PENINSULA KASSANDRA CHALKIDIKI Tourist, Archaeological & Cultural Guide
ATHITOS (AFITOS) HALKIDIKI
ATHITOS (AFITOS) Info
Tuesday, August 04, 2020
Athitos is the third village after the isthmus of Potidea. It's characteristic location, with the endless view to the Toroneos gulf, the architecture of its houses, the goodhearted and sometimes even, "archaic" locals, make it such a special village in the area.
The ancient Afitis was a city of Pallini that held a lot of significance and is mentioned by ancient writers such as Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Aristotle, Pausanias, Strabo and others. The sanctuary of Dionysus (8th century BC) and the temple of Ammon Zeus (4th century BC) contributed substantially to the consolidation of its fame throughout antiquity. Afitis was a prosperous city during the archaic and classical times. Athitos made its own coin, which had the head of Amon Zeus, who was their protector. During the revolution of 1821 the village had a dynamic presence with its fighters and victims. In 1859, Agios Dimitrios was built in the center of the square, a three-aisled wooden-roofed basilica church with a dome, it was truly a gem of the village.
It is significantly worth it for the visitor to take a look at the peculiar architecture of the temple, its old icons and the stone carvings on the outside of the south wall. It is also worth walking around the large chapels that, Agios Georgios (1867), The Assumption of the Virgin Mary (1885), Agios Athanasios and Agios Nikolaos (Liosi), followed.
Also worth-seeing are the characteristic old stone houses with the inscriptions of their possesors and their stone carvings (1860 Katsani, 1864 Papavassiliou, 1876 Galani, 1889 Aletra, 1898 Athanasiadis etc.). In the house of Aletra, in the central square, there is now a folklore museum.
However, the most important attraction, which leaves the visitor speechless, is the traditional settlement of Afitos, with a very long history (Afitos has been around for approximately 28 centuries). The people of the community, refused to the anarchic tourist development, which had altered the place in recent years and while aiming to preserve their cultural heritage, they tried to show-off the village through its wonderful culture.
The old houses, built from local tufa stone, were restored, the roads were paved and the place now imposes on the visitors, but also on the locals, beauty, dignity and respect.
In the area where Athitos is located, can be seen from the prehistoric settlements that were pointed out in the present village; there was a continuous settlement of people from 3000 BC. The steep rock on the sea side protected it from sea attacks. The ancient city is mentioned by Stefanos Byzantios with the names: “Afiti, Afitis, Afitos”. The name “Athitos”, which is most commonly used nowadays, is a linguistic phenomenon, while according to Stefanos Byzantios( Stephanus of Byzantium), it took its name from a "from Afitos, a native". Aristotle mentions the "agricultural law" of the Afyteans, which is a special, unique and interesting chapter in the history of Ancient-Greek fiscal affairs.
Athitos is now affluent in rooms-for-rent, hotels, taverns and restaurants with delicious food, cafes and bars. The visitor can enjoy the cobbled alleys of Athitos, and if they follow Elytis on his Aegean walk they can bathe in the blue Athytian sea, in Varkes, in Pounta, in Liosi, in Daphne. The numerous cultural events during the summer, which are organized by the residents of Athitos with passion and responsibility, make Athitos the main place in which every single visitor of Chalkidiki ought to pay a visit.
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