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Sights For those who have remained, the coasts provide good fishing, the plain of Megalopolis, watered by the Alpheios, the largest river in the Peloponnese, is suitable for farming, and the mountainsides are still alive with innumerable flocks of sheep and goats. Indeed it was the pastoral life which made Arkadia famous worldwide; in world literature, Arcadian came to signify the kind of rural life that seemed ideal - at least to those who did not have to live it. Many great works of art have taken Arkadia as their theme, including Poussins famous picture of the Arkadian shepherds. In very ancient times, the shepherds of Arkadia had their own god: goat-footed Pan, whose pipes breathed life into nature and who hunted the nymphs through the pine forests of Mt Mainalo. At that time, they say, the region was inhabited by the indigenous population of Pelasgians. It was believed by these ancient people that the first human beings were born of the Great Mother, Gaea. Important cities grew up here in the historical period: Tegea, Mantineia, Orchomenos, Megalopolis. Until Roman times, when it went into decline, Arkadia was able to maintain a degree of autonomy from the warlike Dorians who had conquered the rest of the Peloponnese. The large number of monasteries on Mt Parnon demonstrates the deep influence of Byzantium and Christianity. Under the Franks Arkadia was divided into five baronies. In 1458, it passed into the hands of the Turks. No conqueror was ever really able to dominate Arkadia. They were driven out by the rugged mountains and the even more rugged inhabitants. The Greeks paid their taxes to the Turks, but built an administrative centre of their own: Tripoli, then known as Hydropolitsa or Droboglitsa. A Turkish pasha was installed there, but the Greeks high in the mountains or down in the plain of Megalopoli continued to live much as they pleased. There were secret schools to teach the children the rudiments of Greek learning and to keep alive the Christian faith. Some of those schools can still be today, at the St John the Baptist Monastery near Stemnitsa, in the Monastery of Our Lady Sfyrida at Vitina, and at the Monastery of the Dormition Filosophou in Dimitsana, where the famous Dimitsana School came into being. Dimitsana had gunpowder factories as well, and both they and the school were important in paving the way for the rising of 1821. Tripoli was soon liberated, and became the headquarters of the entire independence movement. And so we come to the Arkadia of more recent times. The Arkadians were skilled and painstaking workers in stone, wood, silver and gold. They were able to accumulate power and wealth; particularly those of them who went to Athens to practice their crafts, though they never forgot the places from which they had set out. As people of determination themselves, their stories and sayings show their disdain for those who cannot make up their minds to do what is right, waste time and end up as losers. After Kiveri, the coastal road from the Argolid continues to the south to Paralio Astros, a charming resort village with, at Nisi, the ruins of a Venetian castle. The main road continues south west and soon enters Astros. The existence of a town on the site of Astros can be traced back as far as the 13th century BC, and its name seems to derive from the ancient word asty (city) which was then corrupted to Astri and later Astros. One of the statues found in the ruins of the ancient city is now in the Athens Archaeological Museum. This is a caryatid in the same style as "Phedias" famous Amazon, and is the only ancient copy to have retained its head. The town also played a leading part in the War of Independence. Astros Museum has exhibits of inscriptions from the villa of Herod Atticus (on the site of the Loukou Convent), marble statues of gods from the Classical period, inscriptions, pottery, small items from various periods, etc. Among the interesting things to be seen in the country around is the Convent of Loukous, (Transfiguration) where, in a well-preserved 11th century Byzantine church, is kept an icon of the Saviour which is said to be miraculous. Soon, after leaving Astros, the road south comes to a fork. The left turning takes us to the pretty village of Oreini Meligou, on the thickly-forested slopes of Mt Parnon. It also leads to Lake Moustos, and a spring whose water is supposed to be good for sufferers from rheumatism and arthritis. The other fork leads south east to Korakovouni, which hides the ruins of a Venetian castle among its plane trees. The Avourou gorge, near the village, is popular with hunters. A small cave with stalactites lies nearby, and fine views are to be had from Vrysi and Petsopos. The village of Ayios Andreas, further to the south, is also pretty, and we can descend east from there to its beach, Paralia Ayiou Andrea, amongst olive trees, orange trees and lemon trees. Some scholars have identified Ayios Andreas as the site of ancient Brasiae or Brasias, which