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... REGION: Macedonia ... Prefecture: Chalkidiki Chalkidiki - the three fingered hand - that Greece points into the Aegean Sea can be explored by starting from the base in Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece. Cassandra, Sithonia and Athos being the three fingers of the hand, offer tremendous opportunity to discover. If its the green island Sithonia or if its the breathtaking view from monastery Athos, just to name a few possibilities. The prefecture of Chalkidiki belongs to Central Macedonia with a surface area of 2,945 sq. km, ending in three smaller peninsulas: Kassandra, or Pallini, Sithonia and Atho, or Agio Oros. Its coastline forms four gulfs and has a total length of 850 km. The ground of the prefecture cannot be described as mountainous because of the low height of its mountains. Part of it is half-mountainous and the rest is flat. The highest peaks are Cholomondas (1,165 m.), Chortiatis (1,201 m.) and Stratoniko (913 m.), while the three astonishing peninsulas are traversed by the wooded mountain chains of Kassandrinos, Itamos and Athos respectfully. The rivers of the prefecture are very few and those that exist are torrents, since the distance between the mountains and the sea is very small. 50 per cent of the prefecture is covered by pine forests, oak and beech trees, especially to the east where most rainfalls are reported. The climate in general is pure mediterranean, with mild winters and long, warm and dry summers. Its mediterranean climate is what makes Chalkidiki one of the first prefectures in olive and citrus production, while its subsoil is rich in coloured metals and minerals. In the eastern areas, have been found layers of mixed sulphurous ores, copper, manganese and iron, while to the north there is bauxite, and to the centre and south there is white-stone. The inhabitants of Chalkidiki, and there are about 79,000, occupy themselves in agriculture -mostly in vine-growing and in olive-oil production- in cattle-raising and tourism.They are smart people, ambitious, with historical roots, proud and passionate and creative. The industrious and hospitable Chalkidians seem to have realized the need for progress and development and they try to be modern without losing their flowing and spontaneous character. Chalkidiki is often mentioned in Greek mythology. It has been reported that the ancient name of Kassandra was Flegra, which means fireplace. It was the birthplace of the giants and it became a battlefield, when the giants tried to expel the gods from Mt Olympus. According to a myth, a giant, for the earthquakes of Engelados, was squashed under a piece of earth the gods threw at him and was buried under the Kassandra peninsula. But since the giants are immortal, occasionally he tried to free himself from the burden that squashed him and this is how earthquakes occur. Mount Athos was named after the giant Atho, who lifted and threw a whole mountain, as if it was a small stone, at the gods. Sithonia, according to mythology, has always been named after Sithonas, who was the son of Poseidon. He married the nymph Mende and they had a daughter, Pallene, after whom the Kassandra peninsula and one of its ancient cities were named. The mythical testimonies that followed came from the Trojan war period. Aeneas, leaving the ruined city of Troy, spent the winter near cape Karabournou, where he built a city which later took his name. It was at Kassandra that the Pellenians from Achaia also stopped on their way back from Troy. They had captivated Trojan women, who burnt down their ships, in order not to live in captivity. So the Pellenians were forced to live there and marry their slaves. It is believed that the peninsula took its second name from them. The first traces of life on Chalkidiki appeared 700,000 years ago, according to the finds of the cave "Petralona". The first Greek emigrants arrived from Chalkida and Eretria during the Bronze Age, mainly for commercial purposes. In the beginning of the 5th century BC the Persians tried to occupy the area and the destruction of Mardonios's fleet is one of the most impressive historical events. Chalkidiki raised several important literary figures, such as the great philosopher Aristoteles who is believed to have been born at Stagira in 384 BC. During the Peloponnesian war, hundreds of fights and retaliations occurred in the area, and since 348 BC, after the siege and destruction of Olinthos by Philip the 3rd, Chalkidiki came under the Macedonian rule. It was conquered by the Romans, in 168 BC and during the Byzantine era suffered a number of invasions. The foundation of the first three monasteries of Agion Oros began in the 9th century and until the middle of the 14th century, most of Chalkidiki was under the Serbian rule of Stephanos Dousan. The Turks occupied it soon afterwards, and soon it became one of the most important centres of the Othoman Empire, while Agion Oros was enjoying special privileges at the time, being completely autonomous. Chalkidiki plays a leading part in the Greek Revolution of 1821, with the Serraian "Philiko" (of the Secret Society) Emmanuel Papas as a leader. The failure of the revolution in the area was followed by great slaughters and the extermination of its population. In 1822, Mechmet Passa invaded Chalkidiki and slaughtered 200 monks causing new disasters. In 1854, Tsamis Karatasos landed on Sithonia and began attacking the Turks. He then fled to Agion Oros and from there to southern Greece. At the end of the 19th century the whole of Macedonia was in danger from the Bulgarian expansion. In October 1912, Greek rebels expelled the Turkish custodians and declared its union to Greece. After 1922, a new page in the history of Chalkidiki was written, with the moving of thousands of refugees from Asia Minor and their settlement in the area. Today Halkidiki is a very popular resort center offering long, sweeping beaches of Kassandra, the western peninsula, which have been developed into large-scale holiday centres by the Greek National Tourism Organization. The resorts of Sani, Kalithea, Kriopigi, Chanioti and Paliouri are ideal for family vacations. Visitors seem to prefer the peninsula of Sithonia is undoubtedly the prettiest and most cheerful of the three fingers. Apart from fine beaches from Metamorfosis down to Toroni, and first class camping facilities at Paradissos and Neos Marmaras, Sithonia boasts, one of the country's best resort complexes, Porto Carras. To the south of Chalkidiki,is Mt. Athos, an indipendent monastic state, the holly mountain, a separate and special feature. Dozens of fabulousByzantine monasteries, lurk in the fertile valleys and perch sheer rocky coasts hiding unique treasures.

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