Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ACCOMMODATION
Aiges Melathron
T
23310 77777,
W
www
.aigesmelathron.gr.
On the Véria-Náoussa ring road, 3km
east of the centre, this sizeable 4-star is really aimed at
business travellers; bright rooms, a
good
restaurant and a
swimming pool. Breakfast included.
€80
Makedonia
Kondoyeorgáki 50
T
23310 66902,
W
www.makedoniahotel.gr.
Modern four-storey hotel
with smart, functional rooms and a pleasant roof garden
afo
rding admirable views. Substantial breakfast included.
€60
Veroi
Platía Oroloyíou 1
T
23310 22866.
Spruced up but
still with an old-fashioned feel, this is the best budget
option in
tow
in The compact but comfortable rooms are all
en suite.
€45
EATING AND DRINKING
Véria has a respectable if not stellar smattering of decent
tavernas
. The trendy
bars
along Eliás and around the Belvedere
heave with locals sporting tight shirts, bare midriffs and the very latest in mobile phones. If you crave more action after
dark, the pedestrianized area around Patriárhou Ioakeím is crammed full of noisy bars and comes into its own.
Elia
Belvedere park
T
23310 24676.
Pleasant café with a
shady terrace overlooking the plain. A good place to
sample the local speciality sweet,
revaní
, a syrup-soaked
sponge cake.
8am-midnight.
Ì
Kostalar
Afrodhítis 2/D, Papákia district
T
23310
61801.
Set in a lovely location by a plane-tree-shaded
square with rivulets, this place specializes in tasty grills and
fine mezédhes for €5-10.
Tues-Sun noon-2am.
Veryiotiko
Thomaídhos 2
T
23310 74139.
Mostly
predictable taverna menu, though in winter it occasionally
comes up with the likes of wild boar with quinces; the
summer terrace suffers from road noise.
Daily noon-late.
Vergina: ancient Aegae
June-Sept Mon noon-7.30pm, Tues-Sun 8am-7.30pm; Oct-May daily 8.30am-3pm • €8 • no photography •
T
23310 92347 • There are
buses from Véria every hour or two, taking 20min. Parking around the site costs €1.50
he site of
VERGINA
, 16km southeast of Véria, undoubtedly qualifies as one of Greece's
most memorable attractions. This was the site of
Aegae
, the original
Macedonian royal
capital
before the shift to Pella, and later the sanctuary and royal burial place of the
Macedonian kings. It was here that
Philip II
, father of Alexander the Great, was
assassinated, cremated and buried; tradition maintained that the dynasty would be
destroyed if any king were buried elsewhere, as indeed happened after the death of
Alexander in Asia. Until the site was unearthed in 1977 after decades of work by
Professor
Manolis Andronikos
, Aegae had long been assumed to be lost beneath modern Édhessa.
The ruins of the
Palace of Palatítsia
are currently closed for renovations until at least 2017.
4
The Royal Tombs
Under a tumulus, then just outside modern Veryína, Andronikos discovered several
large Macedonian chamber tombs, known simply as the
Royal Tombs
. From outside, all
that's visible is a low hillock with skylights and long ramps leading inside, but once
underground in the climate-controlled bunker you can admire the facades and
doorways of the tombs
in situ
, well illuminated behind glass. Finds from the site and
tombs, the richest Greek trove since the discovery of Mycenae, are exhibited in the
complex along with erudite texts in Greek and English. It's best to try and get here very
early or visit at siesta time in order to avoid the crowds.
A clockwise tour takes you round the tombs in the order IV-I-II-III. Tomb IV, the
so-called Doric, was looted in antiquity; so too was
Tomb I
, or the
Persephone tomb
,
but it retained a delicate and exquisitely crafted
mural
of the rape of Persephone by
Hades, the only complete example of an ancient Greek painting that has yet been
found.
Tomb II
, that of
Philip II
, is a much grander vaulted affair with a Doric facade
adorned by a sumptuous painted
frieze
of Philip, Alexander and their retinue on a lion
hunt. Incredibly, the tomb was discovered intact. Among its treasures on display are a
marble sarcophagus containing a
gold ossuary
(
larnax
), its cover embossed with the
sixteen-pointed star symbol of the royal line, and, more significantly, five small
ivory
heads
, among them representations of both Philip II and Alexander. It was this clue, as