is referred to in the myth of Semele and Dionysus. There are remains of a very ancient acropolis on the cliff above the village - the ruins may go back as far as Pelasgian times, and other Pelasgian remains can be seen in the surrounding area. Graves have also been found, from various periods, and chains and other signs that ships were moored in the mouth of the river Brasiatos (known today as Zarbanitsa). The nearby Orthokostas Monastery (Transfiguration) has a marvelous 12th century chapel with Byzantine wall-paintings and a Turkish tower stands nearby. The road carries on to the south, beside the sea. The villages of Sapounakeika, Pera Melana and Pragmatefti lie beside the sea, after which the road follows the fine Sambatiki coast as far as the turning to the west into Leonidi. Leonidi takes its name from a little church to St Leonidas, which is mentioned in a chrysobull of the Emperor Andronikos Komninos of 1282. Remains of the ancient acropolis and Pelasgian walls have been found on a hill above the town, and the churches of St Demetrius (12th century) and St Athanasius (11th century) stand among the ancient ruins. The church of St Kyriaki (16th century) is also worth a visit. The Museum, which is housed in the High School, contains finds from the temple of Apollo Tyrites and from Mycenean graves at Vaskina. There is a Folk Art Museum with some particularly impressive examples of wood carving. To the west of Leonidi, the road runs first to the Elons nunnery and then climbs into the forest of Mt Parnon, running through the upland village of Kosmas before descending to the historic town of Yeraki. The old road from Argos continues towards Tripoli along the slopes of Mt Parthenio. To the left, on a mound, are the ruins of the strong medieval fortress of Mouchli, which was built after the walls of Amycle were razed but was itself destroyed in 1460. We soon pass through Steno, cross the Sarantapotamos river and enter Tripoli. The towns history begins at some point in the 15th century, when, after the fall of Constantinople to the Turks (1453) small groups of local people from the towns which had been destroyed by the invaders (Mouchli, Davia, etc.) began to settle in the plain. A Turkish fort known as Drobolitsa is mentioned in 1467, and this became corrupted to Tripolitsa and a city began to grow up. In the end, it was further corrupted to give the form which we know today. Travellers accounts in the 18th century accord it little importance. Like the rest of the Peloponnese, Tripoli took part in the unsuccessful rising against the Turks under Russian Admiral Orloff in 1770, and the town was severely punished. But soon afterwards Tripoli was made the administrative headquarters of the Turks in the Peloponnese, and especially under the governorship of Veli Pasha, son of Ali Pasha of Ioannina, at the start of the 19th century", much economic progress began to be made, particularly in light industry. This was largely the work of tradesmen and craftsmen from Epirus and other areas who settled in the district at about this time. During the 1821 Revolution, the Greek forces besieged the town, where more than 40,000 Turks from the surrounding area had taken refuge. The Greeks finally took the town in September 1821 but held it for only four years. The Turks and Egyptians of Ibrahim destroyed it thoroughly the second time, and it had to be rebuilt after the countrys freedom had been won. Now it is one of the most important commercial centers in the Peloponnese. Its Archaeological Museum is of some importance. Seven kms south of Tripoli, between the villages of Aghios Sostis, Episkopi, Akra, Stadio and Alea, is the region of ancient Tegeatida. Alea (also known as Piali) has an archaeological museum, which contains, among other things, prehistoric pottery, sculpture and architectural members from the temple of Alean Athena (with two torsos of Nike Apteros from the workshop of Skopas), pottery from the Classical period, Hellenistic figurines, small copper votive offerings, etc. According to tradition, Tegea was founded either by Aleos, son of Aphidas, or by Epaminondas. There were eight demes in the area, and Aphidas unified these for greater protection against the Spartans. Thus a city with a strong acropolis grew up in around the 9th century B.C. near the modern village of Akra. Aleos was responsible for introducing a common religion and building the temple of Alean Athena. According to Pausanias, this was the largest temple in the Peloponnese, in the Doric style, and built wholly of marble, with decorations by Skopas. Its beauty was reputed to compete with that of the temple of Zeus at Olympia. It is said that both Orestes and Pausanias found refuge in the sanctuary of the temple. Nothing remains today except the podium of the later Doric temple and some architectural members. The temple had narthex, recess and opisthodomos (vestibule at the back). At the back of the recess stood the ivory statue of Alean Athena, and on her right and left, marble statues of Asclepius and