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Hariton Springs, an Aquatic Wonder and Foodie Stop

Orchomenos is a small town situated on the Copais plain, which many travellers bypass on their way to Livadia or Arachova. However, it is home to two very important cultural attractions, which you can read about here. It also has a natural water monument and is one of the oldest foodie destinations in the country.

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The Hariton Springs are around 300 metres from the pedestrian street opposite Panagia Skripous. If you happen to visit after a rainy season, you will find yourself in a dreamlike environment full of vegetation, flowing water and the sounds of birds and frogs.

It’s no coincidence that, according to ancient Greek mythology, the three Graces – Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia, symbols of beauty, purity and joie de vivre – washed the hair of Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, here. You can stop for photos and a picnic, weather permitting, or continue a little further to visit the aforementioned culinary highlight.

The trout farms of Orchomenos are the pride of the region and a national culinary attraction. Nestled in the vegetation by the river, trout have been bred, smoked and filleted here since the mid-1960s. The trout farms of Orchomenos follow Scandinavian methods learned in Denmark by the pioneer of this innovative activity in Greece.

Visitors have the opportunity to learn about the breeding and processing, from hatching, rearing, smoking, filleting and packaging.

According to breeders, trout are indicators of water quality because they cannot thrive in a polluted environment. We recommend that you buy smoked trout and enjoy it with as few additional sauces and herbs as possible to taste its real flavour. It’s one of those meze dishes that tastes better in its simplest rendition.

Even if you’re not a fan of fish, it’s worth sitting at the tables overlooking the water and enjoying a coffee or continuing to visit Panagia Skripous and the tomb of Tholos of Minyas, an important Byzantine monument that played its role in the more recent history of the Boeotian city, and a very significant Mycenaean monument, first excavated by Heinrich Schliemann.

Whether it’s a halfway stop on a trip to Parnassus or a short, under-the-radar excursion near the Attic Plain, Orchomenos is well worth your attention.

How to Get There

Orchomenos is 130 kilometres from Athens. Follow the Athens-Lamia national road until the 110th kilometre and then take the exit for Kastro towards Orchomenos-Livadia.

Read also:

Discovering the Pristine Beauty of Marathos Village

Discovering the ‘Tholos’ Tomb of Mynias

Panagia Skripous, a Valuable Monument in Viotia

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Discovering the Pristine Beauty of Marathos Village

The Agrafa region is one of the most isolated and inaccessible areas of Greece. Indeed, the most popular but probably untrue story about the origin of its name, which means ‘unwritten’ in Greek, is that the Ottoman authorities’ inability to collect taxes from its inhabitants resulted in the area being erased from tax records. Therefore, the name Agrafa means that it remained ‘unrecorded’.

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Marathos is certainly a prime example of an unspoilt area like Agrafa. It has been described by the BBC as “the inaccessible Switzerland of Greece“. Standing in the village’s stone square, we gaze at the mountain ridges unfolding before us. It’s not just the snow-covered landscapes that are so impressive and have been imprinted on our minds. Before coming here, we had read that, according to UNESCO, Agrafa has some of the cleanest water and air in Europe, and we saw it for ourselves. Our Athenian lungs hadn’t felt this good in a long time.

The village was the home of Katsantonis, the legendary ‘klepht’ of Roumeli who was killed by Ali Pasha’s forces and is considered a proto-martyr of the Greek Revolution. A bust in the village square honours Katsantonis. The village had about 30 families at the beginning of the 19th century. In the census of 1907, the population figure was 403. Today, there are very few permanent residents, but during the weekend of the Holy Spirit, it fills up again with people when the festival of Katsantonia is held in honour of Katsantonis. People from Marathos return to the village to celebrate.

While we were there in wintertime the village was essentially deserted, but this allowed us to admire the arched bridges, water mills, stone houses and alleyways of Marathos. They were in better condition than one would expect in such a small place, as even those who no longer live here love and look after it. At the watermill, we meet one of the few permanent residents who explains how difficult daily life is in such a place, especially in winter. For him, moving is not an option; his life is completely identified with the mountains and waters of the area.

Before continuing our journey, we stop at the Church of the Archangels, which has stood on its site for hundreds of years and has stunning frescoes inside. Before getting back in the car to continue our exploration, we enjoy the freshness and clean air of the mountain once again. We feel fortunate to have come to this truly unspoilt place, perhaps the only one in Greece where everyday life is so reminiscent of times gone by.

Tips for Your Visit

It’s best to come here in a vehicle you trust, and even better if it has four-wheel drive, as you’ll inevitably be driving on dirt roads.

