Tripoli Sightseeing Excursions

Tripoli, being in the center of the Peloponnese, is an excellent departure point for excursions to all of the region, rich in places of archaeological interest and picturesque villages and towns, with their own unmistakable colors, constructed on a wonderful mountainous terrain.  Tripoli belongs to the province of Mantinia, which has inherited the name of the old city and its area.  In their closed valley, several cities of the Arcadian world grew, from north to south: Orhomenos, Nestani, Mantineia, Tegea, Palladio, Asea.

Starting off for the north, we arrive, after 14 kilometers, to the picturesque town of Nestani, constructed on the ruins of the old city that was one of the 5 municipalities of Mantineia.  At a height of 640 meters, we find the Monastery of Gorgoepikoos, where religious treasures of the 10th century are conserved.  The old city of Mantineia is 13 kilometers to the north of Tripolis.  Named "Erateini Mantinei" by Homer, it constituted of 5 municipalities near the small hill of Gkortsouli.  In the historic period, these 5 municipalities were constructed in the plain, where today their ruins are located.  Ally of the Athenians and the Spartans, Mantineia suffered massive destruction.  Mantineia, which is cited by Homer in his Iliad, is considered a very old city.  In the early years of the 4th century B.C., its inhabitants were unified to a common scheme that was tributary to Argos.  In the Medic wars, the Mantinians fought in Thermopylae. 

Only 10 kilometers from Tripoli, on the road to Sparta (that is, to the south), between the villages of Alea and Stadio, there is the region of Ancient Tegea, an important town of Arcadia in ancient times.  The ancient temple was destroyed by fire around 395 and was rebuilt in 340 BC by the sculptor, Skopa, to house the ivory statue of Athena, of which only a few fragments remain.  The Tegea Museum displays numerous finds of archaeological value.  Ancient Mantineia, with its theater and unique Sacred Church of Aghia Fotini, is another attraction, as are Alea and Episcopi in Tegea.

Vytina, Dimitsana, Stemnitsa, Langadia, Astros (with Herodes' Villa), Karytena, Megalopolis, etc. are nearby towns and villages also worth a visit.  More distant ones (Nafplio, Mycenae, Epidavros, Sparti, Mystras, Olympia, Kalamata, etc) are one to one-and-a-half hour's ride away.  The sea at Astros, with its fine, clean beaches, can be reached in less than one hour.

On the highest part of Mt. Maenalon, at an altitude of 1981 meters (5943 feet), is the ski center of Ostrakina.