Hygeia. The pediments of the temple bore scenes from mythology (the hunting of the Calydonian Boar, the quarrel of Telephus and Achilles), of which some parts are on display in the museum. Tegea (which was also notable for its civic facilities -agora, marble theatre, stadium for the local Alean Games, etc.) defended the independence of Arcadia for many centuries before having to give in to Sparta in 469. Tegea sent troops to fight at the side of the other Greeks during the Persian Wars, and joined the Arcadian League (Koinon of the Arcadians) after the battle of Leuctra (371). Later -in 235- it allied itself with the Aetolians, and under the rule of Macedon joined the Achaean League. It became insignificant and was finally destroyed in the 4th century AD by Alarics Vizigoths. The Byzantines soon rebuilt it, however, and made it the seat of the Bishop of Amykles (Nikliou). But it fell from power again after the 7th century, and was destroyed once more in 1295, its position being taken over by the fortress of Mouchli. The power and might of the ancient city, however, are attested to by the participation of its warriors and heroes in feats and campaigns in mythology and by the existence of Tegean colonies in Cyprus and Crete. Today, there is an attractive modern village by the name of Tegea. The area is intensively farmed and there are crops of all kinds. The main road to Kalamata leaves Tripoli to the south west. A turning to the right at 6.5 kms brings us on to a minor road to Valtetsi, a historic village built on a rocky slope and surrounded by mountains. On 25 April and 12-13 May 1821 two decisive battles were fought here between Greeks and Turks, won by the former. The battles are acted out each year (on 12-13 May), thus quickening in the mind these feats of Kolokotronis and his men, which improved the Greeks morale and opened the way for the conquest of Tripoli. The next turning off the Kalamata road to the left, east leads to Pallantio. Between Pallantio and Evandros, to the south, lie the remains of ancient Pallantion, near Lake Taka, one of the oldest and most famous cities in Arcadia. According to mythology, the city was founded by Pallas, son of Lykaon. Another old legend has it that Evander, a god or perhaps a demon from the circle of Pan (god of Arcadian shepherds), who was the son of Hermes and Thetis (daught of Ladon), set off from Pallantion with some companions before the Trojan War and landed in Italy. He built a settlement on a hill outside what later became Rome, and the hill was named Palatine in honor of his native city. Thus, when the Romans invaded Greece they allowed Pallantion of Arcadia to remain a free city. At about the 15th kilometer, we come to the Frankovrysi spring, which the ancients believed to be the source of the rivers Alpheus and Eurotas. This is the start of the plain of Asea, as it was called in antiquity, or Sapiko, to use its medieval name (also known today as Sapolivado). Near the 17th kilometer is the settlement of Kato Asea, and above the village the ruins of the ancient acropolis can be picked out. A minor road leads off uphill to the right (northwest) and enters Asea, a thickly-vegetated and well-watered area, which lies at the foot of Mount Profitis Elias (which may be the ancient Korphios). Traces of temples of Athena Sotira and Poseidon have been found on the peak of the mountain. From the modern village a minor road climbs up north-west to Arachamites (760 meters), near which there is a model farm of the Monastery of the Transfiguration. The main road twists down into Megalopoli - care should be taken on the bends. Near the last bend, to the right, is the Monastery of Our Lady Makrysiou, and a minor road leads to the village of the same name (also known as Salesi) where the Greek leaden Captain Zacharias fought victoriously against a superior Turkish force during the War of Liberation. Megalopoli is an administrative and commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural region, which produces mostly cereals and animal products. The town stands almost in the middle of a small plain, near its ancient namesake (the name means "large city"). It is encircled by mountains - Mainalos to the north, Lykaion to the northwest, and Taiyetos to the south. The river Alpheus passes to the west and south, and the Elissonas (or Barboutsiana, or Daria River) to the north. The ancient city was built at the junction of the two rivers, thus creating an important military and administrative centre at a time of general decline in Greece (371-368 BC). Megalopolis attracted settlers from all over Arcadia. There were temples to Lycaean Zeus, the Mother of the Gods, Asclepius, and others, of which some ruins have come to light together with those of other buildings (Stoa of Philippos, Stoa of Myropolis, a sanctuary of Zeus Soter and a Bouleuterion). The river runs through the archaeological site. The ancient theatre, which has seats for more than 20,000, was the largest in Greece, and has excellent acoustics. The ancient drama is