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Home > Sparta

Sparta

The famous city of Sparta, which in Greek means to spread or sow, is found in the center of Laconia in the Peloponnese. It was one of the most influential cities of ancient Greece and its dating dates back to the 10th century BC.

An area of ​​myths and a culture so particular that so many things are written about it and that leads to the imagination of how Greece once was. A populous place thanks to the Eurotas valley rich in water and extremely fertile where men and women grew up proud of their belonging and who fought tooth and nail to safeguard the territory and their traditions in which they firmly believed.

When you think of Sparta, you immediately connect it to its proud soldiers ready to die to defend an ideal and their freedom, who hasn’t seen at least once the legendary film 300!

According to Greek mythology, Eurotas the son of the first king of Laconia Lelego, drained the marshy plain giving rise to the Eurotas River and having no male heir, Eurotas left his kingdom to Lacedaemon son of Zeus s Taygete (from whom the legendary Mount Taygetos takes its name). In the beginning it was a monarchy that later became a democracy. Once it was the kingdom of Menelaus and his beautiful wife Helen.

The town still presents itself today with large tree lined streets full of olive and citrus trees that inebriate the senses with their scents, squares and buildings in neoclassical style, picturesque hotels, cafes, shops for shopping and taverns or restaurants where you can taste the local delicacies and classic Greek cuisine.

If you are a history buff, the Archaeological Museum of Sparta is a must see with its finds ranging from the Neolithic period to the late Roman era. Nestled in a well-kept garden a few steps from the main square in a neoclassical building dating back to 1874, you can see votive terracotta masks from the temple of Artemis Orthia and the highlight known as the “hoplite bust” from the 5th century that belonged to the hero and King Leonidas. But the construction of a New Archaeological Museum is planned soon, which will house a greater quantity of findings from different eras and certainly much more interesting than today.

And also the modern statue of Leonidas located in front of the stadium with the writing “molon labe” literally “come and take them” a legendary phrase that the King wrote at Thermopylae to the Persians who ordered him to hand over his weapons and surrender. The ruins of the Acropolis are located north of the city among olive groves. You can see the Roman theater, and the remains of the temple of Artemis Orthia and Athena Chalkioikos. Art lovers can visit the
Koumantarios Art Gallery where oil paintings by painters from the 16th to the 20th century are exhibited.

In reality there is very little historical to see, the main attractions are undoubtedly Mount Taygetos or the nearby town of Mystras. On the legendary mountain, there are beautiful trekking itineraries to do if you are a fan of walking, through ancient Spartan paths in a unique environment between the picturesque mountain villages of Ksirokampi, Anavrytu or Koumousta with traditional stone houses and fountains where you can stop for a break or for something typical to eat or just to chat with the locals.

Don’t forget to visit the town of Mystras or Mystras as it is also called. A fortification that collects several centuries of history. It is located about six kilometers northwest of Sparta on the slopes of Mount Taygetos. The castle city in the Byzantine era was the second most important after Constantinople. A medieval landscape with its Palace of the Despots, the Cathedral of Saint Dimitrios and the majestic Byzantine Monasteries of Our Lady Perivleptos or Our Lady Pantanassa with centuries-old frescoes inside. A new village has been built under the Medieval Castle, where you can find the major comforts such as traditional taverns and accommodation facilities.

A dive into the past between history, modernity and ghost villages, where the weight of myths and legends are like boulders but which will make you experience unforgettable moments among natural landscapes still intact and tradition with solid roots.

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