#uniquedestinations Karytaina (Καρύταινα), with a long history lost in the mediaeval years, is a hidden treasure in the centre of mountainous Arcadia in the Peloponnese (Greece). Although mountainous Arcadia is generally a favourite weekend getaway for Athenians, Karytaina, 20 km from Stemnitsa (Στεμνίτσα) and 20 km from Megalopolis (Μεγαλόπολις), remains relatively unknown to most and…
Tag: uniquedestinations
Spello – The flower town of Italy
#uniquedestinations Spello, located on the southern side of Mount Subasio, between Assisi and Foligno, is considered one of “The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy” due to its significant environmental, cultural and artistic heritage. The ancient town centre of Umbrian origin, “Hispellum” from the first century BC, was an important Roman town. There are important and…
Pavlopetri and Ancient Asopos : The sunken cities of Lakonia
#uniquedestinations Laconia (Λακωνία) is an area of Peloponnesos/Peloponnese with many popular destinations, wonderful beaches, unique archeological sites, Byzantine churches, picturesque villages and much more. However, few know that in Laconia there are two of the most important sunken ancient cities in Greece and probably in Europe. Both are easily accessible and the visitor could admire…
The amazing craters of Didyma
#uniquedestinations Didyma (Δίδυμα) is a historic village in the prefecture of Argolida in Greece. Until World War II, the village was called Didymoi (Δίδυμοι), which means twins in Greek. The origin of the name is explained in two ways, first that it came from Mount Didymos or that it was adopted by the Twin Caves…
Lakki : A utopian Italian town on a Greek island
#uniquedestinations Leros (Λέρος) is a wonderful and usually neglected Dodecanese island in Greece. It has a long history that starts in prehistoric times and played an important role during World War II. The Dodecanese, except Kastellorizo, were occupied by Italy during the Italo-Turkish War of 1912. Italian interest in the islands was rooted in strategic purposes and the intention…
Jacobite – The Harry Potter steam train
#uniquedestinations The Hogwarts Express of the Harry Potter films really exists in the Highlands of Scotland. When Warner Bros were producing the films, they approached West Coast Railways in an effort to find a steam engine suitable for the magical journeys of Harry Potter. They used the Jacobite steam train, which became world-famous and the…
La Estrecha – The narrowest building in Europe
#uniquedestinations Several European cities claim to have the narrowest building in Europe, like the house at Oude Hoogstraat 22 in Amsterdam or a tiny kebab shop in Bratislava, but the narrowest one could actually be found in the centre of the atmospheric Old Town (Ciutat Vella) in Valencia (Spain) and it is called La Estrecha,…
Keukenhof – The flower garden of Europe
#uniquedestinations Tulips from the Netherlands are world-famous. If you want to see the Dutch tulip fields in bloom, you should visit the country in April and May. This is the same period in which the biggest flower park in the world, Keukenhof, opens its doors to welcome every year almost 1.5 million visitors, who come here…
Faroe Islands – The “hobbit” village really exists
#uniquedestinations The Faroe Islands are in the North Atlantic Ocean, located 320 km northwest of Scotland, halfway between Norway and Iceland. They are an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. The Islands are a natural paradise with scenery that will leave you breathless. On these islands there are houses looking a lot like the “hobbit” village from “Lord of Rings”,…