Interests in the area

The small church of Agios Georgios, at the exit of Nemea, on the South-West side of the city, on the perimeter bypass, is declared a preserved monument. It is a small temple, which is directly connected to the ecclesiastical history of the area. A single room, with a tiled roof, a wooden iconostasis and wonderful icons created in 1932, it is one of the ornaments and the pride of Nemea. Architecturally, structurally and from the materials used, the temple goes back to the late years of the Turkish rule.

The Museum was established as part of the excavation program of the University of California, Berkeley, thanks to the generosity of Mr. Rudolph A. Peterson. The Museum was donated to the Hellenic State, it was opened in 1984 and it has rich archaeological collections.

One of the most important Mycenaean cemeteries of the Peloponnese, it is located just a few kilometers from Nemea, on the hill above the village of Aidonia (Botsika). The cemetery includes 21 vaulted tombs, mostly collected, which are dated between the 16th and 13th centuries BC, excavated between 1978-1980. The collection of the Treasure of the Nightingales was also found here, which is currently housed in the Archaeological Museum of Nemea.

The “golden Mycenae”, the kingdom of the mythical Agamemnon, first praised by Homer in his epics, is the most important and richest palace complex of the late Bronze Age in Greece. Symbol of heroic Greece, Mycenae, one of the most important archaeological sites, known worldwide, is surrounded by the magical veil of the myth of Atreides, whose adventures are told by the ancient tragedians. Their name was given to one of the most brilliant civilizations of Greek prehistory, the Mycenaean, and the myths associated with their history spanned the ages, with the Homeric epics and the great tragedies of the classical era, while they inspired and continue to inspire worldwide intellectual creation and art. As a city of Argolis, facing the Argolic gulf, at the NE end of the Argos plain, in a strategic point, it dominated many road arteries. Today, in this place there is the small village of Mykenes (Harvati, during the Turkish occupation) and the ruins of the Acropolis, which always remind of the distant and glorious times.

Only a few kilometers from Nemea, we find Ancient Corinth and its archaeological site, unique and representative of its history. The first settlement of people in the area takes place in the Neolithic era, at the eastern foothills of Acrocorinth. In the footsteps of Olbia Corinth, we will come across the imposing temple of Apollo, the Agora, the temple of Octavia, the shops of Lechaio Street, the “Footstep of the Apostle Paul”, the Theater and the Conservatory. Entering the archaeological site, above the central market area, dominates the archaic temple of Apollo, built in 530 BC. The Doric monolithic columns with their archaic strict line, were 6 on the narrow sides and 15 on the long ones. Today only seven of them remain prominent in their place. The roof was supported by internal colonnades and the temple was divided into two rooms, pronaos and back. These seven columns were the only visible building before the excavations began.

The Corinth Canal is a canal that connects the Saronic Sea with the Gulf of Corinth, at the location of the Isthmus of Corinth, a little east of the city of Corinth. It was built between the years 1880-1893, the work of the Greek engineer Petros Protopapadakis. Its construction is the result of the development policy of Prime Minister Harilaos Trikoupis, who, with the construction of large infrastructure projects, aimed to create a modern and economically developed state. In ancient times, between the wall of the Isthmus and its enclosure there was the diolkos, a road through which goods and small ships were transported to avoid the circumnavigation of the Peloponnese. The idea of the canal already existed from the time of Periander, in 602 BC. The first to try to implement it was Nero, in 66 AD, in plans of Julius Caesar and Caligula. After the death of Nero, Herod Atticus continued the effort, but he abandoned it. Work on the canal began in 1880, by the International Sea Canal Company of Corinth. Due to a lack of funds, the project was completed by Andreas Syngrou’s company in 1893. The canal is 6,346 m long, 24.6 m wide at sea level, 21.3 m at the bottom, while its depth ranges from 7.50 to 8 m.

Nafplio or Anapli is a city in the Peloponnese, the capital of the Prefecture of Argolis and the main port of the eastern Peloponnese. It is about 43 km from Nemea and according to the 2001 census it had 13,822 inhabitants. It is one of the most picturesque cities of the country, and was the capital of the Greek state in the years 1828 – 1833. Nafplio is known for Bourtzi, a small fortress built on an island in the harbor, for Palamidi, a Venetian fortress that dominates the city , for Akronafplia (Turkish: Its-Kale), another Venetian fortress, on the homonymous peninsula, as well as the place of assassination of Ioannis Kapodistrias. According to Greek mythology, Nafplius founded Nafplio on the site of today’s city, which was fortified with cyclopean walls. Archaeological findings prove the existence of the city since Mycenaean times. Nafplio is a popular destination for residents of Athens and the Peloponnese as it is a short distance from both areas. Among the most beautiful buildings in the city are the Armansberg Palace (residence of the regent of Greece Armansberg) as well as the archaeological museum in Syntagma Square. A branch of the National Gallery also operates in the city.