The east Villages of Sithonia Chalkidiki Peninsula
Sithonia, is the second phalanx of Chalkidiki between the Kassandra peninsula and the mystical Mount Athos.
Surrounded by the Gulf of Toronean and the Gulf of Sigitan, it is larger than its sister Kassandra, but with a much smaller population density. Endless unspoiled landscapes with a large mountain in the center, wild and covered with a lush vegetation of endless pine forests, olive groves, idyllic beaches, cliffs and bays.
About forty kilometers long and twenty-five wide, it is crossed by Mount Itamos with its maximum point on Mount Astrapokammeno of 753 meters. The whole mountain area is covered with fairy conifer woods while the coastal area is very steep with an infinity of coves, most of which can only be reached by sea.
Compared to the west part, the east part does not have many inhabited centers and it must be said, however, that most of the villages of the Sithonia peninsula developed between the seventies and eighties, always respecting the environment. Here you will not find eco monsters or concrete castings as far as the eye can see, but smaller and still numerous structures to satisfy any type of need for your holidays in Greece.
Sithonia is very quiet either because there is no such large gathering, or because the mentality is very different compared to Kassandra, here you come to enjoy the wonders of Mother Nature, enjoy good food, find beaches even better than those of Caribbean and to keep in touch with the landscape. Sithonia is much loved by families with children for its coasts which for the most part have a gently sloping seabed and soft white sand beaches.
A real paradise of relaxation where there is no shortage of leisure activities, ranging from trekking through hiking trails, to water sports, diving, mountain biking and climbing. In short, boredom will certainly not be your companion during your visit to the Chalkidiki Peninsula and above all you will be able to enjoy a still preserved territory where fortunately man has not yet ruined everything.
Let's start with the Pirgadikia village which is located to the north just above a hill with a view towards Mount Athos. Perched on top of a rock spur surrounded by olive groves and Mediterranean scrub, it has an amphitheater shape and a 360 degree view of the peninsula and Monte Sacro. With about three hundred inhabitants, it has a small port and the main activity is fishing. A quiet village founded in 1922 by refugees from Asia Minor and the second city where Xerxes' army passed in 433 BC in its race to conquer Greece with its fleet as evidenced by the archeology area. During the Byzantine domination a long wall was built to fortify the area but the real reason why it was built is still unknown. Today there are some artifacts preserved on the northern side. Within the circumscribed area the foundations of the ancient Christian temple on which the monastery of Agios Dimitrou (second name also of Pirgadikia) dating back to the 19th century was built. To the north east of the village about two kilometers from Kambos, is the eight meter high 14th century BC tower most likely owned by the temple. Of great importance is the Panagia Kastrella church where the icon of the Virgin Mary is kept around which a story tells that when the Turks occupied Greece, they threw it into the sea as a sign of contempt but the inhabitants found it and put it inside the castle to preserve it. Another beautiful place of worship to visit for its astonishing panoramic view is the chapel of the Transfiguration. Given its favorable position, it was used as a lookout point by the Ottomans. Among the houses of the village with its narrow streets, shops, cafes and typical taverns, the Byzantine castle. Pirgadikia does not offer many accommodations and if you want to stay here for your holidays in Greece there are few opportunities so book well in advance. On the walk to the port, we recommend that you stop and taste the excellent seafood and the fresh fish that fishermen bring every day from the generous Aegean. There is no city beach, but just move a little outside the town where there are marvelous inlets of small pebbles but with a transparent and blue sea.
We continue with Agios Nikolaos village which is located at the very beginning of Sithonia. It is not a coastal village, the port is about two and a half kilometers away where daily excursions leave for Mount Athos and the exotic Ammouliani island, but it is of extraordinary beauty right in the middle of dense forests and green pine forests while to the west the bay of Sigitilos and the bay of Mount Athos. It was founded in the 14th century but as the archaeological site on the hill of Vertino demonstrates, it was already inhabited in the prehistoric period up to the Hellenistic period. The documents of the 1300s of Athos tell that in the area there was a settlement called Fournia that developed to become the town of today. Particular cobbled alleys in the midst of traditional 19th century houses, an example of popular architecture where you can take an afternoon stroll. It has about two thousand and five hundred permanent inhabitants and in its main square around the splendid fountain you can find taverns with a Mediterranean and typically Greek flavor. On the 26th of July a beautiful festival that lasts three days with cultural celebrations, dances and traditional food dedicated to the patron Agio Paraskevi. Cafes, souvenir shops and many accommodation opportunities are present in Agios Nikolaos giving an excellent choice to visitors. Once the village was famous for its artisans and builders, but today the business has shifted to the production of Tsipouro (a particular Greek brandy that we go crazy for) and honey. To visit the Xenofontos Catholic Monastery dating back to 1839, the towers on the north-east side, an important prehistoric settlement that Herodotus mentions among the cities recruited by Xerxes, and the Monastery of Agios Nikolaus which has the ruins of the tower and the foundations of the cells. Finally, the 19th century Monastery of Saint George can be reached on foot with a walk of an hour and a half if you want, and continuing along the crest of Mount Vetrino you will arrive at the top where the effort will be rewarded by the enchanting view of the three peninsulas of Chalkidiki. In the surroundings of Agios Nikolaos, thirty kilometers of beautiful coasts with characteristic bays and sandy beaches, all accompanied by a blue-turquoise sea, clean and transparent such as Solonikiou beach, Pirgos beach, Ammounda beach, Trani and the Ormos Panagias beach.
