Visit An Ancient Roman Tourist Attraction And A Unique Cave In Greece

The Peloponnese Peninsula offers unusual and unique locations to visit on a vacation in Greece. Here there is an amazing cave to visit along with an ancient tourist attraction, once visited by the Romans. While both these locations are off the beaten path, they are well worth the effort.

Kastania Cave in Elis, Greece

Kastania Cave has an interesting history as it was discovered in the 20th century by Kostas Stivaktas. The farmer was resting from his work in his fields when he spotted something interesting. He spotted bees entering and leaving a crack in the rocks, which teased his imagination. Moreover, Kostas noted that the bees looked refreshed as they left the hole in the rock.

After his curiosity was sparked, the farmer decided to break into the rock and after he had done so, couldn’t believe his eyes. It turns out he had discovered a unique and beautiful cave, with so many stalagmites and stalactites forming a curtain of shapes and colors. As he headed further into the cave, Kostas discovered a well, where apparently, the bees headed for refreshment.

After his amazing discovery, Stivaktas’s family started a tradition of visiting the cave. While holding a torch of dried bush, they collected water from the cave’s well for refreshment. Meanwhile, they did so up until 1958, when the cave and its refreshing well became better known. At that stage, the community of Kastania decided to protect this amazing place. These days, visitors can explore some of the cave’s chambers.

According to experts the unique shapes and formations in the cave took around three million years to form. The caves are open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in the summer months. Moreover, they are not the only attraction here, as the Kastania Cave is surrounded by gorgeous scenery with endless sandy beaches. Find out more about the caves on the official tourism website here.

Mycenae: Popular tourist attraction in Roman times

Next, we visit an ancient tourist attraction, first made popular by the Romans. Located on a hilltop, the ancient city of Mycenae nestles in a pretty and peaceful setting. Here, visitors can explore the ancient ruins of a former city.

Reportedly, Mycenae was an important location in the Bronze Age, when the city controlled most of southern Greece. Apparently, the city was the home of Perseus along with the kingdom of Agamemnon and traded with faraway lands, including Egypt.

The ancient Roman city was discovered by an amateur archaeologist, Heinrich Schleimann in 1874. Meanwhile, he had been excavating the famous site of Troy. He launched a systematic excavation in the area, where he uncovered some magnificent historic sites. Among them were shaft graves containing riches buried with their occupants, including a golden death mask of a bearded man, believed to represent Agamemnon. These days, the mask and other interesting artifacts can be seen in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Meanwhile, Mycenae has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The tombs weren’t the only discovery, as the archaeologist uncovered stone steps, heading down a hillside into an ancient cistern. Apparently, the cistern was fed by a spring beyond the city’s walls. Fast forward to now, and what was an ancient tourist attraction for the Romans is a popular site to visit these days.

Readers can learn more about the ancient Roman city from the video included here.

Experience a visit to the Roman city, as well as the amazing cave in Kastania in Greece.