Greece Travel Guide/Peloponessos/Arkadia

Arkadia, Peloponessos

Leonideon

Monastery of Ag Nikolaos

Kosmas

Chestnuts in Fall

Arcadia is a mountainous land of rivers, running streams, deep gorges, Frankish forts, Byzantine churches and monasteries, traditional villages and ancient cities. And for those who are fans of the book Holy Blood-Holy Grail this is where the grail came when it left the Holy Land.
(You can click on the above photos to see them full size)

Arcadia is an area visited by only a few determined tourists who are rewarded by one of the finest coastlines in Greece. The capital, Tripoli is an agricultural and commercial center of neo-classic houses and an archeological museum. But the real beauty of Arkadia is found in the surrounding villages like Karitena, called the Toledo of Greece (no, not Ohio: Spain) with it’s narrow streets, stone houses and Frankish castle. Nearby is the old Frankish bridge over the river Loussios, its gorge and the ancient site of Gortys which can be reached on foot or by jeep. The town of Leonideon is on the side of a tremendous gorge between two mountains and has an excellent beach called Plakas. Visit the tiny village of Kosmas with its cool summer weather and beautiful platia around the large church and lion fountain. The area is famous for its chesnuts in the fall and for the excellent meat restaurants which people travel great distances to eat at, especially in the winter when they have the fireplace lit and the whole village smells like a psistaria (grill-house). Try the small traditional restaurant called O Elatos where two women and their husbands crank out dishes of grilled paidakia(lamb chops), hirino brizoles(pork chops), mouschari(steak), sikotaria (liver) and other meat dishes. The specialties of the village are  yida, a goat soup that is eaten in the winter, gkougkes, which is a local thick pasta with cheese, and pitaroudia, the local horta or spinach pie which is fried, grilled or sauteed instead of baked. They have an excellent local rose, more tan than pink and almost like sherry which we wanted to get a bottle of to bring home but they were in short supply. (They did have some at the Selinouta traditional products shop).

The town of Leonideon is at the end of a long gorge, where it finally meets the sea and has one of the nicest beaches in the Peloponessos. The trip there from Kosmas is one of the most spectacular drives in Greece and you pass the spectacular Monastery of Agios Nicholaos which rivals those of Meteora.

The village of Clitoria (I am not making this up) has what is perhaps the world's oldest and largest grapevine. Some of the best wine and the finest cooks come from Arkadia.

The town of Langada is an interesting place to visit for a couple reasons. It is a mountain village nestled within a pine forest at a pretty high altitude and has some amazing views. There are some cafes and tavernas and what is called the Katastima Trofimon right next to an excellent coffee shop that makes great espresso. The Katastima Trofimon is run by a lovely woman by the name of Kanella Mouroutsou (her brother owns the coffeeshop next door). The store features natural and traditional products including their home-made pastas, honey, olive-oil, herbs from the mountains, soaps, cheeses, vinegear, fruit preserves, grains, dried fruits, sun-dried tomatoes and lots of other products. Langada is on the road from Olympia to Tripolis so if you are passing through it is a nice place to stop and take a break. Also on the road out of town is a small shop owned by a little old man by the name of Athanasios Grigoropoulos who makes hand carved walking sticks and canes of a wide and interesting variety including some made of goat horns. Athanasios is an engaging and interesting guy who has mountains of letters and cards he gets from well-wishers who have stopped in to his shop. The shop itself is in a precarious location near a bend in the road so be careful while crossing and shopping.

When driving in Arkadia and for that matter any of the back roads of the Peloponessos take it easy. There are places where the road gets wet either by springs or from the rain that can be treacherous and you can easily lose control of your car if you are going too fast. On the highway between Sparta and Tripolis there are two important places to stop. The first is the cheese factory a few kilometers on the right before you reach Tripolis coming from Sparta. (I am writing this for people returning to Athens from the Peloponessos since not many people take cheese on a vacation with them.) You can buy sheep yogurt and feta and manouri, maybe the best you will find anywhere. The second stop is the Ardamis restaurant which looks like a truckstop from the USA but is actually one of the best Greek restaurants in the Peloponessos, certainly the best you will find on a highway. We had rabbit stifado, and volvous which are marinated tassel hyacinth bulbs. They taste awful but you have to try them. Best of all is the local wine and traditional products they sell there. Especially good is the dark red Kariatiko Regional Dry Red  Wine of Lakonias which is sold in plastic 1.5 liter bottles for 4.60 euros each. It is the best wine in a plastic bottle you will ever drink. Keep your eyes open for people selling fruits and vegetables on the road to Sparta, especially in early summer when it is cherry season.

What does one bring home from a trip to Tripolis? Nothing. Tipota. See why

If you are looking for a hotel in Tripolis try the Mainalon Resort
Also try the Vytina Mountain View on the road between Vytina and Ostrakina snow centres, on one of the most beautiful mountain sites. Nearby in Vytina is the Kentrikon Hotel and the Lagada Resort, all near the Lousios river and Ladonas lake and the unique stone bridges and buildings of the area.

Helpful Sites: Swift Car Rentals, George's Taxi Tours, Hotels, Athens Guide, Travel Agents, Mainland Guides

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