The typical Cycladic style equally appears in the villages: cobbled narrow streets, white houses, squares, chapels and windmills. Follow the paths that connect the villages to each other and taste apricots and wild mulberries on the way to Katafýki cave, one of the biggest caves in Greece with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites.

Kýthnos is definitely the place for thermal tourism. A modern spa centre is in operation in Loutrá, with two hot springs in the area. The following springs have been famous for their therapeutic effectiveness since the ancient times, namely the spring of Ayioi Anárgyroi, inside the spa facilities, and the spring of Caucasus, at 50 m. from the first one, with a temperature reaching 52 degrees Celsius.

The festivals on Kýthnos have maintained their traditional character. All the locals take part, singing to the rhythms of the violin and the lute.

Source: Visitgreece.gr

Nature enthusiasts should follow a lovely path through the famous Koukounariés forest and around Lake Strofilia (4.2 km). Alternatively, take a leisurely, easy walk round Kanapitsa Peninsula (4.9km).

If you like long walks (7km), why not visit Skiathos’ historical churches—Evagelistrias Monastery & the Churches of St. Harálambos, St. Apóstolos and St. Dimitrios.

The island of Alonissos is home to the Mediterranean Monk Seal (monachus monachus), one of the biggest seal species. You can go to the National Marine Park of Alonissos and support the rescue of newborn pups!


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It is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There are two entrances: one at the bottom of the site and the other one in the middle. It is about 6 km away from Sparti. In the modern village of Mystras - situated 1 km or so from the archaeological site, there are a few restaurants and hotels.

Its fortifications and churches, its palaces and mansions, its roads and fountains, charm thousands of visitors daily and offers them valuable insights in the evolution and culture of the Byzantines.

For two centuries Mistras was at the forefront of developments and had a brilliant history full of glory, splendour and political, social and cultural contributions. Its story begins in the mid-13th century when the Franks were dominant in the Peloponnese. In 1249 Villehardouin II built an impregnable fortress at the top of a hill called Mistras or Mizithras. Ten years later Villehardouin found himself a prisoner of the Byzantine Emperor Michael Paleologus and bought his freedom by handing over the fortresses of Mistras, Monemvasia and Mani. Mistras offered security, so that the inhabitants of neighbouring Lacedaemonia, as Sparti was then called, made their homes on the slopes surrounding the fortress.

The settlement and the Hora (town) were protected by a wall, but the new houses were built outside the enclosure. Another wall protected the new settlement, Kato Hora. The strategoi (generals) governed the town, and as of 1308, when the seat of the Diocese had been moved to Lacedaemonia,

Mistras became in the mid-14th century the capital of the Peloponnese and the seat of the Seignioly (Despotate) of the Moreas, with a ruler or despot who enjoyed tenure for life.

Sightseeing

The Palaces

The palaces of the despots of Morea dominate Mistras from their rocky foundations in the centre of Ano Hora where the Monemvasia gate leads from Kato Hora. It is a spectacular complex, comprised of buildings built at different times. The first, the "mansion of the Cantakuzenoi", was constructed in the first years, perhaps by the Franks. The second edifice dates from the same period (1250-1350). The third, a four-storey building, was erected between 1350 and 1400, as was the fourth, a two-storey mansion which was the residence of the despot. The fifth building (1400-1450) was the palace of the Paleologoi. Its length is 38 m. and its width 12 m. The first storey was intended for the departments of the Seigniory. The second was the throne hall. The abandoned palaces constitute an important attraction for the modern visitor. After their restoration, they are a vivid reminder of an era that has left an indelible mark on history. As is the grand square before them, the site of official displays during the days of Mistras' glory and a market in later years, when the town was a busy commercial centre.




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Like all the sculptors of this era, in his sculptures, he mostly used to depict the gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon. The sculpture shows Hermes resting in the trunk of a tree, while the baby is trying to take something from his hand. While Hermes' right arm is missing today, originally it would have probably held a bunch of grapes, taunting the infant. As the myth suggests, Zeus ordered Hermes, his messenger, to hide the newborn from his wife Hera and take him to the nymphs in Crete. Hermes of Praxiteles is displayed at the Archaeological Museum in Olympia.

The entrance and the exit of the cave are the same. Under well-colored stalagmites three little lakes in the colors of grey, pink and white have taken shape. The interior part of the cave houses various species of insects as the species of Lepidopterans.

The path: After the entrance of the lake the hall leads to the First Chamber which has a length of 17 m. In the left side you can find the Chamber of the River.
The ladder leads to the Big Room with a height nearing 6 meters.

Anemotripa is composed of 3 main levels; the highest one is not accessible by visitors since it had collapsed in the past. Thus, you can start your tour through the median level that is the main touristic path and offers a unique atmospheric environment that will magnetize you from the very first moment. In the cave’s lowest level there is an underground flowing river. Moreover, the cave is divided into several room spaces that are connected by corridors, sometimes uphill, sometimes downhill. Fascinating stalactites and stalagmites, waterfalls, ponds and the underground river are only some of the ingredients that if we mix them with the cave’s natural colors, the result becomes really majestic.

Author: Mary Kallivoka

The silver lined beaches, the white washed walls with the blue painted windows and the narrow pebbled streets surrounding them create an artistic landscape of tranquility. Filled with places of interest it is the principal spot of attractions and sightseeing on the island.

The Medieval Castle

Dating back to the 14th or the 16th century the Medieval Castle is located up town and comprises of the inner castle (in ruins) and the outer castle that still stands even after the pirate attack of 1638. The castle is a characteristic example of the Aegean fortification architecture with houses side by side built from solid rock, white washed walls and steel doors.

The Archeological Museum

Situated opposite to the Metropolitan church of Panagia Odigitria, the Archeological Museum hosts exhibits and archeological findings showing the history of the island including vessels and utensils from the early 7th century B.C.

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Nekromanteio is a small archaeological site, easily navigated in one or two hours. I wandered through the rooms and storage areas before entering the long corridor where in ancient times so many must have walked trembling in anticipation of an encounter with the dead. Of the three arched gates in the labyrinth two survive in good condition and the labyrinth with its massive walls is still an imposing structure. Imagining the path of the ancients, I walked through the third door into the main hall where the hallucinating pilgrims believed in the encounter with the underworld inhabitants.

Through a small hole on the floor of the main hall I descended a steep metal staircase down into the dark crypt that was the palace of Persephoni and Hades. The passage even today appears ominous--like the descent to the underworld should feel-- and the room is stunning in the contradiction of its irregular rocky floor and the perfectly masoned stone arches that soar overhead. The crypt was probably carved out of the live rock in the same place where an ancient cave may have started the cult.

Above this, the passage to the underworld of a pagan cult, in later times a Christian church was built that crowns the ancient stones. It stands as a silent witness to the long history of the land that manifests itself on strata of symbolic monuments to conflicting ideologies.

Nekromanteio is not as well known as the other oracles of Greece, but well worth a visit for its charm and the fascinating cult that made it all possible. I enjoyed my walk through the ruins as I tried to imagine the gamut of feelings that an ancient believer must have experienced on his/her way to meet the dead with shaking knees and a spinning head.

I didn't fear, nor believed, but driving away I smiled and secretly adored the fact that I had just descended and escaped from the dwelling of Hades himself; a feat reserved for the bravest of men: Orpheus who went for love, Hercules who went for the three-headed dog, and Odysseus who went for the future to be told.

Source: Greek Landscapes