Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dhimitsána
, from either of which you can explore the
Loúsios Gorge
, including the
remote site of
ancient Gortys
and the stunning eleventh-century
Ayíou Ioánnou
Prodhrómou Monastery
(commonly abbreviated to Prodhrómou), as well as additional
ancient monasteries on up the gorge. To the west there's the hill town of
Andhrítsena
and nearby the ancient
Temple of Bassae
. Having your own transport is pretty essential
here, though there are limited
buses
from Trípoli (see p.172) and Megalópoli (p.173).
The hill towns also offer plenty of great
places to stay
(see p.176).
2
Karítena
Most picturesquely set, watching over the strategic Megalópoli-Andhrítsena road,
KARÍTENA
provides one of the signature Arcadian images. Like many of the hill towns
hereabouts, its history has Frankish, Byzantine and Turkish contributions. It was
founded by the Byzantines in the seventh century and had attained a population of
some 20,000 when the Franks took it in 1209. Under their century-long rule, Karítena
was the capital of a large barony under Geoffroy de Bruyères, the paragon of chivalry in
the medieval ballad
The Chronicle of the Morea
, and probably the only well-liked
Frankish overlord.
These days the village has a population of just a couple of hundred, but as recently as
the beginning of the nineteenth century there were at least ten times that figure.
The castle
Open site • Free
Up steps off the platía is the
Froúrio
, the castle built in 1245 by the Franks, with added
Turkish towers. It was repaired by Theodhoros Kolokotronis and it was here that he
held out against Ibrahim Pasha in 1826 and turned the tide of the War of
Independence.
Medieval bridge and river
Don't miss
Karítena's
medieval bridge
over the River Alfiós (Alpheus). To find it, stop
on the south side of the modern bridge and follow a short track down, almost
underneath the new span. The old structure is missing the central section, but is an
intriguing sight nonetheless, with a small Byzantine chapel built into one of the central
pillars.
River rafting
is organized by the
Alpin Club
(
W
alpinclub.gr), near the bridge.
Stemnítsa and around
STEMNÍTSA
(Ypsoús on many maps), 16km north of Karítena, is a winter resort at an
altitude of 1050m. For centuries this was one of the premier goldworking centres of
the Balkans. Although much depopulated, it remains a fascinating town, with a small
folklore museum
, an artisan school and several quietly magnificent medieval churches.
Across the way from the folklore museum, the seventeenth-century
basilica of
Tríon
Ierarhón
is the most accessible of the town's Byzantine churches; its caretaker lives in
the low white house west of the main door.
The town is divided by ravines into three distinct quarters: the Kástro (the ancient
acropolis hill, worth the walk up for the views), Ayía Paraskeví (east of the stream) and
Áyios Ioánnis (west of the stream).
Folklore museum
July 1-Sept 30: Mon 10am-1pm, Wed & Thurs 10am-1pm & 5-8pm, Fri 5-8pm, Sat 10am-1pm & 5-8pm, Sun 10am-1pm; winter
hours much shorter • Free
he
folklore museum
is just off the main road in the Ayía Paraskeví quarter. The ground
floor is devoted to mock-ups of the workshops of indigenous crafts such as candle-
making, bell-casting, shoe-making and jewellery. The next floor up features re-creations
of the salon of a well-to-do family and a humbler cottage. The top storey is taken up by
the rather random collections of the Savopoulos family: plates by Avramides (a refugee