Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
AndritsenaΑνδρίτσαινα
POP 575
The village of Andritsena, situated 65km southeast of Pyrgos, hovers on a hillside over-
looking the valley of the Alfios River. Crumbling stone houses, some with rickety
wooden balconies, flank the village's narrow cobbled streets and a stream bubbles its
way through the central square, Plateia Agnostopoulou. Keep an eye out for the fountain
emerging from the trunk of a huge plane tree. Andritsena makes an appealing base from
which to visit the magnificent Temple of Epicurean Apollo at Vasses, a World Herit-
age-listed site, located 14km from the village.
Sights
Nikolopoulos Andritsena Library
LIBRARY, MUSEUM
( 26260 22242; 8.30am-2pm Tue-Sat)
You don't need to be a reader to appreci-
ate the stunning legacy of Nikolopoulos at this library. In 1838 he donated 4000 rare
books to his father's home town to establish a school. It was one of Europe's largest
private book collections at the time. There's a 1502 edition and a 1657 Bible. The nearby
village of Stemnitsa donated another 4000 books, now on display, along with
manuscripts from Greece's 1821 Independence movement. Don't miss the short explan-
atory video in English. Located behind Hotel Theoxenia.
Folk Museum
MUSEUM
( 11am-2pm & 6-8pm)
This much-advertised, but rarely open, Folk Museum contains a
quaint collection of local items, from furniture to traditional clothing. For entry, you must
ring the telephone displayed on the door.
Temple of Epicurean Apollo at Vasses
HISTORIC SITE
( 26260 22275; adult €3; 8am-8pm Apr-Oct, to 6pm Nov-Mar)
Situated 14km from
Andritsena, on a wild, isolated spot overlooking rugged mountains and hills, the World
Heritage-listed Vasses, with its Temple of Epicurean Apollo, is one of Greece's most ro-
mantic and atmospheric archaeological sites. The road from Andritsena climbs along a
mountain ridge, taking you through increasingly dramatic scenery, until you arrive at the
temple, which stands at an altitude of 1200m.
The striking and well-preserved temple is robbed of some of its splendour and imme-
diate visual impact by the giant (and semipermanent) steel-girded tent enclosing it, as it
undergoes a superslow restoration program, but it's magnificent all the same.