revived occasionally there in summer. The main road, which leads southwest out of Megalopolis towards Kalamata, soon (2 kms) meets a minor road to the right (west) which runs through a fine oak forest. A little further on, at the village of Apiditsa, the road forks, one branch going to the left (southwest) to Isari, finely situated at an altitude of 850 meters, with an impressive view of the mountains of Arkadia and Taiyetos. The road continues through a wooded area, ending at Vasta. Just outside the village is the Church of St Theodora, with a domed roof, a spring beneath the foundations and 17 trees growing on the roof. The other branch of the Apiditsa fork leads west to the ruins of Lykosoura. The city was built on a hill, with a panoramic view of the plain of Megalopolis and is very ancient - Pausanias says that it was "the first city on which the sun shone". This was a holy city for the Arcadians, and very ancient gods were worshipped here. The religion of the area also had deep roots; remains have been found of a temple to Despoina, a deity of the underworld who some scholars have identified with Persephone. However, the real name of Despoina, which simply means the Mistress, has not come down to us, since even in the 2nd century AD people were afraid to tell it to the uninitiated. There are also traces of altars to Demeter, Despoina and the Great Mother. There was another temple to Despoina nearby, built in the 4th century BC. The Museum is notable for its fragmentary sculptures of Demeter and Despoina by Damaphon, a 2nd century Messenian sculptor, inscriptions, clay pots, sculpted decorations, etc. From the archaeological site, the road turns north and enters the modern village of Lykosoura. A little further to the north we come to Lykaio, 600 meters up with a fine spring in the centre, and the road ends at Ano Karyes. Ano Karyes is the starting-point for the ascent of Mt Lykaion (1,421 meters), an interesting walk of about an hour. At about 1,200 meters we come to small plateau, known to the locals as Elliniko, where traces have been found of a shrine to Pan, god of the Arcadian shepherds. Ruins of a hippodrome and a stadium have also been discovered. Here the Lycaean games, in honour of Zeus, were held - games which pre-date the Panathenian Games of Athens. The base of a column may be seen a little further up the mountain, near the chapel of the Prophet Elias. In ancient times two columns stood here, ornamented with golden eagles, at the foot of a hillock which was a shrine to Zeus. Sacrifices were made on the altar even human sacrifices, according to some accounts. The myths say that Lycaon sacrificed an infant there, only to see it turned into a wolf by Zeus. Four kilometers from Megalopoli we come to Yefira, where there is a bridge over the Alpheus. At the 11th kilometer to the south, at a height of 540 meters, stands Leontari, which was a town of importance in the 14th century, when it was the seat of the Despots of the Morea (Peloponnese). The towns castle, whose ruins stand on a steep hill overlooking it, was built then. Under the Turks, Leontari was the capital of its sow separate province. It took part in the abortive Orloff revolt (1770), and was severely punished by the Turks. When the Revolution broke out, many of the local people offered their lives and their fortunes to the cause and heroic pages of history were written here. The Byzantine church of the Apostles, 14th century, with wall-paintings (for many years covered by a coat of whitewash), has been described as one of the finest in Greece. The churches of St Athanasius (in the Byzantine style, 12th century, with partially destroyed wall-paintings), and St Nicon (with wall-paintings) are also of interest. A minor road leads southwest from Leontari, through Kalyvia with a turn to Veligosti and Paradisia. At four kilometers south from Leontari we enter Potamia, which affords the opportunity of a visit to the Monastery of Our Lady Hountallou, built on a rock half an hours walk away. Nearby is the interesting church of the Monastery of St Nicon. Further to the south stands Dyrrachi, built at a height of 840 meters. It is an attractive and verdant village, divided into four separate settlements. There are fine pine-clad mountain slopes all around. Ruins of the medieval fort of Palaiopyrgos and the Monastery of St Nicon may be seen in the area. The route from Dyrrachi to the historic Monastery of St. George Rekitsas, at an altitude of 1,200 m., is truly unforgettable. The monastery itself, which had a secret school, was the training ground for many of the heroes of the Greek Revolution, such as Papaflessas, Zacharias, Anagnostaras, (Papayeorgiou), Kolokotronis, Nikitaras and the Flessas and Kefalas families. The church is cruciform, with fine well-paintings of 1714, the work of Michael Pediotis Cretan, as we are informed by an inscription. A minor road leads from Dyrrachi to the east, through Neochori and on South to the Sparta-Kalamata road. About 20 kilometers from Megalopoli we enter Karytaina, an