From Epirus to Kalavrita accorss Patra Bay

We are off - direction South

Story/Tip

Quote:

We live the lovely Ammoudia after a happy week doing the 'normal' holiday thing: beach, sea and sun. It feels strange, really, but quite nice in an unexpected way. Still, after a week it's time to move on and so we do, driving south towards the Peloponesse. We booked our accommodation in advance, which is a rare and wonderful occurrence in this journey and thus are pretty confident of our route and destination. It's not very far – we are only going to Kalavrita, less than 300km and 4 hours of driving away. Still, it's Greece, and a lot of the route is fairly mountainous so we leave early.The road runs along the coast, with views spreading in a typical fashion of Greece, t...Read More

Cheer!
Flag

Ancient Nicopolis

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Octavian's ghost town"

Quote:

Preveza is a biggish local town and a hub for the whole Ionian region (the island of Lefkas is nearby as are many coastal resorts on the mainland) but it also provides connections for travelling inland and exploring the mountains of Epirus. We don't plan to stop at Preveza though, and instead make a little detour to ancient Nicopolis. Nicopolis used to be the largest city in the region, and extensive remains are still visible. But it's Roman, and in a country where Classical and prehistoric remains are in every stony patch of ground (and all of it is stony), Roman sites barely register as antique. Nicopolis was founded in 28BC by Octavian Augustus, following his vic...Read More

Preveza is a biggish local town and a hub for the whole Ionian region (the island of Lefkas is nearby as are many coastal resorts on the mainland) but it also provides connections for travelling inland and exploring the mountains of Epirus.

We don't plan to stop at Preveza though, and instead make a little detour to ancient Nicopolis.

Nicopolis used to be the largest city in the region, and extensive remains are still visible. But it's Roman, and in a country where Classical and prehistoric remains are in every stony patch of ground (and all of it is stony), Roman sites barely register as antique.

Nicopolis was founded in 28BC by Octavian Augustus, following his victory in the battle of Actium, but its role was more than symbolic, as the city's situation placed it ideally for a communications hub that linked western and eastern parts of the newly unified Roman empire. Nicopolis thrived in the Imperial era, and then, having survived the onslaught of the Goths, developed further as an early-Christian city. Six basilicas were constructed from 460AD, but in the Middle Ages, and particularly following Vandals' attacks, Nicopolis declined in importance and Preveza took over.

The current archaeological site is a very extensive one, stretching over several sections and generally encompasses two areas of interest to a casual visitor: the Roman section of the city and the Early Christian one. The Roman part has widely distributed remains of several structures (quite a bit of walking in between) of minor interest mostly, unless you are a collector of all ruins. There is an outline of a stadium, a very overgrown theathre, a lovely, very well preserved Odeon; all scattered in-between the fields. The Odeon is by far the best structure and worth seeking out. There is also a monument to Octavian, a cairn of sorts or an earthen mound as it seemed from photos, supported by stones, which I cannot comment on as it was behind closed gate during our visit.

The Early Christian Nicopolis is, however, the part that's definitely more interesting. Sitting behind a powerful-looking (but as the Vandals' success suggests, not very effective) walls, the site is very evocative of the city it belonged to. There are also magnificent views towards the Gulf of Arta and beyond, all the way to the mountains of Peloponesse. The highlight, however, is the magnificent mosaics well preserved (and now roofed-over for protection) in three of the basilicas. Christian symbolism co-exists with the classic imagery and geometric design in fine examples of the art, well worth the detour if driving or even a special trip if staying nearby.

It was pretty empty when we visited in early July, quite eerie among the fields. There appeared to be no charge on entry, though a booth at the Early Christian site suggested staff presence at least at some times. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 12, 2012

Ancient Nicopolis
Perveza
Greece, Europe

Cheer!
Flag

To Ionio

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Lucky Find"

To Ionio resturant, Preveza Photo - To Ionio, Greece, Europe

Quote:

