Xirokambi - authentic greek village at the foot of the taygetos mountains
Peloponnese - Greece
Xirokambi is a lively village with impressive stone houses, close to Ancient Sparta and the Byzantine castle of Mystras. The majestic peaks of Mount Taygetos rise high above the valley, rich in olive and orange groves. The village is a perfect base for visiting Sparta and Mystras. It is also a great starting point for walks via country roads and old cobbled paths into the mountains, through traditional villages and old olive groves.
A shady hot spot
The village square, surrounded by shops, cafes and restaurants, is the local hot spot. We watch it’s hustle and bustle, while we drink our coffee under the shade of the plane trees. Old men drinking ouzo; some of them have lived half their life in Canada, and have returned to enjoy the warmer climate in their place of birth. People wait for the bus to Sparta, while farmers pass by with their pickup or tractor, loaded with sacks of olives and oranges. Just off the square is the smallest market we have ever seen: four stalls with vegetables, plants and fresh fish.
Dining and wining
Xirokambi, a village with 1500 inhabitants, has surprisingly many restaurants, all serving great food and self-brewed wine. Written menus are non-existent. Instead the hospitable restaurant owners visit our table and tell us what the kitchen offers today. In Dimitri’s garden, on the edge of the square, we eat tasty fried cod with a daring garlic sauce (skordaliá). At restaurant Paralia we choose a green salad, tsakistes (fresh green olives, slightly crushed), zucchini cakes and perfect home made pork sausages. Oranges grow in abundance, and people like to blend them with meat. Sausage with orange is one of the local specialties.
Charming hotel
Our hotel is just a stone's throw away from the square. The Taleton, housed in a beautifully restored warehouse for olive oil, grain and silk, is a charming and intimate place. Its ten rooms are spacious and tastefully decorated. Right at the entrance we admire a huge tank for olive oil. The marble tank was built in 1850 to store 30,000 liters of oil. The Taleton is clearly built with respect for the environment. This is reflected in the natural colors and the use of sustainable materials. The rooms and water are heated with geothermal energy. And after a good night of sleep under the rafters, a delicious breakfast with local and organic products awaits us in the courtyard.
Walking
In the hotel there are several walking guides available. Some of them lead you into the mountains, others guide you into the valley. We opt for the latter, and choose a walk that will take us across one of the oldest bridges in Europe and through olive groves. But first we take a small detour into one of the major sights of Xirokambi.
Article Source: Messaggiamo.Com
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