Peloponnese 2023, part 20 (Bassae, Karytaina, Megalopolis, Stemnitsa)
When I finished with my visit to the Archaeological Site of Olympia, inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, I drove to another site from this list, the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae. Moreover, this is the first Greek site to be inscribed on this prestigious list, although I have the impression that it is not as widely known as, for example, the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis.
Nevertheless, this temple has been extensively studied and is very important.
To begin with, Apollo Epicurius means "Apollo the Helper." The temple is located at an altitude of 1,131 meters above sea level, on Mount Kotylion, and it requires a relatively long drive to reach it. However, once you arrive, there is a parking lot very close to the temple, which is fully covered in order to protect it from the weather. When I was there in January, about ten years ago, it was snowing! These large temperature changes, as well as strong winds, lightning strikes, the impact of water, and seismic activity, certainly do not benefit the temple's ruins and the stone, although I must admit that it would definitely be much more beautiful to see the temple without any structure around it.
The path first leads in such a way that you can see the narrower side of the entire structure (since the temple itself is not visible) and then you reach the ticket booth from where the entrance can be seen.
But, even when you enter, there is a fence that prevents closer access to the temple ruins, which affects the angles from which the temple can be viewed and photographed. It is also more than clear that work is still being done in order to reinforce parts of the temple.
A temple to Apollo existed at this site as early as the 7th century BCE, built by the inhabitants of a nearby ancient city, who wanted to honour Apollo, the god of healing and the sun, for saving them from a plague and an invasion. This temple remained in use until the construction of the new temple that can be seen today, which was built in the second half of the 5th century BCE (420-400 BCE). It is believed that its architect was Iktinos, the same architect who designed the Parthenon.
Over time, this temple fell into oblivion, but it was "rediscovered" in 1765 by a Frenchman working for the Venetians. At the beginning of the 19th century, in 1812, while Greece was still under the Ottoman rule, other foreigners (the British) arrived here, recorded the architectural elements and bribed the local pasha. Then, the inner frieze and some other parts were simply removed and put up for auction, where they were bought by the British Museum, where they can still be seen today. In my opinion, the commercial nature of this act in no way justifies it – it is the same kind of seizure, if not outright plunder, as in the case of the Parthenon sculptures, only this time it was done more discreetly and formally legally.
The temple was made of greyish limestone, while parts of the roof, the capitals in the cella and the sculptural decoration were made of marble. It is completely surrounded by a colonnade of Doric columns.
There are a few distinctive features that characterise this temple. One of them is its exceptional length in relation to its width (with 15 columns on the longer sides and 6 on the shorter ones). Additionally, temples were usually constructed along an east-west axis, but here the temple is aligned along a north-south axis. There are a few other architectural curiosities related to the interior of the temple, but these cannot be seen. At least, I couldn't see them due to restricted access.
At the southern end of the naos, there was also a Corinthian column, which represents the first known column created in that style. Admittedly, as far as I was able to understand, in the naos of the temple, the base of the column can still be seen, while the capital, along with the frieze, was transferred to the British Museum. This is according to one prominent source. Another prominent source states that the Corinthian capital did not survive to the present day.
In the naos of the temple, there are also some Ionic half-columns, meaning that the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae is the earliest monument where all three ancient Greek architectural styles – Doric, Ionic and Corinthian – can be seen.
In addition, the frieze in the form of low reliefs that decorated the interior of the naos (it went all the way around) also represents the earliest example of a sculptural frieze decorating a Greek building.
Due to these architectural features and the influence it had on the further development of architecture in Ancient Greece, the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae is considered extremely significant.
I walked around here a bit, as much as I could, took pictures of what I was able to and then I went outside to take a little walk around the surroundings. There were some natural stones around, but also those that had been processed and arranged by people.
There were also beautiful wild flowers – one was a type of saffron, or crocus, and the other was a multitude of Greek cyclamens (Cyclamen graecum).
The day was beautiful and the view of the "tent" under which the impressive ancient Greek temple is hidden was perfect.
By the way, the location where this temple was built is absolutely spectacular and before continuing my journey, I took some time to admire the beauty of the surrounding landscapes, even capturing them on camera. The temple is situated on an elevated part of the mountain in the region of Arcadia and around it you can see numerous ravines, as well as other mountains in the areas of Laconia and Messinia. Here, both the temple and its visitors were closer to the gods, without any distractions.
Now, I had just over an hour of driving ahead of me to my next planned destination, but along the way, I passed by another interesting place. My guidebook actually mentions this place, the village of Karitena or Karytaina, but I didn't intend to stop there.
Even as I was approaching the spot where, from the modern bridge over the gorge of the Alpheios River, you can get a nice view of Karytaina, I spotted a citadel at the top of a hill on the other side of the gorge, which is a part of this settlement.
And then, not knowing what awaited me when I reached the bridge, I parked the car at a pull-off along the road and went down a path a little in order to get a good view of both the bridge and Karytaina, including the citadel.
The citadel was built in the 13th century by the Franks, who later sold it to the Byzantines, while eventually the Ottomans arrived. Karytaina and its inhabitants were among the first to join the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829) and today the village is protected as one of the "traditional settlements." Hmm! Maybe I should have stopped, but on this day I had already visited quite a few places, plus I also wanted to have enough time to rest because of my plans for the following day.
