Snow, fireplace, hot beverage, and stone- cobbled streets. Beautiful images and emotion! If you’re in the mood of a winter break-out, don’t think about it too much. Fill your car tank and say yes to a one-day getaway or even on a long weekend in nearby Dimitsana.

DIMITSANA

Two hours and something from the capital is the old lady of Mountainous Arcadia. Built on two hills with an altitude that reaches almost 1000 meters, it is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful villages of the Peloponnese. It features a rich history, mountain charm of special architecture, fine dining and coffee options. Its hub can be an ideal base for nearby escapes.

A DAY TRIP TO DIMITSANA

If you don’t have the luxury of time and money, even a one-day trip to Dimitsana is enough to get away from daily routine. There are organized one-day excursions that you can follow. You have choices and there are no excuses. Dimitsana has all in one: Walks in the stone alleys, dense fir forests, snow toys and good food. A Sunday in the village to start your week!

MAINALO SKI RESORT

If it is one of those lucky days when the Plateau of Ostrakina has been dressed in white, a stop in Mainalo ski resort is called for. Whether you’re a ski lover or not, the innocence of the landscape will awaken the child you’re hiding inside. You’re going to indulge in a merciless snowball fight, you’re going to learn how to making a snow angel, and you’re going to love the snow rides on the sleigh. For experienced skiers the ski resort has seven slopes served by three lifts. And why do we love winter? For the moment you will be huddling with a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. Moments of absolute relaxation in the chalet, before your visit to Dimitsana.

AN ARCHITECTURE WALK IN THE LITTLE LANES

The former Arcadian town of Teuthis, has been designated a listed traditional settlement. The stone two-storey and three-storey buildings with parallelogram windows and with the stone arches stand up through the centuries touching the sky. The tower houses, semi -detached, share secrets of many years. Secrets well kept by the majestic inaccessible mansions, beautiful with their tall courtyards and their green gardens. The narrowly stone-built cobbled alleys, where only two can walk, the romantic ones, roll like stone rivers all over the village and promise you, tenderly travels.

The steaming tiled roofs, wood and stone knit an atmospheric setting. The stone, the local one, the one that comes out of the bowels of Mainalo, stars all over the village. In this whole setting, no color is missing. Vivid and bright touches complete and highlight the painting called Dimitsana.

SIGHTSEEING

The gears of time in Dimitsana are measured by her imposing marble clock, sent by the expatriates of New York. It is located in the heart of the local market and is the most visible and characteristic attraction of the village. Its ticking sound connects the past with the present. A glorious past. Its story is written in the labyrinthine uphill alleys. In the square of Agia Kyriaki, there is the library of Dimitsana, the oldest of Greece. The books were used to wrap the gunpowder for the cartridges production of the revolutionary fight.

Next to the church stands the statue of Gregory V the Ecumenical Patriarch Of Konstantinople and from the precinct the eye leaves for the valley of Lousios. In the narrow alleys of the facing hill is the house where Patriarch Gregory V was born and today functions as an ecclesiastical museum. Gregory V served as patriarch of Constantinople three times and was hanged after the Easter Liturgy of 1821 at the central gate of the Patriarchate. In his memory, the Saint Peter Gate, once the main gate of the Patriarchate compound, was welded shut in 1821 and has remained shut ever since.

The buildings around Kastro and Platsa area, are elegant artifacts with great historical and architectural importance. Ascending to the hill, you will meet Antonopoulos Family house and after the St Charalambos Church is the house of Germanos III of Old Patras. Just few minutes away from the village is the famous Aquifer museum, which is worth a visit.

LOUSIOS GORGE

If you have time for a while longer, live an unrepeatable experience in the blessed gorge of Lucios. A landscape of natural and wild beauty that is breathtaking. Nature and religion caught hand in hand, like two good girlfriends have created history and pristine images. In its deep steep ravines, the Monastery Philosopher and the Monastery of Timius Prodromos are built. The latter is on its way to Stemnitsa and takes a 15-minute walk to approach it. Hooked on a vertical rock it struts with her architecture and humility. The New Monastery Philosopher and the Old Monastery of Philosopher are a short distance from each other.

The Old Monastery of Philosopher is a Byzantine monument, one of the oldest in Greece and was founded in 963.

LOVELY SPOTS FOR FOOD & COFFEE

The main road that is essentially the market of Dimitsana, is home to several traditional taverns and lovely cafes. If your appetite has opened up for the typical local menu of Mountainous Arcadia, grab a table next to the fireplace in Kioupi Tavern.

Be prepared to taste the famous goat plate of Dimitsana and the boar of the hunter plate. If you’re still for grill menu, the cinematic tavena, the Taste Hangout, is your place. Coffee time! Find a beautiful corner in the colorful, cheerful and very stylish café of the village. The postcard 4 Seasons, with its winter terrace, certainly steals the impressions. But also, the Café Antique as well, with its inspiring and vintage décor. Warm and well-tended spaces that relax you and cheer you up.

Before you take the rοad back to home, make a stop to stock up pure local products and traditional handmade decorations.

Somewhere here ends the short escape to the beautiful village of Mountainous Arcadia!

Like a painting, Dimitsana, by twilight…

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