Mountainous Arcadia

Breakfast. We’ll board the bus and set off to visit and explore mountainous Arcadia. Our first stop is the village of Kapsia in Mantinea, where we’ll visit the Kapsia Cave, discovered by the French archaeologist Gustave Foucher in 1887 during excavations at ancient Mantinea. In the “Marvels” chamber, there are the rarest examples of colored limestone found in any cave in our country. Our second stop is Dimitsana, built in a prominent position above the Lousios Gorge at an elevation ranging from 950 to 1,080 meters. It is a beautiful little town with a rich historical tradition, known for its gunpowder. It’s worth taking a stroll along the picturesque stone-paved alleys and climbing one of the hills on which Dimitsana is built to enjoy the unique Arcadian landscape as well as the settlement itself, which spreads out in an amphitheater-like formation. Stop for coffee, and then, just above Lousios and only 2 kilometers east of Dimitsana, we’ll find the Open-Air Water Power Museum, the only one of its kind in Greece. This is a thematic museum that showcases the various ways water was used as a source of energy to produce different goods. There, we’ll have the opportunity to see up close how the water mills that washed clothes, the flour mill, the tannery for processing hides, and, of course, the gunpowder mill with its hammers for producing gunpowder. Our next stop is the picturesque village of Stemnitsa, where we’ll spend some time strolling through the village’s central square. We’ll continue on to Vytina, the jewel of Mainalo. Beautiful, cool, peaceful, lush, and picturesque, cultured and hospitable, Vytina remains the leading force in the tourism development of the prefecture of Arcadia. Stately, with its old stone houses, picturesque narrow streets, lively square with the old church, and its tree-lined streets perfect for strolling, it rewards its visitors. We’ll stop for dinner. Afterward, we’ll return to our hotel in Tripoli to rest. Return to our hotel. Overnight stay.

After breakfast, our excursion today will begin in Karytaina, known as the “Toledo of Greece.” In his book *Traveling in the Peloponnese*, Nikos Kazantzakis bestowed upon the castle of Karytaina a title that has remained indelible. Built at an elevation of 582 on the slope of Mount Achreio, crowned by its famous fortress, the “castle town” is an imposing, protected settlement that will impress us with its two- or three-story stone houses, some dating back to the 19th century, its cobblestone alleys, and its many old Byzantine churches. Our next stop is Andritsaina. It looks more like an old photograph than a real, modern tourist village. It is essentially built of stone—the mansions, the narrow streets, and the steps are all made of stone—and retains the simple style of the old mountain villages. The most interesting attractions in Andritsaina are the Poly Folklore Museum and the Nikolopouleios Library, both well worth a visit. Finally, just 14 km away lies the magnificent temple of Epicurus Apollo, built by Iktinos in 420–400 B.C., known as the “Parthenon of the Peloponnese.” This universal architectural gem was the first of Greece’s marvelous monuments to be recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1986. Return to Tripoli in the afternoon.

A good breakfast and then we set off. Our first stop is Roino, a traditional village in the heart of the fir forest, with a medieval history—picturesque, beautiful, and rich in water. In the heart of the multi-peaked, fir-covered Mainalo, tucked away in a corner lies this Greek village—Kolokotronis’s village, the beautiful Limovisi. Today it is uninhabited. However, the historic church of Saint John and Kolokotronis’s house—restored by P. Angelopoulos—bear witness to its existence. Right next to it lies the famous Arkoudorema, an unspoiled place of rare natural beauty. During the Ottoman occupation, the ravine was used as a hideout by Kolokotronis’s men, due to the inaccessibility of the location, only to be abandoned later. With these exceptional views of the area’s rare beauty and rich history, we set off on our return journey.