In any case, when I reached the bridge, it turned out there was a fairly narrow pull-off along the road that was still wide enough for me to safely park the car. Then, on foot, I crossed the bridge and took pictures of the surroundings, including the Alpheios River, whose gorge winds around the hill.
On the other side of the bridge, I was also able to observe the Alpheios River, as well as to see the old road and the 15th-century bridge.
One can get down to the road and the old bridge, but I just observed all of that from the modern bridge and soon after I continued on my way.
My next destination was a theatre in Megalopolis and I’m not referring to the modern city with that name, but the ancient one. The remains of the ancient city, founded between 371 and 368 BCE, can be seen a few kilometres from its modern namesake. This site was home to one of the largest theatres in Ancient Greece – it could accommodate around 20,000 spectators. Some even claim it was the largest theatre, with a diameter of 145 m, while the audience could sit in 59 rows.
The site of the Ancient Theatre of Megalopolis appeared to be closed, meaning I didn’t see any way to enter. Instead, I took photos of the remains of the theatre through the fence.
This is one of the theatres included in the cultural property "Ancient Greek Theatres," which is on UNESCO's Tentative List of World Heritage Sites. It was built around 370 BCE.
The theatre was used not only for the performance of ancient dramas, but also for various gatherings of people from the city and region, as well as for religious festivals.
Since I couldn't enter the site and walk around, I returned to the parked car and then drove to the village of Stemnitsa. There, I left the car at a charming guesthouse where I would stay for the next two nights and then I went to the nearby square where there are restaurants and cafés. Not many of them, but quite enough.
I arrived here just in time for a late lunch, but everything was perfect: both the saganaki (fried cheese) and the lamb in lemon sauce.
I usually enjoy eating seafood in countries with their own seas, especially when it's as close as it is everywhere in Greece. However, here I was in Arcadia, a beautiful mountainous region (Stemnitsa is located at an altitude of 1,080 meters), so I felt it was somehow more natural to have lamb and I didn't regret it for a second. It was an exceptionally delicious dish.
And since I was done with the driving for the day, I could finally relax, knowing that my room and the bed in it, if I needed them, were only about a hundred metres away.
Still, it turned out that the food and drink didn't quite "knock me out," so after the delightful lunch, I took a little walk around Stemnitsa, which is a truly charming and picturesque place. To begin with, there's a very beautiful tower, which originally had no clock, but was later equipped with one, transforming it into a clock tower.
The tower belongs to the Church of St. George, which is located on the other side of the road that runs through the village, but I must admit I didn't even try to visit it. I guess I had really relaxed and was mentally preparing myself for the following day that I knew would be strenuous. The church can be seen in the first photograph from Stemnitsa that I included in this part of my travelogue.
Known for its traditional silversmithing school, Stemnitsa is one of the so-called "traditional settlements" in Greece. This designation is given to places that have preserved their unchanged appearance from the past, as well as the spirit of the village itself. There are 830 such places in Greece, with the highest concentration in the Arcadia region of the Peloponnese.
As I walked through the village, I admired both the overall beauty of the place and the fact that everything was made of stone – the houses and the streets, along with many picturesque details.
I also went to visit an old local church – the Church of the Three Hierarchs.
I was a bit concerned about the rain clouds that occasionally hovered over parts of Stemnitsa, but I knew there was no point in worrying about the next day, when I was planning some serious hiking in nature – whatever happens, happens.
I’ve already mentioned that Stemnitsa is situated at an altitude of over 1,000 m above sea level and my plan for the next day involved passing through a gorge, of which there are many in the surrounding area.
After my walk around the centre of the village, I returned to the main square with the tower, where I sat down for a coffee and enjoyed the beautiful sights and details that surrounded me.
Before I retreated to my room very early, I walked some more around Stemnitsa in order to see exactly where I needed to go the following day. It's always good to prepare in advance, so that at least the beginning of the journey goes smoothly. In the next photograph, the most important detail is the red markings on the lower left, which indicate the direction of the hiking trail. I was ready.
The next morning, I woke up refreshed and eager. After getting ready, I grabbed my backpack with water and some snacks, as well as my trekking poles, and I set off. Now I knew exactly which path to take, but I quickly stopped to capture a detail. I really liked how they had designed one street so that it was good for both cars and pedestrians. The universe had thanked them with a "bouquet of flowers."
It was half past 7 in the morning when I set off, so the place seemed sleepy. I’m sure the locals were already awake, but there was practically no activity on the streets.
Soon, the paved street turned into a dirt road and I was gradually entering an area outside the village, which I found absolutely enchanting.
But at one point, I had to leave the dirt road and follow the actual hiking trails. The key was to simply follow the markings.
I started on the Menalon Trail here, which I tried to highlight on the next map that shows where I travelled during this absolutely fantastic journey across the Peloponnese. I wasn’t fully successful, as the map doesn’t recognise the hiking trail, but you can still get a general sense of where I walked. In any case, if anyone decides to hike this trail, it’s really enough to follow the markings, which are excellently placed.