Hikers will find themselves in a real paradise. After all, the area’s trails are still a hub of communication for the locals.

Agrafa is truly ‘untouched’ by mass tourism. If you visit, make sure you show respect for nature. And a few figures to illustrate just how inaccessible this beautiful area is. Marathos is about 5 hours by car from Athens, about an hour and a half from Karpenisi, just under 2 hours from the touristically developed Megalo Chorio and 50 minutes from the main village of Agrafa, where there are accommodation and catering facilities. This infrastructure is also available in Kerasochori, about an hour’s drive away.

Read also:

Discovering the ‘Tholos’ Tomb of Mynias

Vaskina: Pastoral Bliss on Mt Parnon

In the Path of Aristotle in the Kalloni Wetlands

The post Discovering the Pristine Beauty of Marathos Village appeared first on travel.gr.

Discovering the ‘Tholos’ Tomb of Mynias

In the rolling heartland of Boeotia, just 40 minutes from the fabled city of Thebes and about an hour and a half from Athens, lies a hidden gem of ancient Greek civilisation – Orchomenos. Often just a blip on the Athens-Lamia highway or a detour on the way to Arachova, this agricultural town holds secrets from a time long forgotten.

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The crown jewel of Orchomenos is the beehive-shaped tomb of Minyas, a remarkable structure dating from around 1250 BC. Named in a similar convention to the tomb of Agamemnon (or Atreus) in Mycenae, this Mycenaean-era structure bears the name of Minyas, the mythical king of Orchomenos. The name of the tomb was probably given by Heinrich Schliemann, who was the first to systematically excavate it, as he had done in Mycenae.

Schliemann wasn’t the first to set eyes on the site. Earlier in the 19th century, Lord Elgin had attempted to excavate it, albeit unsuccessfully. The French School of Archaeology, and later the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, followed Schliemann’s lead and uncovered a marble tomb consisting of four parts: a path (a trench), an entrance, a chamber (a small side dome) and the main dome – a colossal structure with a conical roof.

Originally, this tomb was probably the final resting place of the royal family of Orchomenos and later served as a treasure vault. However, when Schliemann and subsequent excavation teams revealed its grandeur, they found no precious objects, no silver, bronze or gold, as had been the case in other Mycenaean tombs. Tomb raiders had beaten them to it.

What’s certain is the untouched and awe-inspiring state of the tomb, 15 centuries after its construction, when the first travel blogger in history, Pausanias, visited in the 2nd century BC. He marvelled at the construction of the dome, comparing it to the Cyclopean walls of Tiryns and the Egyptian pyramids. It seems that the tomb (or ‘treasure’ as Pausanias called it) was already an attraction for passers-by and visitors to Boeotia, a region of greater importance in ancient Greece than it is today.

A stop at Orchomenos is certainly a must for anyone with an interest in antiquity if you find yourself in the wider area. Even if you have no such interests, you will be impressed by this magnificent structure. Especially when you consider that all these heavy materials were transported and worked on by craftsmen and workers with the means that were available to them almost 3,300 years ago.

The Tomb of Minyas is not the only important cultural attraction in Orchomenos. Very close to it is the ancient theatre from the 4th century BC, which unfortunately belongs to the category of poorly preserved ancient monuments. Its easy accessibility and intense activity during the Middle Ages led to the destruction and looting of a large part of the monument. Nearby is another important building, this time Byzantine. The Monastery of Skripou, a work of the 9th and 10th centuries, is also linked to a very important event in the more recent history of Orchomenos. You can read more about this important religious monument here.

Tips for Your Trip

Orchomenos and its monuments can be a stop on a day trip from Athens to Livadeia and the wonderful springs of Krya.

Orchomenos is also 45 minutes from Arachova and 55 minutes from Delphi.

A gastronomic hotspot of Orchomenos is the trout farm at the springs of Harites, which uses the waters of Melanas. It’s worth a visit to buy fish, see the facilities and enjoy your coffee overlooking the water.

Another Mycenaean attraction in the area is the Acropolis of Gla, about 20 minutes from Orchomenos.

Less than 20 minutes from Orchomenos, Skydive Athens is a free-fall parachuting centre for those who want to try their hand at adrenaline sports.

Read also:

Panagia Skripous, a Valuable Monument in Viotia

The Vital Ecological Importance of Tenagi of Philippi

Vaskina: Pastoral Bliss on Mt Parnon

The post Discovering the ‘Tholos’ Tomb of Mynias appeared first on travel.gr.

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