The Greek city of Art is located in Epirus district, not far from the Artu Gulf . It is a small town on the site of an older settlement with a long history: like many Greek cities, it more than once ruled over one or another country . Tourists in Arte practically does not exist: the beaches are far away, besides it is almost the most northern part of the country . Meanwhile this town can boast something with full right to it . First, this is the famous Art Bridge, about which epic legends and songs . Secondly, the architectural heritage of ancient times, the vizant and the earlier periods . Thirdly, the beautiful nature in the surroundings, including the mountains in the north and the many orchards in the valley, oranges and lemons from which are incredibly juicy and tasty .
How to get to Arty
Intercity bus KTEL from Athens or Thessaloniki
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- To eat very tasty local mountain honey
- To sit in a tavern under a huge plane tree at the Arty Bridge, declared national property in 1976. Do not let your appetite spoil the message that the Ali Pasha soldiers were hanging Greek rebels on the sycamore ..
- Travel around the mountains in the north, peering into traditional villages, breathing in clean pine air and admiring the snow.
A bit of history
Today's Arta stands in the place of the old city of Ambrakia, which was built by the Corinthians in the 7th century BC. e. In Ambrakia in the 3rd century BC. e. lived the notorious military commander Pyrrhus, and in the 2nd century the city was conquered by the Romans. In the 11th century, Arta received a new name, in the 13th century the Norman invaders appeared here, and in the 15th century - the Turks. After them, both Venetians and Frenchmen visited Arta, but from the second half of the 19th century the city was finally entrenched in Greece
Entertainment, excursions and sights of Arta
To start the city tour, of course, from the famous bridge of Arta . This the four-arch bridge over the 145 m long Arkhos River was built during the Epirus despotate . According to one of the legends, more than a hundred people were engaged day and night building a bridge that nightly fell . One fine day (or not) the chief architect heard from speaking bird that for m th, to keep the bridge, it is necessary to embed one of his heirs alive in his wife . Tradition says that this was done, and until now those who pass through the bridge hear the voice of a woman calling to them . According to another legend, the construction of the bridge was necessary for the Turks, so the Greeks, like Odyssey's Penelope, themselves destroyed the building that was built every night - for which the architect and his wife paid the price .
The St. Theodora Church, built in the 13th century, is beautiful with a two-level colonnade and a beautiful rich mosaic. Later, a narthex was added to the basilica with three naves, where the tomb of the saint was placed (in our time, from the original design only a stone slab with bas-reliefs has been preserved, on which Saint Theodora and her son are depicted). The saint's day is celebrated in the city on March 11, and a solemn divine service is held in the church.
Another church of the Theotokos was built under the Byzantines, in the 13th century, and became one of the most remarkable in the whole country. This is a powerful and "stocky" building in the form of an almost regular cube of red stone with five typical domes for Byzantine architecture. In the interior of the church you can see the arches of the Gothic style, the colonnades, statues, stylized for Roman Gothic, mosaics and murals.
In its own way, the small St. Basil church of the 14th century is built with many colored tiles and reliefs. It was erected in the 9th century and stands near the bridge, to the north-west of it. For centuries the church was half-hidden under a layer of earth: it is completely dug up only in 1972. The church features a disproportionately high bell tower, which contrasts with the other buildings near Arta
arachthos On the river there is a fortress built in the 13th century:. It in the revolution of 1821 . Turks were captured by the greek army . Near the castle, an outdoor amphitheater and a clock tower . and on the perimeter of the city here and there you can see the remains of the fortress walls Ambracia, and quite tall and strong-looking . If you move away from the city, to the hill y, after three kilometers you will find yourself in the monastery of Kato Panagia, which was founded in the 13th century . On its facade are preserved interesting frescoes, and the bases and capitals of the columns were literally borrowed from the Late Romanesque buildings in Ambracia .
Ethnographic museum of Arta, that to the west of the bridge, you can get acquainted with the history of the district and the way of life of its inhabitants. The museum occupies a small and cozy neoclassical mansion built in 1864. On weekdays the museum closes at 15:00, on weekends - at 14:00. The historical museum is also interesting. Another interesting construction is the 15th century mosque. Well, if we talk about modern life, its area in Arta can be considered as Resistance Square with cafes and shops.
Artya Neighborhoods
Ambrakiy Bay, near which Arta stands, is a great place for every nature lover . Here river arachthos Luros and form a set of lagoons, salt marshes and creeks, where numerous birds inhabit nearly 300 species, and in the season in the bay and dolphins swim . a little north of Arta is stunning lake Purnari, elongated from north to south, with the rugged wooded banks and towering I have over them the snow-covered mountain slopes . Lake created artificially using erected across arachthos Purnari in the village dam, the second largest in the country, which formed a reservoir arachthos . These places are unforgettably beautiful .
In general, the northern direction, if traveling on a trip from Arta, is surprisingly beneficial for travelers . At the top, in the mountains, unique beauty and ecology are waiting for you, and here as there are many small and lovely traditional villages: Agnanda, Pramanda, SIRACO, Kalarites . often, their history is connected with the tragic events: in local mountains guerrilla units hiding during the second world war, and villagers often paid and their shares . For example, there was the village of Komeno, which was razed to the ground completely .
10 km drive on the highway is the town of Arta Peta, which is certainly worth a visit history buffs. Here there was a famous battle between the Turks and Albanians on the one hand and the Greeks and the Phillynines on the other. The battle ended with the defeat of the Greeks and the destruction of the ¾ of the Philately battalion.
Not far from Arta is a small village of Katarrathes, which means "waterfalls" and very literally describes its main attraction. But truly picturesque waterfalls surrounded by amazing wildlife with coniferous forests and rocks can be seen near the village of Feodorian, towards the Court. To get here, you will need to climb a mountain from Arty within a hour and a half, but it's worth it. By itself, Feodorian is also nice enough to look into it.