Category: sightseeing

In 1928 the refugees, citizens with financial help of their American compatriots, replace the brick school with a stone school and build the church of St. George, their patron saint.

The church in Byzantine style, with wooden temple, pews and funerary frescoes from Mount Athos monks, is adorned with the sacred relics that they have brought together with two icons of Saint Georgios and of the Virgin Mary of the 16^th – 17^th century, the icon of Saint Nikolaos, a crate with 19 relics of saints, two gold-embroidered pictures and the school library.

They also transferred the miraculous picture of St. George to Asprovalta, which the first refugees had taken with them in the year 1914.

The memory of Saint George continues to be a great day for the residents and they celebrate it with many events in accordance to the customs and the traditions of their old country.

On this day, a large number of Renkiotons arrive in Asprovalta (refugees who settled in Asprovalta in the year 1923) from the other areas that they have settled in, to bring their offering, to pray to the icon, to the new church that was built in the year 1978, in the place of the church from 1928.

The museum in Amphipoli is situated in a newly constructed structure that opened in 1995.

All discoveries are from the immediate vicinity and shed light on the city’s history during the ancient and Christian periods.

The exhibition sections showcase Amfipoli’s civil history, from prehistoric times to the late Byzantine period, while the store rooms and workshops provide housing and facilitate the conservation and study of the materials revealed by archaeological digs.

When entering the museum, visitors may view the silver reliquary and gold wreath formed from olive leaves that were discovered during the excavation of the museum’s foundations.

The Cave of Alistrati is located 68 km from Asprovalta , NE of Serres.

Due to the small thickness of the overlying layers (10-30m.), the cave temperature is relatively high (15° -17° C), and due to reduced ventilation, the temperature is maintained in winter.

In the cave we find a lovely hall 8m in height, which is the antechamber. From the antechamber, various arcades start with great height and rich decoration of stalactites and stalagmites.

The main sectors of the cave are developed left and right of the entrance and begin with a large chamber, the receiving chamber has dimensions of 60 m. wide, 100 m. long and 20 to 30 m. in height.

As the visitor goes in, the decorations becomes richer with white stalactites forming hanging curtains. Other chambers (rooms) of 8 or 10 m in height follow.

From the receiving chamber and back to the right starts a second gallery or corridor almost parallel with that we saw. We face some impressive red stalactites, bearing the name “FIRE”, their height reaches 35 m. approximately. At one point the two galleries join still wider and higher, while from the roof hang huge and magnificent stalactites 15 m. in length.

There are levels in the cave that are countless and that are not yet known.

The cave is open on the following times daily:

During the summer season
Daily: 9:00 to 19:00

The post-Byzantine church of Agia Marina is located in the 75th km of the old highway Thessaloniki – Kavala, just a few kilometers away from Asprovalta, in the valley of the Macedonian Tempi.

Once the traveler faces the Byzantine dome that is covered with slate, he feels the need to stop for pilgrimage.

Beyond the incomparable beauty of the church, it is also famous for its religious wonders, as people from every part of Greece claim that since they prayed here, their problem was solved.

The little church with the special and peculiar architecture is the pride of the Modi villagers and was built by them in the mid 18th century as is also reported by the inscriptions.

In Modi, stories says that Priest – Themelis, who had a vineyard close to the spot where the church is today, had a dream about the saint commanding him to remove her icon from the hollow trunk of a tree and to place it in the church that would then be built.

The priest was a real person also with descendants in the village that bears his name as their surname.

Another (similar) version is the one that has been told by some, that the image found in a hollow elm that a Turkish provost cut down. A Modiotis helped him with courage to carry the wood to Asprovalta  and the Turk gave him the icon and allowed him to build the church.

The most important historical area of Halkidiki, the ancient Stagira, is located in the zone of Liotopi, just next to the modern area of Olympiada.

The tour is a real treat. Especially if you want to see it all, you must know that you have to dispose at least 2 or 3 hours, and you should not miss the coastal path, which is great.

The city was founded in 655 BC by Ionian settlers from the island of Andros, where a little later settlers from Chalkida arrived.

After the Persian wars Stagira was also taken part to the Athenian Alliance, contributing to the common fund.

During the Peloponnesian war, and specifically in 424 BC, the city defected from the Athenians and allied with the Spartans.

That angered Athenians, who hastened to besiege the city, but without a result.

Later, however, the Stagira proceeded to the Audience of Halkideon, i.e. to the confederation of all of the cities of Halkidiki that had it’s headquarter in Olinthos.

In the year 349 B.C. the city was besieged and then succumbed to the king of Macedonia Philip II, who destroyed it completely in order to re-establish it, after a few years, in favor of Aristotle.

The castle is located at the top of a natural hill that overlooks the point where the mountains of the basin of Migdoniki converge and create a narrow path that allows the passage of Richeios River and ancient Macedonia communication road with the Thracian region.

This road became well known during the Roman period, as the Egnatia Street and continued its life during the Byzantine years and also during the Turkish possession until today.

The two sides of the hill are steep and difficult to get by and together with the walls they make a very powerful fortified area whose target was to rule and control this road.

The hill is located on the western side of the Richeios River and consists of a truly beautiful place.

The area is especially protected for its natural beauty but also for its unique vegetation by the international conventions and is considered one of the greatest, of environmental importance, areas of the world.

A total of nine towers have been found, around the wall, in the acropolis and in the transverse wall of the castle. All towers have a square shape except for one of Justinian’s time, which is circular.

Among the towers, they stand out for their size and also for their height to which the eastern corner tower and the western corner tower still remain today.