impressive village whose easily-fortified position made it important from the Middle Ages to the time of the Revolution. In 1209, it was created capital of Hugo de Bruyeres barony, and he built the castle there slightly later. The Chronicle of the Morea is fulsome in its praise of his son Geoffrey, whom it calls lord of Karytaina. The town and its castle passed through the hands of many masters in the centuries which followed: Franks, Byzantines, Turks, Venetians and Turks again. The main road twists on to the West, towards Ileia. We soon cross the river Alpheus, at a point where there is an old arched bridge, with an inscription on the base stating that it was repaired in 1439 by Raoul Manuel Melikis, a Palaeologue official. The old monastery of St John the Baptist (Kastriou), whose large cave was used as a hospital and a refuge for numerous Greek families during the Revolution, can be seen in the plain of Xirokambi. At 28 kilometers, after Mesorachi, the road enters Ayios Nikolaos, chief village of the Kastriou region. Thirty five kilometers from Tripoli, we come to Ayios Petros, at an altitude of 940 meters. Ayios Petros is a medieval town, and under the Turks and Venetians it was the capital of a province. Apart from the church of the Apostles Peter and Paul, the church of the local patron saint (St Nilus) is also worth a visit. There are interesting feasts at both churches in May and June. The road continues east. We soon reach the Nunnery of the Dormition of the Virgin Malevi, built around 1600. Before this there was another nunnery, at a point higher up where there is a spring and some ruins of a church. Even earlier the monastery stood still higher on the slopes. The nunnery was a favorite haunt of freedom fighters during the Turkish occupation, and a battle fought here in 1786 ended in victory for the Greeks under Zacharias Barbitsiotis and Thanasis Karambelas-Verveniotis. As a reprisal, the Turks laid waste the monastery. During the Wars of Independence, many freedom fighters sought sanctuary here. A minor road leads northwest from Tripoli. We pass through Silimna (880 meters), which was the rallying-point during the Orloff revolt in 1770. The ancient city of Lycoa stood on the slopes of Mt Mainalos, opposite. The main road continues among pine trees. At the 15th kilometer we reach Davia. Nearby, at Palaiokastro, are the ruins of the ancient Arcadian city of Mainalos and a medieval castle. A minor road leads from Davia to the west and soon, at a height of 1,150 meters, enters Chrysovitsi. The village is set in a pine forest, and there is a saw-mill. The pine-woods had a reputation even in ancient times, when, according to the myths, Arktos, the beautiful daughter of Lycaon and Kallisto, was caught there by Zeus, who had his wicked way with her. She had a son, Arcadas, who gave his name to the area. Hera, out of jealousy, turned the girl into a bear, and Arcadas, when he grew up -not knowing anything of his origin-killed the bear in the forest. Zeus then turned mother and son into two constellations - Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. After Elliniko there is a fork to the right. The minor road which branches off goes to Atsilochos, at a height of 580 meters, near which the remains of Ancient Gortys have come to light. Of special interest are the ruins of the baths, of the temple of Asclepius, which contained a statue of Hygeia by Skopas, and the remaining sections of the polygonal walls of the acropolis. A bridge of ancient stone may be seen over the river Lousios, a tributary of the Alpeus, on the bank of which is a Byzantine church (St Andrew), while nearby is the church of the old Kalami Monastery (to Our Lady). Following the main route after the turning for Elliniko, the road climbs northwest and enters Stemnitsa (Ipsous). The ample greenery of the village contrasts pleasantly with the pines on Mt Klinitsa, and the village stands at a height of 1,050 meters, near the site of an ancient city of the same name. The two small churches in the castle, St Nicholas (renovated in 1589) and Our Lady Bafero (perhaps built in 1640) have high quality wall-paintings in a good state of preservation. The Church of the Three Hierarchs, near the school, preserves wall-paintings of 1715 by Petros Pediotis. In a beautiful spot to the south west of Stemnitsa, in the gorge of the river Lousios, stands the Monastery of St John the Baptist, where the relics of St Athanasius, bishop of Christianoupolis, are kept. The monastery is reputed to have been built in 1167 by the Emperor Manuel Comnenos. The road leaves Stemnitsa to the west and soon turns north. A minor road to the right (east) leads to the mountain summer resort of Zygovisti, at 1,200 meters, near which is the Aimyalo monastery. Dimitsana lies some 54 kilometers to the northwest of Tripoli. The town stands at 950 meters, in a verdant area, with fine views of the Arcadian mountains, the river Lousios, where Zeus is reputed to have bathed, and the plain of Megalopolis. Near the town have been