Prefecture of Corinthia

         Coming from Athens, Corinthia is the first prefecture you come to in the Peloponnese, the first sign of warmth and excitement. The aromas of the sea, the mountains, the harvest of grapes and currants are all-encompassing, accompanied by the sound of bees buzzing around the sheds where the currants are drying. Here you'll rediscover some old Greek myths, learn that Nemean wine is called "Herakles blood" and that retsina is the teardrop of a certain wood nymph. You'll find out about gods, nereids and mortals. Zeus and Apollo. You'll come upon columns, sanctuaries and ancient palaces.
          Just before the Isthmus, to the right, the road veers off to Loutraki, a town built on the foothills of the Gerania range on the soil of Central Greece, yet still part of Corinthia prefecture.
         The cloudless sky is reflected in the sea. You watch the carefree movements of the people on the beach, swimming and tanning themselves in the summer sun.
But Loutraki also has hot springs, whose blessed waters gush from the earth with healing properties. Beyond Loutraki, heading west, you come to lake Vouliagmeni which is joined to the sea by a narrow channel .
        Near Perahora peninsula, with its picturesque bay, you see the first ruins at the back of the harbour - the Temples of Hera Akraia and Limenia. This place gives one a foretaste of what to expect from the main sanctuary to Hera in the Peloponnese.

       Returning to the main highway for Corinth, you pass the the Isthmus, - avlaki or "courtyard" as we Greeks call it - and head for one of the most important Pan-Hellenic shrines, the sanctuary of Poseidon at Isthmia (7th c. BC), near the village of Kiravrisi, where Pan-Hellenic games were held every other year.
         Adjacent to the archaeological site is a museum containing important finds. The paintings on glass are most impressive .
From here the road leads to Kehries, the eastern port of Corinth on the Saronic Gulf. Ancient foundations, most of which are submerged, were immediately afterwards you reach Baths of Belle Helene (Loutro Elenis), a resort area with lovely beaches and hot springs; the seaside village of Almiri; and then Korfos, a hamlet built at the head of a small bay.
         The region is thick with pine and olive trees. The coast and the little ports in the vicinity are unforgettable. Hard for a visitor to leave behind. Here one can find good food and a house to stay in, surrounded by beauty.
        In the age of myth Corinthia was always being thrown into turmoil by tribes pouring into the Peloponnese from the Isthmus. With the setting of the Dorians (9th c. BC), Corinth's history began .
        It became a great naval power and perfected the trireme. The Corinthians were the first to have the idea of cutting through the Isthmus but were unable to accomplish this feat. Instead they invented and built a paved slipway, called the diolkos, to haul their boats over the Isthmus. They were foremost in the arts, particularly ceramics. The 5th century was their most glorious period.
         But with the success of Athena as a powerful force, Corinth was eclipsed and fell into decline. In 146 BC the Romans completely destroyed the city. In 67 BC Nero tried his hand at digging through the Isthmus and got as far as a big trench, but works were abandoned with his death, and not until 1891-1893 did the canal finally become a reality.
        Invasions and looting by barbarians threw Corinth into a new decline and the city was not heard from again until the early Byzantine era.
        In 1521 a strong earthquake razed the city which rose again in about the 11th century. In 1212 the Franks took over, holding on until 1395 when the Byzantines gained the advantage, only to sell the city to the Knights of Rhodes five years later. Corinth, with the most of the rest of the Peloponnese, fell to the Turks in 1458, became the property of the Knights of Malta for a time (1612), passed to the Venetians in 1687 and was recaptured by the Turks in 1715. They were ousted in 1822.

           Today Corinth (Korinthos) ranks among Greece's most important cities and is a major transportation hub. The church of the Apostle Paul reminds us of the saint's Letters to the Corinthians and his preaching here.
        Its long waterfront is one of the most attractive spots in the city. Its numerous pastry shops, restaurants, taverns, bars, cinemas and nightclubs make Corinth lively in both winter and summer. In September and October a theatre festival is held here with troupes from all over the Balkans as well as a Pan-Hellenic amateur theatre contest .