Listed 1 sub titles with search on: Sights for destination: "ACHAIA Prefecture GREECE".
Patra,
the capital of Achaia, is an important commercial, financial and cultural centre
as its port is Greece's gate
to Europe. The city is worth exploring for the imposing church of Aghios Andreas,
its medieval castle
with a wonderful view all the way to the Roumeli Mountains, and the Ancient
Odeon the grandest roman building in the region. The city has an Archaeological
Museum, a Municipal
Art Gallery, and a Folk
Art Museum.
Patra enjoys a lively cultural life. Among the numerous events organised,
two deserve special mention: the carnival, which is the great cultural event of
the winter, and the International Festival, which draws thousands of visitors
in the summer. Near the present-day village of Araxos
is the ancient wall of Dimaion; while in the area of Arla
is the wellpreserved medieval castle of Gyftokastro.
East of Patra stands the famous castle
of Rio and further along a beautiful stretch of coast lies Aigio.
From the square of Psila Alonia one can admire a spectacular view towards the
Gulf of Corinth, and the
attractive neo-classic buildings of the architect Tsiller. After the shrine of
Panaghia Tripiti (patron saint of Aigio), one can visit the local archaeological
and folk museums. In the wider region it is worth taking a look at the monastery
of Taxiarchon (try the tempting rose-petal sweet), and the pleasant fir forest.
From Diakofto
the famous small funicular railway climbs up the imposing Vouraikos
gorge to Kalavrita.
Alternatively one can take the road and stop off at the monastery
of Megalo Spileo which is built into a cave and dates from 326 AD. The monastery
has a miracle icon of the Holy Virgin. A little out of Kalavrita one can visit
the memorial site of the World War II massacre of its townsmen, the Castle of
Oria, and the monastery
of Aghia Lavra where the banner of independence was first raised in 1821.
The fully equipped ski centre is only 12 km away and turns the sleepy town of
Kalavrita into a cosmopolitan place in the winter. The famous Caves
of the Lakes are only 16 km away at Kastria. Well worth a visit are the trout
farms at Planitero, a forest
of plane trees at the springs of the Aroano river.
On route 111, after Dafni,
is the artificial lake of Ladona
and picturesque villages such as Vesini
and Dechouni. Pretty traditional
villages can also be found in the municipality
of Aroania.
This text is cited December 2004 from the West Greece Region General Secretariat URL below, which contains image.
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