The massacre of the inhabitants by the Turks destroyed the economic fabric of this closed society.

The villages’ turbulent history is miraculously reflected on the architecture of the buildings: for defensive purposes the villages were built out of sea sight surrounded by high walls with a central tower – the last resort in case the walls were breached by Arab pirates. The tower had no door but invaders could enter using ladders as bridges thrown from the rooftops. The streets were narrow and dark with blind alleys, which not only confused the invaders but also formed the perfect hideout for the villagers to carefully plan their attacks.

Today only 24 Mastic villages have withstood the test of time, since many of them were destroyed by the catastrophic earthquake that took place in 1881. Some fortress towns are still intact, such as Mestá, Pirgí, Olýmpi, Kalamotí, Véssa, Patriká, Vounó, Eláta and Kiní forming impressive medieval settlements. Recent restoration works on old stone mansions contributed significantly to the embellishment of the landscape recreating beautifully the once prevailing medieval atmosphere.

To read more, please go to visitgreece.gr

With so many species there are many exciting bird watching encounters to be had in the forest: Booted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Honey Buzzard, Goshawk, Black Kite and Levant Sparrowhawk to pick out just a few species that may be seen.

In the whole of Europe Dadia it is the only forest where all four species of vulture can be found: Black, Egyptian, Griffon and the Lammergeier, have all been recorded or breed. In recent years the rare Black Vulture has proven something of a conservation success story in Greece, going from around 25 individual birds in the whole of eastern Europe in the 1980s (that were all in the Dadia Forest) up to 28 pairs in 2010 (WWF Greece) and 100 individual birds. There is now a 7,290 hectare area of the forest designated as a protected zone, with an additional 27,000 hectare buffer.

As well as being a wonderful place for birds Dadia has many species of mammals, more than 30. You can find Foxes, Badger, Red squirrels, Souslik and it is even possible (though very rare) to see Wolves. The forest is also home to around 40 species of reptiles and amphibians such as Dahl’s Whip Snake, Nose-horned Viper, Tortoises and the pretty Yellow-bellied Toad.

Mount Chelmos & Vouraikos Gorge National Park – butterfly mountain

Located in the north Peloponnese region is Mount Chelmos, also known as Aroania, a mountain range in Achaea. At its highest the summit range peaks at over 2,300 metres. It is generally damper and more forested than the mountains located in the southern half of the Peloponnese. Chelmos and its environs are one of the best places in the whole of Greece for the naturalist, with a diverse range of habitats and an incredibly rich array of flora and fauna. So rich is this natural bounty that it was declared a National Park, covering and area which extends for 544,000 sq. m.

Chelmos is celebrated as one of the best in Greece for butterflies, with over 100 species recorded. Perhaps its most famous butterfly is the rare and endangered Chelmos Blue, confined to the higher altitudes of Mt. Chelmos and just a handful of other places in Europe. There are plenty of other scale-winged delights to discover: Southern White Admiral, Apollo, Cleopatra, Lattice Brown, Camberwell Beauty, Powdered Brimstone, Southern Swallowtail, Grecian Copper, Nettle Tree Butterfly, Large Tortoiseshell, Queen of Spain Fritillary, Spotted Fritillary, Cardinal, Mountain Small White, Escher’s Blue, Anomalous Blue, Amanda’s Blue, Ilex Hairstreak, Greek Clouded Yellow, Olive Skipper, Oriental Marbled Skipper, Blue Argus, Osiris Blue, Odd-spot Blue, Pontic Blue, Greek Mazarine Blue (helena, often considered a distinct species), Balkan Grayling, Grecian Grayling, Blue-spot Hairstreak, Adonis Blue, Zephyr Blue, Ripart’s Anomalous Blue (pelopi, often considered a distinct species), Meleager’s Blue and many more!
Chelmos is not only adorned by these flying jewels, it is also clothed in a dazzling display of botanical beauty comprising of a very large number of plant species (including numerous endemics) – a mesmerizing sight, particularly in spring. A visit at that time of year can also mean a treat to the senses of the sights and sounds in the forested slopes of birds such as Crossbills, Serins, Bonelli’s Warblers, Nightingales, several Woodpecker species and lots more besides!

