The Peloponnese is the most southerly part of mainlaind Greece. Its outline resembles a mulberry leaf, which is why its alternative name is the Morea (from the Greece word for mulberry tree), a name which can still be heard today. In 1893, the Peloponnese became —theoretically— an island when the Corinth Canal was opened, breaking through the narrow neck of land which joined the area to the rest of Greece.
Most of the Peloponnese is mountainous. The principal geographical features are the deep gulfs and long capes formed by these mountains in the south and east, and the long, nearly landlocked, Gulf of Corinth in the North.
The Peloponnese is a place with a vast variety of geographical features, a large area, thousands of years of history and literally hundreds of archaeological and historical sites. It has cities which were the birthplaces of famous civilisations (Mycenae, Olympia, Epidaurus, Corinth, Argos). It has villages high on steep mountain-sides, in the midst of fertile plains or down by its beautiful bays and long beaches. The Peloponnese is a whole world in itself; and it poses a difficult task to those who would like to tour and describe it.
The tour begins in the Prefecture of Corinthia, with its spas and mineral springs close by wooded mountain peaks, caves and lakes. In Peloponnese exists plenty of archaeological sites: Corinth, Nemea, Sikyon, Isthmia and others. Moving south, we enter the orange groves of the Plain of Argos, where golden Mycenae awaits us. We also visit Tiryns. historic Argos and the beautiful town of Nafplio. Nearby are the long and cosmopolitan beaches of the Argolic Gulf, and the unique ancient theatre at Epidaurus. Arkadia lies in the heart of the Peloponnese, and has fine beaches, archaeological sites on its central plateau and the natural beauties of the Arcadian mountains celebrated in myth.
Achaia boasts the bustling city of Patra, 'capital' of the Peloponnese and the gateway to western Greece. Here, the mountains draw together to form deep gorges, with monasteries on their flanks and spas at their feet. Next to the historic river Alpheios in Ilia is Olympia, with its immortal spirit, and higher up is Vases, with its superb temple to Apollo. Further south again is verdant, peaceful Messinia, where the Mycenean palace of wise King Nestor can be visited. And the tour ends in Lakonia, where fresh suprises are in store in Sparta, with its nearby medieval towns, and in the unique district of the Mani, with its superb caves.
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