The Chalkidiki Peninsula is becoming in recent years a much sought after destination for a holiday in Greece. Until recently little considered above all by an Italian public, slowly it is beginning to intrigue and push many people to discover it.
It is located north of Greece just below Macedonia land of myths and legends as well as homeland of the Great Alexander the Great the youngest and most powerful conqueror of all history who went as far as northern India expanding the Greek world more than anyone else in the world. world.
Its shape is reminiscent of three fingers extending into the sea, a natural extension of the mainland. The Chalkidiki peninsula, in addition to being beautiful from a naturalistic point of view, is also full of history and offers unique sites in the world. The ancient Athenians, the Byzantine monks, the Roman settlers and the Ottomans passed through here, a nice mix of cultures that have shaped and influenced the whole territory.
Its origins date back to 200,000 years ago as evidenced by the Petralona skull found in 1960 and then move on to the classical period when the ancient cities of Olynthos, Toroni Mende and Potidea were born which, leaving the coalition in 432 AD, triggered a series of circumstances who brought the war to the Peloponnese. In 200 AD the Romans tried to invade the coastal cities but Philip the Macedonian king prevented the success and then fell in 168 AD, until the Byzantine period and then passed under the monastic power in the Middle Ages. Then follows the Ottoman period, perhaps the most devastating for the Chalkidiki Peninsula. Ancient Byzantine monuments were destroyed, Muslim immigrants were imported to fill, plunder the cities and impose heavy taxes, plundering even the products of the earth such as silver, very present in Chalkidiki in distant times. In 1821 a revolutionary force tries to retake the Peninsula but was repressed by the Ottomans. In 1919 another defeat of Greece against Turkey brings other Greek Orthodox exiles expelled from Turkey making coexistence very difficult from many points of view. We arrive at the Second World War with the Nazi occupation which gave rise to a brutal civil war and then settled down in the second half of the century, freeing Chalkidiki and making it grow economically thus becoming an important tourist destination.
As we said above, the Chalkidiki Peninsula is made up of three phalanxes, the first one you meet to the west is Kassandra, a favorite destination for its lively nightlife and very close to Thessaloniki, less than 100 kilometers, a favorite place for weekends. A mix of rural life, fabulous sea, almost no wind and breathtaking natural beauty. A dynamic area perfect for both families with children and young people, Kassandra manages to satisfy anyone.
The power plant is Sithonia and here we can say that Mother Nature has truly given her best. Immense pine forests that sometimes reach the sea creating stupendous corners where the green of the vegetation and the blue of the sea create incredible plays of colours, long beaches of golden or very white sand lapped by turquoise or emerald waters where you can abandon yourself and not think about nothing, accommodation facilities and comforts for all budgets and breathtaking sunsets especially in Vorvourou with a succession of small coves which, when the sun goes down, create a palette of colors that will leave you breathless.
And we arrive at the last finger the mystical Mount Athos, a pilgrimage destination and an extremely important area from a religious point of view, so much so that it is considered almost with the Vatican for the Orthodox. An area rich in monasteries there are twenty all with their own particularities immersed in unspoilt and wild nature where peace reigns and a magical atmosphere reigns. Here there are six stupendous islets called The Drenia, a sort of natural pools that can only be reached by boat where the water is something indescribable. The only sore point: Mount Athos is forbidden to the female universe, only men can visit it and I must have a special permit which must be requested several months in advance and for exclusively scientific or religious reasons. We ladies are only allowed to admire it from the sea at a distance of 500 meters.
According to Greek mythology, a great battle was held in Halkidiki between Zeus and other Olympian Gods against the Giants. The leader of the giants Cassandros was buried in Kassandra, the second phalanx was dedicated to the son of the God Poseidon Sithon while Athos owes its name to the giant who threw a huge boulder at Zeus, missing it.
Definitely a different Greece but with a lot of charm and beauties to be discovered.