Text written and provided by Matt Berry

To keep them at bay, she came up with a devise: she promised she would come to a wedding with the best of them when she had finished weaving a shroud. So, she spent the daytime weaving it and the nighttime unweaving it. Thus doing, she managed to stay clear of the suitors for 20 whole years, until Odysseus returned to Ithaca.

“Keep Ithaca always in your mind. Arriving there is what you are destined for” Cavafy, Ithaca, translated by Edmund Keely/Philip Sherrard

Worldwide famous as the home of Odysseus, Ithaca symbolises the return to the haven; discovery and fulfillment. Despite its proximity to Kefalonia (Cephalonia) (2km northeast) it is much more peaceful, quiet and undiscovered, thus being an ideal place for alternative activities and a holiday living up to the standards of the most demanding among us. With its 27-kilometre long and 6.5-kilometre large mountainous surface, it boasts plenty of hiking as well as mountain bike trails in a sequence of blue and green alongside the coast and through olive, cypress, pine, oak, arbutus and carob trees up on the hills.

Scuba diving and sea kayaking are some of the options too, while the Cave of the Nymph will give you the chance to combine an exciting visit with a myth: Odysseus had hidden there the gifts he had brought along from the land of the Phaeacians.

Beaches

Beach lovers will take pleasure in a multitude of choices covering all tastes, from sand to pebbles, from rocky to green-clad backgrounds, from peaceful to busy ones. Some of them are: Lootsa, Filiatró, Sarakínniko, Dexá, Minnímata, Yidáki, Aetós, Áspros Yalós, Afáles, Kourvoólia.

To read more, please go to visitgreece.gr

The first written reference of Messolonghi dates back to the 16th century. From 1804 to 1820, this historical town was under the command of Ali Pasha of Ioannina.

The most remarkable event was the heroic Sortie (April 10th 1826) of its inhabitants after a siege by the Turks lasting several months. The Sortie of Messolonghi has marked the Modern Greek history. It remained under Turkish control until 1829. Afterwards, began its reconstruction process. In 1937 Messolonghi was named “Sacred Town”.

It is a town of glorious cultural and historical past, as it was the birthplace of authors Kostis Palamas, Miltiadis Malakasis and Antonis Travlantonis as well as important politicians such as Prime Ministers Spyridon and Charilaos Trikoupis, Dimitrios and Zinovios Valvis and Epameinondas Deligiorgis. Nowadays, Messolonghi is a major fish-production center. There are interesting examples of traditional architecture in Messolonghi. It is located 250 km NW of Athens and 510 km SW of Thessaloniki (via Amfissa-Nafpaktos).

In the museum there is also a room exclusively for Lord Byron, with oil paintings, letters, portraits of the poet, the people that he met, the places he visited during his stay in Greece and which he expressed in his poems, personal items and letters specifically of his Philhellene efforts. In a prominent position is his statue which was donated by the Canadian Embassy. The nobly family of Palamanians had its impact as well. At a house which stands out architecturally, the ancestor of the Palamanians, Panagiotis Palamas was born in 1722 and was considered as the teacher of the Greek origins. In the same house, stayed our National poet Kostis Palamas when in 1865 he became an orphan. Both his parents died and he went to the house of his father's brother Demetrios Palamas. Here he stayed until he completed his education and wrote his first poems.

A lot of places remind and stir the emotions of many visitors such as the neighborhood of Kapsali, the position of the house of Lord Byron, the noble house of John Trikoupi which is situated at the end of Mayer road near the "first arch", the noble house of Zafirio or Zinovio Valvi where the public library is housed, and the local historical center. The position of the house of Bishop Josef of Rogon near the Xenokratio public school, the windmill, the small church of Panagia of Phoenekia, 2 km outside Messolonghi, where Lord Byron often visited and the historic Monastery of Agios Simeon which is 8 km from Messolonghi.

