Beyond Summer: Off-season Greece
The Greece of my earliest imaginations came from the iconic pictures of whitewashed villages and blue roof houses overlooking the Aegean Sea, and sun-scorched white sand beaches. I was always dreaming of warmer and sunnier pastures, likely a function of Canadian climate and culture. Greece was a “forever summer” country in my mind, with endless islands where the sun never faded. But as I discovered during an off-season road trip, it is of course much, much more.
The village of Dimitsana is nestled in the slopes of Mount Mainalo, in the Arcadia region of the Peloponnese. At two and half hours from the capital, it is a popular getaway for Athenians and hiking enthusiasts alike.
Winter weather in the mountains can range from crisp and clear, to cool and damp. My first day in the village is very much the latter. Thankfully, Dimitsana is the kind of place that is pretty even on a rainy day. The village is surrounded by lush forests, and to the south it overlooks the dramatic Lousios Gorge.
The narrow escalating alleyways and stone chapels of the village evoke an eerie medieval feeling, which betray a deeper history. Just outside the village is the immaculately maintained open-air waterpower museum, where I learn about the area’s historical industries: flour mills, tanneries, and gunpowder production – the latter making Dimitsana a key site in the Greek War of Independence.
Day two is crisp and clear. It’s time to explore this frontier. The aforementioned Lousios Gorge is part of the Menalon Trail: a 75km route connecting several villages in the Arcadia region. The gorge is ruggedly beautiful with an endless view. It’s winter time, so there’s no need for a pre-dawn start, and after a few kilometres my hoodie is around my waist. Perfect conditions, compared to sweltering summer hikes. The well-marked trail features large rock staircases that are a joy to explore, and sectors of verdant canopy offer shade along the way, making for a visually pleasing middle earth type surrounding.
By now, I’ve been transported far away from the Greece of my childhood imagination. It was well into adulthood before I understood Greece as more than a collection of islands, unburdened by the scourge of winter. Summertime does of course make a wonderful introduction. But what I discovered in the winter mountains was a different type of magic: a peaceful quiet, away from the traditional throngs. For an enthusiast of hiking, of nature, and of going against the grain, winter in Dimitsana made for an excellent second chapter in Greece.
