A scenic town situated at an altitude of 970m on the slopes of Parnassos mountain. It’s not very far from Athens (180km) and is very close to the archaeological site of Delphi (12km) and the Parnassos Ski Resort (25km). It has excellent hotels, many of which seem to be hanging off the edge of the mountain. The scenery is magnificent and visitors seem to think they are on an airplane looking down. Cliffs and mountainous terrain all around and in the distance one can see the blue of the Corinthian gulf. An environment of absolute calm interrupted only by the distant sounds of sheep bells and axes chopping wood for fireplaces. At the local tavernas, visitors can taste local meat and cheeses as well as heavenly syrupy desserts, which they will never forget. The tourist infrastructures are plenty and of good quality and promise to satisfy the preferences of all visitors, regardless of age.
Greece offers extremely beautiful scenery, tropical beaches on one hand and high, snowy mountains on the other. Thousands of Greeks are passionate about gliding on the snow and, every chance they get, they go up to the mountains in order to confront the elements of nature. Parnassos Ski Resort is always a surprise for those who visit it for the first time. Huge installations that reach the altitude of 2,260m and giant lifts, which lead to 23 slopes totaling 34km. While gliding on the snow, skiers see amazing landscapes unfolding in front of their eyes, as if they were on a plane.
On the day of the Holy Spirit a morning feast takes place in Alimpista, a mountainous village of Aetoloakarnania, inhabited by only two families. Even though the road from the nearest town Thermo to Alimpista is not in good condition, the space in front of the Trinity church is full of cars. After the church service hundreds of people queue in front of the meat vendor for grilled lamb. Many visitors bring pies, cheese and other foods from their homes.
" 'Why are you crying father,' my children once asked me when we had gone to Athens. 'It's not that is crying, it's my eyes because of the dust and the gas', I answered. I stayed in the hospital for 40 days and I couldn't even drink water. I don't like water from tanks and in nylon bottles. I couldn't wait; I wanted to go home beside the river as soon as possible. When I first came to live here I was bothered by the sound of water, but then I got used to it. My grandchildren don't like it here because they feel lonely. They don't even ask how the watermill works. They only care about the dogs; they are constantly gathering bones to feed them".
"There were some other ouzo taverns (ouzeri) at Missolonghi, but not very big or fancy. All kinds of people have visited it since 1901 when it first opened. Lawyers, doctors, merchants, fishermen, farmers and labourers, all meld together in the same place. It was a place where class did not matter, it used to connect people and bring them close".
"As children we used to play in the family's bakery and through our games came knowledge. We felt the true meaning life in here. Our father used to warm up the wood at night in order to dry them out from the humidity and burn them at the bakery in the morning. The place we live at is full of almond and olive trees, the two best kinds of wood, of which leave their scent on the bread".
“I met a girl walking near the lagoon and asked her to go on a boat ride on my gaita (small boat with a sail). We didn't have motors back then, only the sail and the “floko” (a smaller sail at the front of the boat). A light northwestern wind was blowing and she sat on the stern and started singing with her beautiful voice. “On the magical sand a woman embraced with her beloved fisherman. He's drunk with joy, both of them are, in the scarlet sunset...” she sang.
"Why do you take pictures all the time, what is it that you like here? Do you like the mountains? Do you think that you'll never find these stones anywhere else? Why are you in a hurry, do you fear the wilderness? At least here if you shout, people on two mountains will hear you; in Athens nobody will hear you shouting if something happens to you".