Levidi
Levidi is a delightful small mountain town with a large platea with wonderful views over the plain below. There are several tavernas, bakeries and supermarkets dotted around the square and on the side roads. So it’s the perfect place to grab a snack or stop for a well earned break. In 2023 we stayed at Archontiko Gkintonis, a wonderful property with incredible views over the plain. We returned to stay here again in 2024 and 2025 and have already booked to return in 2026. If you want to know more, click HERE. [No I am not on a commission!]
Ruins of Orchormenos
Ten minutes north eastish of Levidi are the ruins of Orchormenos. By the 7th Century BC it was a thriving city but there is little evidence of that now. However the setting is superb and the remains of the 4th century BC theatre which could hold 4000 people is absolutely wonderful with the mountains as a backdrop.
Kapsia Cave
Kapsia Cave is only a few minutes drive south of Levidi. in 2022 we had a great time waiting for someone [not] to turn up and open the cave for us. Their website clearly stated that it was open to visitors. Leashia flew off an email to them and received a reply two weeks later. They offered an apology and free tickets for our next visit. On our return in 2023 we were received like old friends with big hugs- a wonderful greeting! The cave was absolutely stunning, the dripping stalalgtites makes the cave seem alive which can’t be said about the human skeletons believed to be around 1700 years old.Our friendly guide informed us that the muzak and lights help to keep the bats away.
Agia Foteini
We stopped off at this peculiar looking church on our way from Levidi to Nafplio. It is situated is in the Mantinea Valley near Tripoli. It looks Byzantineish but was in fact completed in 1973. The bonkers design by Kostas Papatheodorou did divide opinion but the church is now something of a tourist attraction.
Ancient Mantinia
Opposite Agia Foteini is the entrance to Mantinia, an ancient walled city. The site was closed when I visited in 2023 and judging by the undergrowth it had been closed for some time. I managed to climb over the fence and have a wander. Much of the remains and the information boards were hidden by the tall dry grass and it was not easy to get around. The ruins are mostly Roman and the small theatre is the easiest to identify through the foliage. It may be considered small but in its heydey it could accomodate around 6000 spectators. The city was the site of several battles and Emperor Hadrian visited in 130 AD and had a theatre built dedicated to his lover.
Pagrati [Vine Tree of Pausanias]
This ancient vine is thought to be around 3000 years old and is allegedly the site where Pausanias had a rest and a bit of a think when he visited the area in 160 AD, although interestingly he does not mention it in his journals. It’s in the courtyard of Agios Nicholaos church in the village of Pagrati about a half an hour drive south of Levidi. [On Google maps it reads like this-Κλήμα Παυσανία, R5G3+QP, Sella 250 07, Greece].
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