We get lost in Preveza. Considering how many thousands of miles we managed to drive (or cover by other means) on several continents and in many countries, my ability to get lost while driving, pretty much anywhere, including my local 5,000-inhabitants town of Cupar, verges on remarkable. Still, Preveza boasts over 20,000 people and after a week in a beachside resort-hamlet of Ammoudia, it feels like a metropolis. Getting lost leads to (predictably) a loud argument, grumpily acknowledged later by the admission of us all being hungry. It's the Lunch Thing again, and our eternal failure to plan for this daily event. Things are considerably easier now we had left the rigid eating hours of Fran...Read More

We get lost in Preveza. Considering how many thousands of miles we managed to drive (or cover by other means) on several continents and in many countries, my ability to get lost while driving, pretty much anywhere, including my local 5,000-inhabitants town of Cupar, verges on remarkable.

Still, Preveza boasts over 20,000 people and after a week in a beachside resort-hamlet of Ammoudia, it feels like a metropolis. Getting lost leads to (predictably) a loud argument, grumpily acknowledged later by the admission of us all being hungry. It's the Lunch Thing again, and our eternal failure to plan for this daily event. Things are considerably easier now we had left the rigid eating hours of France and Italy, though. In Greece, in many places, and by no means just a touristy ones, you can eat pretty much any time after 11am and before 11pm, and many places later. The tavernas might be empty if you choose a time when locals are asleep or working or not yet hungry, but somebody will likely feed you.

We find ourselves in a seaside area of Preveza and plump fairly randomly for the first restaurant that we see. It's called Ionio and located in the Pantokrator suburb of the town, but I can't find it online for the life of me! But if you ever have a chance to visit,do as it was simply excellent, possibly the best meal we had in Greece.

It is empty when we arrive, but we are assured that it's open and soon we are sitting around a table, nibbling on an excellent bread dipped in olive oil from one of the nicer Greek salads we have ever had and trying to decide what we are going to eat.

Eventually the Other Adult chooses a grilled fish, fresh from ice; I have a piled-up mound of fried anchovies and the children share a large souvlaki. Chips are mandatory, as is aforementioned Greek salad, and we also get another one, this time with extra vegetables and leaves.

There is olive oil on the table (always a good sign of not scrimping on essentials) and when the food arrives it's fabulous. The fish are spanking fresh and cooked just right, while the souvlaki is crispy and a little charred on the outside, succulent and soft on the inside, with generous pieces of lean but not dry pork, peppers and onions. Chips are also good (but then, almost all chips in Greece are good – it must be the olive oil they use to fry them in, or the fact that they are often home-made), and at the end of the meal we get (on the house) candied fruits and other sweatmeats. The owner is friendly and happy to chat but not overbearing and the bill comes to less than 35 euro.

We leave much happier and drive off in the direction of Patra. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on March 12, 2012

To Ionio
Χωματόδρομος
Pantokrator, Preveza

Cheer!
Flag

Crossing the Corinth Gulf: the Rio - Antirio bridge

Best Of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Quote:

The road past Preveza skirts the coast of the Ambracian Gulf, a remarkable inland lagoon which was the site of the naval battle of Actium between Octavian and Mark Antony in 31BC. It's a peaceful and scenery-rich area, although the road winds its way round many bends, enforcing a slow pace. Things improve when we hit a decent length of newly built motorway (whatever happened to some of the EU money, a lot of it contributed to pretty amazing improvements in Greek roads, one only wonders how long this will last with the austerity measures now imposed) that takes us as far as Messolonghion (famous for being the place of Byron's death), low-lying on another shallow lagoon on the shore of the gulf of...Read More

The road past Preveza skirts the coast of the Ambracian Gulf, a remarkable inland lagoon which was the site of the naval battle of Actium between Octavian and Mark Antony in 31BC. It's a peaceful and scenery-rich area, although the road winds its way round many bends, enforcing a slow pace. Things improve when we hit a decent length of newly built motorway (whatever happened to some of the EU money, a lot of it contributed to pretty amazing improvements in Greek roads, one only wonders how long this will last with the austerity measures now imposed) that takes us as far as Messolonghion (famous for being the place of Byron's death), low-lying on another shallow lagoon on the shore of the gulf of Patra.

From there, it's not far to the crossing, and on the way the scenery becomes more dramatic, with the road (sadly, single-carriageway again, and infested by heavy lorries and dumper-trucks with building materials) winding round mountains and crawling along cliff-faces.

