Tag: Gortynia

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The place where the Gunpowder Mills of the 1821 Revolution (against the Ottoman Turks) were hidden and the birthplace of Patriarch Gregory V, who was hanged by the Turks in Constantinople. The village’s library has thousands of rare books -and it would have had many more if Theodore Kolokotronis’ men had not shredded the paper, with tears in their eyes, in order to make bandoliers for their Carlo E. Figli riffles (known in Greece simply as Kariofili riffles). Dimitsana does not only stir up emotions of national pride for Greeks but also satisfies the senses. Wherever one stands, he or she can see wild mountains and running water. In the morning, visitors are awoken by sheep bells and the sound of axes splitting wood in half. In the tavernas, one can eat omelet with salted pork and coq au vin with a side of hylopites, a type of Greek noodles. It is an amazing winter resort!

When we left Dimitsana, a village in the municipality of Gortynia, on the road for Stemnitsa, we saw the village's football field. There was a football match taking place between two amateur teams “Athletic Union” of Dimitsana (red shirts) and “Glory” of Tripolis.

Winter is harsh in the villages of Arcadian Mount Mainalon. The dense forests of firs sigh by the weight of the snow and the sceneries are alpic. These villages during almost all winter are covered by deep clouds. (In order of appearance: 1. Davies, 2. Piana, 3. Chrysovitsi, 4. Stemnitsa, 5. Dimitsana, 6. Alonistena, 7. Arkoudorema, 8. Kardaras, 9. Mainalon Mountain, 10. Arkoudorema)

A historical village of Gortynia with traditional houses made of stone, surrounded by the fir forest of Mount Mainalon, in Arcadia. Gortynia is where the 1821 Revolution against the Turks began. The village has an amazing folklore museum, one of the best in Greece. Villagers produce local, homemade dairy products, pasta and jams. It is an ideal location for winter and summer vacation.

The ski resort Ostrakina is located on a plateau of the highest peak of Mount Mainalon, which has an altitude of 1,981 meters. There is a mountain lodge and four ski runs, starting ranging from an altitude of 1,650 to 1,850 meters. Mainalon has over 50 peaks and has been praised by Goethe for its unequaled beauty. It was also was the cradle of the 1821 Revolution against the Ottoman Turks. According to ancient Greek mythology there lived the goat-footed god Pan.

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"My father is passionate about mountains and snow. Since I was a forty day-old baby he used to carry me on his shoulders and take me to the highest tops of the mountains. My mother didn't agree with that, but she had patience, she couldn't do otherwise. So I have the same passion. Even my wife was tested before I married her, she had to love the snow and learn how to ski".

"I studied economics and my dream was to work with agricultural associations, but I ended up being an accountant in a plumbing association. I didn't like this job, I didn't like Athens either, and I was always looking for a chance to leave. I couldn't feel free in this city, I couldn't assimilate the images and the messages, and I was totally lost. When I became 28 years old I realised that I had been walking the wrong way and decided to reset my odometer. I was done with education and I was done with the jobs that didn't offer any meaning to my life".

Theodore Kolokotronis died in Athens on February 3rd, 1843. His remains were laid out in a church in Athens, so the public could pay its respects. While the great general was on his deathbed, an unknown artist casted his face. This way, the facial characteristics of Kolokotronis, also known in Greece as the “Old Man of the Morea*”, were salvaged. This historical and valuable cast is kept at the Historical and Ethnological Museum of Athens.

Into the deep fir forest of Maenalus, which looks like a jungle, there's the small village called Elati. One of the ten residents left in the village, is Leonidas Zafeiropoulos, the man who has raised a flag portraying Theodoros Kolokotronis at the entrance of his shop.