Photos : John  Michopoulos

Northwest of Megalopolis,there is a road full of turns, that leads to one the most picturesque and traditional mountain settlements in Greece : ANDRITSAINA

Andritsaina was once a sgnificant commercial town during the Ottoman rule and it still remains the center of life for all the surrounding smaller and isolated villages .

FROM THE : NATIONAL GEORGAPHIC TRAVELER ( GREEK EDITION )

Andritsaina (Greek: Ανδρίτσαινα) is a village[2] and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andritsaina-Krestena, of which it is a municipal unit.[3] The municipal unit has an area of 131.247 km2.[4]

From   Wikidedia 

Photos : John Michopoulos

                                                                                                                                                                 Andritsaina's open fruit market ( Every Friday )

Traditional houses

Cobblestone  streets

Agios Georgios ( Panochori )

Anagiri spot : 17 km from Andritsaina 

The bridge of Cuckoos , over the Lusios river

The spot is on the Kotylion village , on the road from Megalopolis to Andritsaina .

Andritsaina downtown

Andritsaina's neighborhood

Andritsaina's Public schools .

Andritsaina's public library .

Photos : John Michopoulos

http://www.andritsainalibrary.gr/en/

https://youtu.be/GhpecvuUrXE

Historical data

The Library dates from 1840, and is the result of a donation from Konstantinos – Agathofronas Nikolopoulos. It was only then that the books of K. A. Nikolopoulos, arranged in 47 boxes, left the 6th floor of 12 Castiglione Street in Paris, and were delivered to the Mayor of Andritsaina Konstantinos Zarifopoulos, and later to the Minister of Education Charalampos Christopoulos, also from Andritsaina. They were transported by ship to Nafplion and from there by animals to Andritsaina, the capital of mountainous Olympia. For 39 years the books were stored in the small church of Agia Varvara.

In 1875, the erection of the School of Andritsaina began in a plot offered by Nikolis Mpampadimos, designed by Miltiades Kanellopoulos – Engineer and Professor of the Military Academy – in a U-shape, open on the north-eastern side. The necessary funds came from a nationwide fund-raiser and a donation by Angelos Giannikesis, Consul of Greece in Trieste. The building was inaugurated in 1879 and the Library was housed on the West side of the first floor.

In 1932 the north-eastern wing was built (added) and the building got its present shape. This wing housed the Library, and as a whole was the Training Centre of the metropolitan area for 150 years.

Since 1998, the Library is housed in a neoclassical building, next to the Historical Gymnasion (middle school) of Andritsaina.

 With Andritsaina as your center, visite the following nearby destinations .

Temple of Apollo Epicurius   ( From  Britanica )

archaeological site, Bassae, Greece

• In Ictinus
  The Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae (in Arcadia, near Phigalia) was said to be modeled after the Temple of Athena Alea (by Scopas) at Tegea, the most beautiful temple in the Peloponnese, which incorporated the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders in novel ways. Most of…

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significance to Bassae

• In Bassae
  …As the site of the Temple of Apollo Epikourios (Epicurius; “the Helper”), built c. 450–425 BCE. Pausanias, a Greek geographer of the 2nd century CE, considered the temple one of the finest in the Peloponnese. It is also one of the best-preserved temples in Greece, and it was inscribed as…

Ancient Alifeira :

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aliphera (Ancient Greek: Ἀλίφηρα)[1] or Alipheira (Ἀλίφειρα)[2] was a town of ancient Arcadia, in the district Parrhasia, said to have been built by Alipherus, a son of Lycaon. It was situated upon a steep and lofty hill, 40 stadia (about 8 km) south of the Alpheius, and the same distance from Heraea, and near the frontiers of Elis. It was a member of the Arcadian League. A large number of its inhabitants removed to Megalopolis upon the foundation of the latter city in 371 BCE; but it still continued to be a place of some importance. It was ceded to the Eleans by Lydiades, when tyrant of Megalopolis (224 BCE); but it was taken from them by Philip V of Macedon in the Social War, in 219 BCE after a long siege, and restored to Megalopolis. Later it joined the Achaean League and minted its own currency.[3] Later, the city was subject to the Romans. When Pausanias visited it in the 2nd century, the town contained temples of Asclepius and Athena, and a celebrated bronze statue by Hypatodorus of the latter goddess, who was said to have been born here.[4][2][5][6]

Its site is located near the modern Alifeira,[7][8] which was renamed to reflect association with the ancient town. The first excavations were done by Anastasios Orlandos in 1932. In the ancient city the temples of Athena and Asclepius, the acropolis, the cemetery wall and some buildings have been found.[3]

The Monastery of Sepeto :  ( From https://www.allaboutpeloponnisos.com/en/type/religion/iera-moni-sepetou )

Somewhat lower than the acropolis of ancient Alipheira, built in the steep rock over the river Triton, emerges the impressive Monastery of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, known as Monastery of Sepetos.

Regarding the origin of the name, various views have been proposed, from a Greek word meaning “venerable”,or from a Serbian word meaning “waterfall” or from a Greek phrase meaning “I throw you from a cliff”, which is related to local legend, according to which a mother threw her child from the rock and the child was not killed.

Its foundation is estimated in the period 1150-1200, that is the years when John X Kamateros was patriarch. According to written sources and oral tradition, its presence was important during the Byzantine period, the Latin and the Turkish Occupation.

It is said that an underground school operated here, while many chieftains of the Greek revolution came here and organized and planned their actions. In 1915, the day of its celebration, the monastery suffered a destruction by fire, which incinerated the catholicon and several important relics. It was soon renovated and this renovation led to its present day form.

The complex is literally built on the vertical cliff and it spreads in five levels which include cells and auxiliary areas. Of particular interest is the impressive tower of the monastery, which has been renovated and houses the hostel.

At the interior of the spacious church a special spot is reserved for the miraculous icon of Panagia Sepetiotissa, which is considered the work of Luke the Evangelist, while remarkable icons adorn the gold-plated, wood-carved screen.

It is a women’s monastery and celebrates on the 23rd of August.

Video : John Michopoulos

Neda

Neda waterfall

The Neda waterfall is one of the most photogenic waterfalls in Greece. This beautiful waterfall is located near Figalia (east of Giannitsochori) in west Greece.

Drice south on road 9 from Pyrgos: at Tholo you have to drive east to Katarraktis Neda (Neda waterfall – 42 km). There are already signs for the waterfall. At Figalia there is also a sign “cataracts” onto a dust road. After 3,3 km there is a sort of parking along the road. From here it is a short walk to the river and the Platania bridge.

Here adventure begins. You have to walk into the Neda gorge, ending at the beautiful Neda waterfall. Before you arrive at the big waterfall you also walk by two smaller waterfalls, also very beautiful.
After 600 meter you arrive at a wooden bridge. Soon you will arrive at the emerald pool in front of the 20 meter high Neda waterfall.

The view is gorgeous and it is a perfect place for bathing. The Neda river is one of the two rivers in Greece named after a female!

The best time to visit the Neda waterfall is probably early summer. I am not sure if the location is accessible outside the summer.

Theisoa village

heisoa (Ancient Greek: Θεισόα) was a town of ancient Arcadia, in the territory of Orchomenus. It is mentioned along with Methydrium and Teuthis as belonging to the confederation (συντέλεια) of Orchomenos.[1] Its inhabitants were removed to Megalopolis upon the foundation of the latter city (371 BCE).[1] (From Wikipedia

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