Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
among outdoor-loving visitors. It also has 100km or so of rugged and unspoilt coastline
on the Argolic Gulf, running south from the pretty town of Kiveri to Leonidio.
Getting There & Away
KTEL Arcadia in Tripoli is the departure point for buses to Stemnitsa (€5, one hour, one
daily Monday to Friday), Dimitsana (€6.50, 1½ hours, one daily) and Andritsena (€8.60,
1½ hours, one daily) via the turn-off to Karitena.
This office also handles buses to Athens (via Corinth Isthmus, €15, hourly). There are
also buses to Olympia (€12.40, one daily), Pyrgos (€14, one daily), Nafplio (€6.70, two
daily) and Patra (€16.20, one to two daily).The
bus stop
(
27102 42086)
on Lagopati
handles departures to Sparta and Kalamata.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Central Arkadia
The area to the west of Tripoli is a tangle of medieval villages, precipitous ravines and
narrow roads that wind their way through the valleys of the Menalon Mountains. This is
the heart of the Arkadia prefecture, and you'll find it's an area with some of the most
breathtaking scenery in the Peloponnese. The region is high above sea level and nights
can be chilly, even in summer. Snow is common in winter.
Your own transport is highly recommended here, with public transport to the three
most important villages - Karitena, Stemnitsa and Dimitsana - doable but inconvenient.
Stemnitsa Στεμνίτσα
POP 200
Stemnitsa (stem-
nee
-tsah), 16km north of Karitena, is a striking and beautiful village of
stone houses and Byzantine churches. There are several monasteries in the area in the
Lousios Gorge along the riverbank to/from the site of
Ancient Gortys
.
The town boasts a small
folk art museum
(with irregular opening times) and a silver-
smiths' school. There are an incredible 40 churches in and around the hills vicinity. Ask
around for the keys to the central ones.