We pass to Ormos Panagias village which is nothing more than the port of the village of Agios Nikolaos, but with its own well-defined identity. It takes its name from the church dedicated to the Madonna dating back to the Byzantine period and then rebuilt in 1970. Divided into two parts, it presents an area with a long beach awarded with the Blue Flag (also called the Copacabana of Greece due to its exotic appearance) of soft sand bathed by a clear and blue sea called Trani Ammounda beach, always very quiet and organized for what you need without too much noise and with cute villas that from the courtyard access directly on the coast, the other instead is the real port with sweets lush hills behind where there are shops, restaurants and typical taverns. Ormos Panagias is ideal for families and for those who want a relaxing holiday. From here boats leave to visit the islets opposite the village of Vourvourou and to Mount Athos. Don't miss the fish market right in front of the pier where fishermen sell their fresh products every day. Nearby other beautiful beaches to visit such as the Latoura beach, Lagonisi beach, Fava beach and Livari beach. A true magical landscape is the village of Ormos Panagias to definitely be included in the list of things to see in Halkidiki.
We then arrive at Vourvourou village which is located about five kilometers south of Ormos Panagias. An ancient coastal fishing village with about one hundred and forty permanent inhabitants located at the foot of the majestic mountain of Itamos among olive trees, pines, hills covered with forests in a beautiful bay overlooking the Diaporos island. Vourvourou with its nine small islands where nature still intact and secret beaches to leave you breathless, is definitely a unique and unmissable place. There are four focal points of the inlet, the city beach of fine sand and shallow and clear waters, the Karydi bay a natural swimming pool, the Livari lagoon that looks almost like an atoll with strips of fine sand and calm waters that descend slowly. floor and last but not least the Krfitos bay a hidden precious stone on the north side of the island of Diaporos once the refuge of pirates. Its development began in the 1960s with the construction of the teachers' holiday homes at the University of Thessaloniki. To date, nothing is missing in Vourvourou, shops, typical taverns, trendy restaurants, cafes and lots of accommodations. It is a very popular area for families with children because it has all the comforts, the waters are low and the fun is not lacking. The main activities of the inhabitants of Vourvourou are based on tourism and on the family traditions of producing Tsipouro a distillate of grapes and marc, olive oil, beekeeping and fishing. The village also has ancient origins, as early as the 10th century BC there was the small monastery of Ieromnimon. In 1974, during excavations where today there is the Church of Panagia, some ruins belonging to the Byzantine monastery of Simopetriko and Iromnimon were found, thus confirming the existence of the village already in ancient times. On the island of Diaporos, archaeologists have unearthed the ruins of a pre-Byzantine sanctuary dedicated to Saint Andrew. If you love trekking or cycling, you cannot miss a walk on the crest of Mount Itamos between forests and pine forests to the top which offers a breathtaking view of the bay and the whole area of the Chalkidiki Peninsula. Here too there is no shortage of dream beaches, where to go absolutely are Livari beach, Xifara beach, Fava beach and Karydi beach for a relaxing day at the beach letting ourselves be kissed by the warm Greek sun.
And here we are at Sarti village more and more south of the Sithonia Peninsula. An area of incomparable beauty much loved by visitors and especially by families. With beautiful beaches, a brilliant but not excessive nightlife and very welcoming people, Sarti is very popular and sought after for holidays in Greece, so much so that you have to book well in advance to have a better choice. A modern town with all the comforts ranging from restaurants, traditional taverns, shops, bars, cafes, night clubs and beach bars as well as a great possibility of accommodation such as hotels, apartments, private villas or simple guest houses. Sarti has a population of about one thousand two hundred people all year round and as regards its historical origins let's start by saying that the name derives from the historical King Sarti who built the city in the classical period and the remains of some fortifications can be visited. in the south area near Sikia village. But let's take a step back, before the foundation, the area was a small monastic settlement led by the Xeropotamou monastery an autonomous church which in Greek means dry river. Then comes the Persian invasion led by Xerxes who by force recruits and subdues the population until then in 1922 when the Greek refugees during the Greek-Turkish war returned to repopulate the territory calling it Nea Afisa in memory of the abandoned homeland a small island in the hinterland of Marmaras, to then take back the name of Sarti. The landscape passes by vast plateaus, green hills and sandy beaches with a turquoise sea with shallow waters. Towards the west the mountain range of Mount Itamos which extends to Neos Marmaras where it is possible to walk paths through the forest to the top to enjoy a view to leave speechless. Do not miss Kavourotrypes beach which in Greek means crab holes due to the many inlets formed by the erosion of the arid land, with natural rock formations including the most famous in the shape of a woman, all modeled by the wind and from the sea. A real pearl of Sithonia, where nature has done its best here too and only for this reason unmissable.
We end with the Kalamitsi village the most southern of the Peninsula. A small town in a pretty semicircular bay with a marina, accommodation, bars, cafes and taverns. Kalamistsi, is home to one of the largest and most well organized campsites in Sithonia where nature lovers can merge with the relaxed atmosphere and the small paradise that surrounds them. The village is above all famous for its beach which are actually three one after the other. The largest one, about four hundred and fifty meters long, is well equipped and has a coastline of soft white sand with emerald-colored waters from the gently sloping seabed with enormous rocks around it and the possibility of practicing many water sports for the delight of young and old. It is well protected from the winds due to its favorable position and a light breeze that blows constantly will be a blessing during the hot summer days. Another more isolated beach is on the left and here you will find absolute quiet. Lovers of snorkeling and diving will find Kalamitsi a real amusement park thanks to the spectacular underwater environments.For amateurs who want to approach these interesting sports, there are clubs that organize fun underwater adventures.
In our opinion, these are the villages to put on the list of things to do in Sithonia, a succession of continuous discoveries, among abundant vegetation, idyllic beaches and villages with a thousand flavors where you can discover a still genuine land and get lost in the simplicity of things.