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 Considered
to be the most mountainous region in the
country, Central Greece lies in the heart of the
mainland. Its geographical position accounts for
its great climatic variety, dry on the
mountainous inland and mild on the coast. The
contours of its landscape, too, are very
diverse; thickly wooded green slopes, hills with
pines, oaks, poplars and fast-moving streams
separated by flat lands, plateaus and lakes,
alternating harmoniously with the countless
bays, intricate network of coves and picturesque
islands decorating the southwest coast. The
central mountain range, the rugged
Pindos mountains, form the backbone of Central
Greece, an almost impassable zone some 50 miles
wide, deeply dissected by winding rivers.
The
northern Pindos range has some of the wildest
country and most striking limestone scenery
found in southern Europe. This is a fascinating
land that can be discovered by choosing from
several itineraries. Most of the towns in
Central Greece are easily located and travellers
do not need a guide except for serious trekking.
Near the main road from Athens to Delphi lie the
southern slopes of Mount Parnassos, which towers
2457m over the Gulf of Corinth. Here the land
forms a natural stone amphitheatre that houses
the Sanctuary of Apollo, one of the most famous
archaeological sites in Greece. The Parnassos
Ski Centre, accessible from Arahova, Amfiklia
and Eftalofos, has modern ski facilities,
restaurants, a first-aid centre and a ski
school. Livadia, built on the foothills of Mount
Helikon, was famous in ancient times for the
Oracle of Trophonios Zeus and the Springs of
Forgetfullness (Lethe) and Memory (Mnemosyne) to
the north of the town. Delphi can be reached by
road through Boeotia via Livadia and Arahova.
This is the site of the famous Oracle, where
rulers of ancient Greece came for many centuries
for political and moral guidance. Itea, ancient
Chalkion, lies on the northern coast of the Gulf
of Corinth. There is an excellent beach that
skirts the olive trees and a good road leads to
Kira, where the remains of the ancient pier can
still be seen at the bottom of the sea. Good
bathing spots in Phokida include Itea, Kira,
Galaxidi, Eratini and the small islands of
Trizonia and Ai-Giannis. There are a number of
spa towns in Central Greece, such as
Thermopiles, Kamena Vourla, Platistomo and
Loutra Ypatis. West of Karpenisi (built on the
foothills of Mount Timfristos at an altitude of
2438 feet above sea level) are the picturesque
mountain villages of Frangista, Granitsa
and Agrafa, covered with snow during the winter.
Inhabited since the distant past, Central Greece
is a region with a rich and distinctive past. It
is the land of the legendary city of Thebes, the
agony of its heroes still living in the works of
ancient Greece's great tragic poets, Sophocles,
Aeschylus and Euripides. Mt. Elikonas, home of
the Muses; Delphi, antiquity's most important
religious centre. Farther to the north lie the
unworldly rock-monasteries of Meteora. Access to
these monasteries is from Kalambaka, from where
the Katara pass over the Pindos Mountains brings
travellers into Epirus. Famous battles were
fought here, some of which affected the course
of global history. Hesiodos, Pindar, Epaninondas,
Pelopidas and Plutarch, all of them were sons of
this land. Modern-day Central Greece also has
much to offer; an abundance of natural beauty,
astonishingly varied scenery and a highly
developed tourist infrastructure, infinite
opportunities for ideal holidays both in summer
and winter. The region is divided into five
prefectures: Viotia, Fthiotida, Fokida, Evritania and
Aitoloakarnania. |