The Rio-Antirio bridge crosses the Gulf of Corinth north-east of Patra. It was opened in 2004 and dramatically improved the transportation connection between the mainland Greece and the Peloponnese which before required a ferry journey or a massive detour via the Corinth isthmus.

The bridge is almost 3km long and is officially world's longest cable-stayed multi-span bridge. The construction and design had to deal with many challenges of a difficult site, including deep water (65m), soft seabed, tectonic movement (the gulf of Corinth is expanding at the rate of 3cm a year), shipping (and associated collision risk), earthquake and tsunami dangers. The result is recognised as a major engineering feat, but also a superbly attractive structure that fits well within the natural environment of the area.

It's not a cheap crossing (in fact, ferry, which is still operational, is slightly cheaper) at over 12 Euro for a normal car, but it feels well deserved. There is a magic in driving on a bridge over a sea: human ingenuity creating permanent connection where there was none.

After the bridge the road south-west leads to Patra, the third largest city in Greece and a major ferry port for the boats travelling from Italy. We go the other way, on a coastal road towards Athens. There is an inexplicable toll to pay before driving on what seems to be a continuous roadwork for quite a few miles, to then change to a worn and weary, busy single-carriageway. Luckily, we are not going very far on this road and soon are turning off inland towards Kalavryta. Read Less

Cheer!
Flag

To Kalavrita at dusk

Best Of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Approaching Kalavryta Photo - Greece, Europe

Quote:

After the bridge the road south-west leads to Patra, the third largest city in Greece and a major ferry port for the boats travelling from Italy. We go the other way, on a coastal road towards Athens. There is an inexplicable toll to pay before driving on what seems to be a continuous roadwork for quite a few miles, to then change to a worn and weary, busy single-carriageway. Luckily, we are not going very far on this road and soon are turning off inland towards Kalavryta. Kalavryta is a small town in the mountains of north Peloponesse, known for its historical significance. It is often considered the place where the Greek war of independence started while during the WW2 it was a site of a...Read More

After the bridge the road south-west leads to Patra, the third largest city in Greece and a major ferry port for the boats travelling from Italy. We go the other way, on a coastal road towards Athens. There is an inexplicable toll to pay before driving on what seems to be a continuous roadwork for quite a few miles, to then change to a worn and weary, busy single-carriageway. Luckily, we are not going very far on this road and soon are turning off inland towards Kalavryta.

Kalavryta is a small town in the mountains of north Peloponesse, known for its historical significance. It is often considered the place where the Greek war of independence started while during the WW2 it was a site of an infamous massacre, where all male villagers older than 12 were machine-gunned in retribution for the Greek resistance's killing of German soldiers. 696 people were shot and only 13 survived. The famous monastery of Agia Lavra, a birthpalce of Greek War of Independence was burned to the ground as was the village of Kalavryta itslelf.

Modern Kalavryta is, however, known mostly as a holiday resort. Its high location makes it one of rare ski areas in Greece, while the (partially rack and pinion) railway that scales the cliffs of the Vouraikos gorge provides unique means of accessing the village and makes appearance on many lists of the best railway trips in Europe.

We drive, though, along a new road that in tight switchbacks scales the heights from the sea level to over 1,600 meters above sea level. There is something stark about this road, hacked from the mountainside, relentlessly climbing up into the red mountains.

We get good glimpses of the Vouraikos gorge which looks wild, dramatic and beautiful in the dying light. Before the road turns inland, it climbs high enough to give a vista above the mountains, towards the Corinth Gulf and beyond.

Closer to Kalavryta some buildings appear, including monastery growing out of the rock and individual farm houses. The crests and ridges, however, are defaced by wind-turbines, sinister and menacing at dusk. It seems a crime to put them here, which even by Greek standards, is a pretty spectacular landscape.

By the time we find our hotel in a village of Kleitoria, a few miles past Kalavryta, the darkness has fallen and we are very happy to leave the winding, mountain roads to the night. Read Less

Cheer!
Flag

IgoUgo

Greece Journals

Upload Photos