Third Wave Travel - Explore Greece - Discover Greek Nature- Mountainous Greece

The entire southern portion of mainland Greece forms a peninsula called the Peloponnese. The mountains of the Peloponnese rise to a height of 7.800 ft. The mountainous region of Arcadia that occupies the central area of the Peloponnese is noted for its wild beauty.

The ancient Greeks believed that Pan, the goat-footed god who embodied the bucolic life, lived in the shady woods of Arcadia by cool springs, fell in love with nymphs and played his pan-pipes. The peaceful life on Arcadian mountains and the care-free life of Pan inspired artists during the Romantic period and the phrase “Et in Arcadia ego” ( I was in Arcadia too) from Poussin’s painting came to mean a balanced and happy way of life in spite of knowing that death will eventually come.

The most beautiful villages of Arcadia are Dimitsana, Stemnitsa, Karytaina and Langadia.

Stemnitsa is built at the foot of Ancient Hypsous between a fir-tree wood and the Lousios gorge at a height of 1100m. It is full of beautiful churches, traditional stone houses and a very interesting Folk Museum housed in a historical building of the 18th century.

Dimitsana is amphitheatrically built above the river Lousios and it conceals three monasteries situated in idyllic spots: Aimialou, Philosophou and St John the Baptist. Visit the house where the Patriarch Gregory V was born and the house of the bishop of Old Patras Germanos.

Enjoy a cup of coffee and delicious spoon sweets at the traditional kafeneia (coffee-houses) and taste the typical meat dishes of the mountainous parts of Greece in the local taverns.

The picturesque village of Karytaina has been declared a residential district under preservation. On the southern edge of the village is one of the most famous castles of the Peloponnese built in the 13th c. during the Frankish Occupation. The fort of Karytaina played a leading role at the Greek war of Independence as it became one of the bases from which the liberation of the Peloponnese was organised.

The cobbled streets and the medieval houses of Langadia along with a wonderful view make it one of the nicest villages of Arcadia.

The Peloponnese is an entire world all in itself. Take time to explore a part of it and discover its wealth and beauty.