To read more, please visit messolonghi.elea.gr

The ancient myth that referred the island as Aphrodite’s birthplace has been the inspiration for the paintings of celebrated artists such as Sandro Botticelli and Jean-Antoine Watteau. Now, a trip to Kýthera is the symbol of a burning desire, of hankering for beauty; and not unjustly so.

Chóra, the capital of the island, stretches out around the Venetian castle of the 13th century - renovated by the Venetians in 1503 - to share with it an overwhelming view to the Cretan Sea. On the cliffs around the castle a small yellow jewel of a flower grows; sempreviva is peculiar to the island. White little houses squeeze each other to fit in the narrow cobbled streets that go whirling uphill and past tiny little churches and Venetian mansions with beautiful gardens. Your need for a rest will be met at the cafés of the two scenic squares of the village. But if you feel like having a delicious meal or a drink, walk downhill to Kapsáli.

Kapsáli could be said to be the busiest spot for tourists. Full of cafés, tavernas, bars and boasting a marina too, Kapsáli is where the night of the island turns energetic and eager for a meeting and romance. The number of the aficionados of the island is a multi-digit one. Most of them agree that Avlémonas is the most beautiful village of it. Crystal blue-azul waters bathe the frisky morphology of little bays to match with the cycladic architecture of the houses and the cobblestone paths around them into an attractive ambience of recreation and wellness.


To read more, please see visitgreece.gr

There are 47 villages scattered on the mountain range of Tzoumerka with common cultural and historical background, the so-called ‘Tzoumerkochoria’ (villages of Tzoumerka).

According to tradition (there’s no written source found) these villages were built between the 14th and the 15th century, during the Turkish occupation (possibly for reasons of defence) and played an important role in modern Greek history.

The area is an attraction for nature lovers and also for the lovers of extreme sports, as it has a rich ecosystem that impresses the visitor and also two rivers, Arachthos and Kalarrytikos (tributary of Arachthos), which offer magnificent routes for rafting and canoe - kayak. Additionally, river Acheloos (also called Aspropotamos) flows in the confines between the region of Tzoumerka and Thessaly.


To read more, please visit tzoumerka.info

Long nicknamed “the straight Mýkonos”, Skiáthos is overrun come summer with trendy Italians, Spaniards and Greeks; Brits, Germans and Scandanavians show up more in spring or autumn.

What to do
Skiáthos is the quintessential fly-and-flop island – there’s not much to do away from the beaches other than watersports, hiking or propping up a bar.

Skiáthos Town

The older, hillier quarters above the old port, around the churches of Tris Ierárhes and Ágia Triáda, retain some charm with their little plazas and gardened houses, though the flatlands to the north have been blighted by tattier tourist development – and the German burning, in August 1944, of much of the town in reprisal for resistance activities. There are few specific sights, though the Galerie Varsakis antique shop behind Tris Ierárhes serves as a de facto folklore museum of textiles and Greek rural impedimenta.

Evangelistrías

Two-and-a-half miles from town, the schist-roofed, 18-century Evangelistrías (daily 10.30am-2.30pm and 5pm-8pm) is Skiáthos’s premier monastery. An ecclectic museum (€3) features numerous documents and photographs from the Balkan Wars – including the fledgling Greek Air Force in action – in addition to a folklore wing centred on an old bread oven.

Kástro

At the northernmost tip of Skiáthos, Kástro was the island’s original, pirate-resistant settlement, fortified during the 16th century; after 1830 the place was abandoned in favour of the current town. Today it’s an eerie, windswept ruin with just the original gatehouse (steps replacing the original drawbridge) and four churches left standing.

Scuba diving

Friendly Dolphin Diving (00 30 6944999181, www.ddiving.gr) at Tzaneriá beach offers morning and afternoon dives around many of the islets just south-east of Skiáthos. Since 2006, many new permitted areas have been opened up.

Author: Marc Dubin Destination expert

Marc Dubin has been writing about Greece for three decades, Cyprus for two. He is the author of several books including the Rough Guides to Greece, the Greek Islands, and Cyprus. He has also written about Greek cuisine, Greek music and Greek real estate.

Source: For more of the article please visit www.telegraph.co.uk