Summer of 2024, I had a client/friend who tasked me with taking him on a two-day hiking trip in Greece. It would be his first-ever of the kind. We needed a beginner-grade route with sufficient shade for the summer heat and villages with amenities along the way. The Menalon Mountain Trail, in the Arcadia region of central Peloponnese, was an obvious choice.
After a couple of hours’ drive from Athens, we arrived in the historic village of Stemnitsa. Built of stone at an elevation of nearly 1,000 meters, this is the starting point of the Menalon Mountain Trail’s first section, which we meant to do today. We parked the car, loitered a bit over breakfast in the lively central square, grabbed some pastry for the way from the local bakery, and set out trekking.
The trail begins near the point where the two roads leaving west out of the village (the higher and the lower one) converge. The trailhead’s coordinates are 37.5507, 22.0712 (Google Maps). A sign and an info board are present. The entire trail onward is obvious and well-marked with red squares.
The first part of the route led us down toward the bottom of the Lousios Gorge. Shortly after we began, we ran into an Eastern Montpellier snake. It must have been too cozy basking because it only took notice of us a mere step before me trampling its tail. And I noticed it a moment later, with a fright, as it slid away exigently. In science known as Malpolon insignitus, this is one of the largest snakes found in Greece, often reaching two meters. It’s venomous but rear-fanged, posing no danger to humans. It was my first time seeing one of them mofos so up close.
2.5 km later, the trail met the road at the parking lot by the trailhead to Prodromos Monastery. Attached on a vertical cliff, overlooking the green wilderness, this is one of the most picturesque monasteries in Greece. We entered its yard for some rest and refreshing water from its spring. We also entered the building for a look, but not too deep since we were both in shorts and didn’t mean to disrespect. I have, however, gone inside other times in the past. The monks are friendly and like to treat visitors to coffee and sweets. You should pop by to say hi if you’re hiking the route.
We continued to the fully shaded bottom of the Lousios Gorge. Water gurgled as it rushed along the smooth rocks, forming plenty of deep pools where one could stop for a frigid dip.
A bit after the bridge crossing to the western slope of the gorge lie the ruins of the old Philosopher’s Monastery. This Byzantine monastery, founded in 963, is the oldest in the Peloponnese and one of the most renowned in Greece. It is also known as the secret school due to a legend that evolved during the Greek Revolution claiming that Greek education was illegal during Ottoman rule. Although no secret, it was indeed an acclaimed religious school that produced several patriarchs. It takes a very short detour up the cliff to visit the monastery, and it’s totally worth it, but in this case, we bypassed it.
Instead, we stopped for our second break at the new Philosopher’s Monastery that replaced the other in the middle of the 17th century and is still inhabited. Having our lunch in the serene garden, one of the monks joined us. He was from my home island of Evia. He kindly treated us to Turkish delight and sat for a chat.
In the afternoon fieriness, we carried on north, crossed the river again, and ascended to our final destination. Built atop a steep hill overlooking the gorge, Dimitsana is another picturesque and historically significant stone village of the Menalon region. It was distinguished as a gunpowder production hub that supplied much of the demand for killing during the Greek Revolution. A water-powered powder mill has been preserved and is showcased in the village’s water power museum.
Dimitsana also boasts a historical library, elegant architecture amid stunning sceneries, and some of the most advanced tourism infrastructure in the area. We settled in one of its nice hotels, dined in one of its cozy taverns, and rested before continuing our hike tomorrow.
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