found ruins of Cyclopean walls and classical buildings which may have belonged to the acropolis of the ancient city of Teuthis. The town was at its zenith in the Middle Ages, first being mentioned in Patriarchal documents in 963. In 1764, the monk Hatzi Agapios (Asimakis Leonardos) founded a school there, to become known as the School of Greek Letters, and set up a library to which that of the nearby Monastery of the Philosophos was transferred. The school gave a grounding in letters to many important Greeks, among them 70 church leaders, and was a centre for revolutionary activities against the Turks. The Patriarch Gregory V and Bishop Yermanos of Patras, important figures in the Revolution, both attended the school, and the gunpowder factory of the Spiliotopoulos family kept the revolutionaries in cartridges - indeed, the shortage of paper for these was so great that valuable books from the library had to be used. The Museum in Dimitsana preserves Mycenean pottery, Archaic sculpture, clay and copper figurines, vessels and sculpture from the Hellenistic and Roman periods. There is also a Folk Museum with examples of weaving, looms, metalwork and other superb examples of folk crafts. The 19th century building of the Municipal Library contains relics of Bishop Yermanos. To the west, we have the 10th century Monastery of the Philosopher, founded by Ioannis Lambardopoulos, known as the Philosophos, official at the court of the Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, its principal purpose being to Hellenise and Christianise the Slavs of the area. The first monastery was built in the hollow of a rock in the Lousios gorge, on a spot so inaccessible that could only be reached with the help of ladders. At the beginning of the 17th century, it was transferred to a location more easy to reach. It has a church of the Dormition, with fine wall-paintings. The main road leaves Tripoli to the north, with the pine-clad slopes Mainalos on the left. We soon pass the Monastery of Epano Chrepa. Out on the plain of Milia, 10 kilometers from Tripoli, a minor road climbs off to the right (northeast) to the ruins of Ancient Mantinea and its acropolis. The ruins stand on the hill known locally as Gortsouli. The city was first mentioned by Homer, and is supposed to have taken its name from Mantineas, son of Lycaon. It seems, at that time, to have been a loose federation of four or five settlements, which sent warriors to Troy. According to Strabo, their unification was the work of Argos, which wished to use them to counter-balance the power of nearby Tegea. Polybius is full of praise for Mantinea. Shortly before the Persian wars, Mantinea recognized the sway of Sparta, on whose side it fought in the wars. In the Peloponnesian Wars, the city fought with the League, but later left it. Then it fought Tegea, was allied with Athens, was forced to side with Sparta again after 418, was once again destroyed in its attempts to rid itself of its Spartan overlords, and so on. Epaminondas rebuilt it in 371. Mantinea was Spartas ally again and, with it, was defeated by Epaminondas in 362. Among the ruins we can see the theatre, the Agora, temples, and other buildings. The city had an unusual sanctuary of Poseidon, which did not have doors, but a red woolen thread across the door openings. The temple contained a salt spring, and only the priest of Poseidon had the right to enter. Myths tell us that King Aipylos once cut the thread and entered, only to come out blinded some time later and die. Twenty six kilometers along the main road from Tripoli, we come to Levidi, a large village at a height of 750 meters. The landscape is most attractive. There is a picturesque chapel to Our Lady on a hill nearby, to the east, on the site of a sanctuary to Artemis Hymnia, respected throughout Arcadia. A road leaves Levidi to the north east, and soon comes to a fork to the right (east) which leads to the pretty village of Artemisio (Kakouri) and, further on, to the ruins of Ancient Mantinea. Shortly after this fork we come to the ruins of Ancient Orchomenos, a town of great importance in the area as far back as the Mycenean age. Its strong acropolis is reputed to have been built by yet another son of Lycaon, Orchomenos. The city was important up to the fifth century BC, and had, on some occasions, been the seat of the king of Arcadia. The towns significance can be seen from the fact that it minted its own coins into the Roman period. From Levidi, the main Tripoli-Vytina road continues northwest. We soon come to the attractive village of Vlacherna (at an attitude of 1,100 meters), with the historic monastery of the same name north of the village. Nearby, at Kastro, is where historians reckon was the site of the fortress of Bezeniko (1463). The site is occupied today by the Eleousa Monastery, and shows the ruins of six churches, storehouses and underground chambers. After Vlacherna to the west there is a fork. The right-hand fork soon encounters a minor road to the left, which leads to the Lados valley and