owned by G.N.T.O.) annually treat around 100,000 persons, with 1,400,000 therapeutic treatments, while dozens of other spas operated by local authorities offer modern high-quality services to visitors. In addition, spa centers with state of the art facilities and specialized staff can be found in the majority of the five-star hotels, while other spas can usually be found in Athens or Thessaloniki.

Moreover, thalassotherapy is used as a combination of relaxation, revitalisation, recreation and healing that is achieved in the ideal climatic conditions of Greece and with the use of its excellent seawater. Natural resources are still in use but a holistic provision of body and soul is being introduced including wide spectrum of fitness and wellness products and services.

With one of the best climates in the world, with a unique variety of nature, as well as one of the healthiest diets in the world, Greece is the ideal proposal for psychological and physical health and the search for well-being!

Source:Visitgreece.gr

Sparta is a three-and-a-half hour bus ride from Athens. The route passes along the Aegean shore, through the Isthmus of Corinth, and into the Peloponnese, the peninsula that makes up southwestern Greece. Passing Corinth, the road ascends into rough hills that were being buffeted by a snowstorm.

Luckily the roads were in good condition and I made it on time. The clouds were breaking over the Vale of Sparta although it remained bitterly cold. My first stop was at the Fifth Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities to learn more about how the economic crisis was affecting archaeologists' ability to explore and preserve Greece's past. The Ephorates are divided by region, in this case Lakonia, roughly the central and southern Peloponnese, and also by period. There's a Fifth Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities too.

Archaeologists Lygeri Nikolakaki and Ageliki Mexia greeted me in their cramped office overflowing with books, reports, and maps. They spread out several maps in front of me to demonstrate just how rich their area was in medieval remains. Castles, churches, monasteries, and medieval towns dotted the landscape. This area was called the Morea in late Byzantine times and was one of the few centers of wealth, art, and learning during the waning days of the empire in the 14th and 15th centuries.

One region caught my eye--the Mani peninsula. The Ephorate has recorded some 2,000 Byzantine and post-Byzantine monuments on the peninsula, and the map showed hiking trails crisscrossing the area. The Maniots were always semi-independent, fierce fighters and pirates who never fully submitted to the Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, or Byzantines. Their culture remains distinct even today. As I was researching this trip I was already planning another one.

Author: Sean McLachlan
Source: Gadling.com

It was fortified during Byzantine times -- when the fur trade is thought to have started -- and was hotly contested by a number of invaders going back to the 11th century, including Normans and Bulgarians -- especially the latter.

Its attractions are owed equally to its location, on the lake and in the shadow of mountains Vitsi and Grammos, as well as its long history and prosperity -- the result of its tradition as the center of the fur trade in the Balkans. In fact, one explanation for the origin of the town’s name is the Greek word for beaver, “kastoras,” while another is the namesake mythical Macedonian hero, a son of Zeus.

Today Kastoria, with a population of about 20,000, boasts some 70 Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches, as well as about half a dozen splendid mansions (“archontika”) of the old fur families, from the 16th to the 19th centuries, when the trade was perhaps at its peak. Local furriers established branches in most major European cities. Some of them are still in operation, although the number of enterprises has significantly diminished in the last few decades. In more recent years, the town has not been a major trapping center, but mostly relied on fur scraps imported from Canada, Scandinavia and, more recently, Russia to make coats and other items. Even today, the visitor is struck by the ubiquitous signs in Russian -- a measure of the still strong commercial ties with Eastern Europe.

The broader district, with its cultural, archaeological, environmental and natural attractions, is a prime winter destination. A walk around the old neighborhoods is not to be missed. The aesthetically lacking building boom of the 1970s and 1980s, mostly evident along the southern part of the peninsula, fortunately left intact the old quarters of Doltso and Apozari and the old archontika in the heart of the town -- boasting two or three levels – which have been restored and reinhabited or turned into guesthouses and museums, such as the Nerantzi-Aivazi mansion, whose former occupants left in 1972 and which is now an excellent folk history musuem.

One of visitors’ and locals’ favorite activities in Kastoria is taking a stroll along the footpath that runs around the lakeshore of the peninsula -- about 8 kilometers long -- lined with plane trees and the occasional fountain. The lake, which has an area of 28 square kilometers, hosts plenty of wildlife -- including frogs, tortoises, cormorants and Dalmatian pelicans. Winter in Kastoria usually lives up to its name and there is a good chance you will catch idyllic images of frozen or snow-capped tree branches hanging over the water. The setting is, in fact, perfect for an invigorating winter walk.

By Haris Argyropoulos