its villages, while the main road continues north to Kalavryta. The left-hand fork turns south west, along fir-clad slopes. Soon it enters Vytina, one of the most idyllic and famous Greek mountain resorts, at a height of 1,000 meters. The thick forests of Mt Mainalo give Vytina a healthy and invigorating climate as well as providing the raw material for local arts and crafts. The site was well-known even in ancient times, when it was associated with Pan and other Arcadian deities. During the Revolution, it was an educational centre, with a secret school which initially operated at the Theotokos (Kernitsa) Monastery nearby and later moved into the village itself. These activities were helped by the fact that no Turks ever settled in Vytina. Nearby (to the northwest) are the remains of the old town of Kernitsa, which was famous for its many churches. One of the towns 12 hills preserves the church of St Nicholas, and 4 kilometers away from Vytina is the finely-sited Byzantine monastery of Our Lady Theotokos. From Vytina a minor road leads south east to Alonistaina, Piana and Davia, and from there to Tripoli. The road continues downhill through a thickly-wooded area. To the south, at a height of 1,050 meters, is the village of Piana above the green valley of Falantho, through which run the waters of the Elisson (Davia River). There are remains of a medieval castle and of the ancient city of Dipaea. Further south is Davia, and 20 kilometers further on, Tripoli. The main road continues to the south of Vytina and soon turns west. The route takes us through fine scenery, with plenty of greenery. We pass a spring next to the road, and, at the 50th kilometer, we come to Petrovouni, where there are a few remains of Ancient Methydrion, which had a temple to Poseidon Hypios. Another beautiful spot is the area around Valtetsiniko, at 1,050 meters a little further on. There is rich vegetation and ample water from a spring. The village is famous for its production of wooden furniture in the traditional style. Some scholars contend that the village stands on the site of Ancient Lousoi. The present name dates back to 1204. The church of St George, built in 1850, is regarded by experts as a masterpiece of its kind -its dome is not supported on columns, and appears to be flying. The local Dinopoulos brothers carved the wonderful screen, the paintings on which are the work of the artist Myronas, from Tinos. Another screen by the same brothers can be seen in the church of St Theodore (1835). A tall medieval tower still has tenants in the ground floor, although the upper storey is ruinous. It is known as The Tower of the Despots (of the Morea), by whom it is supposed to have been built. Close to the village, to the northwest, is the Monastery of the Dormition of the Virgin, which has a 16th century church with fine wall-paintings. There is a pretty little wood nearby. The remains of a Byzantine fort can be seen on Aimilianos hill, from the top of which there is a panoramic view of Mt Chelmos (Aroania) and Mt Erymanthos. The two churches of St Nicholas and the Ascension are built in a two-storeyed cave near Valtetsiniko, and have 14th and 15th century wall-paintings. They were destroyed by Ibrahims troops. A minor road leads north from Stavrodromi, through Vyziki (740 meters) and soon reaches Tropaia, also built amphitheatrically on the slopes of Mt Ayios Yeorgios. As a resort town, it is visited by many Greeks and foreign tourists each year. A medieval castle, with three towers, dating from the Prankish period and reasonably well preserved, can be seen on a hill three kilometers away to the east. Nearby is the Byzantine church of Our Lady Evangelistria. The man-made Lake Ladonas lies about twelve and a half kilometers from Stavrodromi. An ancient myth connected with the area related how Syrinx, a nymph, ran through it escaping from the love-crazed Pan. Exhausted, she fell by the side of the river Ladon and begged the god of the river to save her. This he did, feeling sorry for her, and when Pan arrived the nymph had been turned into a reed. Pan heard the musical whistling of the wind in the reeds, cut some, tied them together, and thus made his Panpipes, which were called syrinx in ancient times in honour of the nymph. Near the Ladonas bridge, about 96 kilometers from Tripoli, Loutra Iraeas has sulphur springs which are said to be efficacious in the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism. A particularly fine mosaic was found near the remains of what is probably an ancient bath-house. The area is also known as Liodora. The ruins of Ancient Iraea, which was built by Iraeus, the inevitable son of Lycaon, lie to the south, on the bank of the Alpheus near Ayios loannis. The city was famous for the athlete Damaretos, who won the armed race in the Olympic Games. It had two temples of Dionysus and a building for orgies, and a rather peculiar ancient tradition says that Ieraean wine had the property of making women pregnant. top
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