A lovely south facing seaside resort of about 3,500 inhabitants in central Evia, about 30 minutes east of Halkida (19 km), which has a fascinating ancient history. It is even older than Athens having being mentioned by Homer in his “Illiad” and dates back to Neolithic times (3,500-3,000BC). It was at its peak in the 6th and 5th century BC before falling into decline following various wars at different times over the centuries. Eretria (the city of Rowers ) was involved in the Greek colonisation and founded the colonies of Pithekoussai and Cumae in Italy together with Halkida. She later planted further colonies in the northern Aegean, on the coast of Macedon, in Italy and Sicily. Eretria is reputed to have provided the Latin alphabet symbols during the period of the early colonisations before the Athenians wiped out any trace of the language.
Nearby is the small town of Amarynthos (population of about 4,000). Overlooking the Evian Gulf there are a number of Byzantine churches and monastries in the area to visit plus the famous Skotini cave on the side of a cliff, 1.5km outside Tharounia village.
About 15 kms away is the hill village of Seta , where plays are presented each Summer in a traditional open Amphitheatre .
Like Halkida, Eretria was a prosperous trading city which saw many bloody and bitter power struggles during its early history. It changed hands on several occasions and the Persians, the Romans, Macedonia and the Athenians all fought here before in 87AD the city was destroyed.
Facilities:
In 1824 the modern town was established and it is now a popular holiday destination with its lovely beaches and seafood restaurants. It has a good choice of retail shops and supermarkets including some good fashion shops. There are two museums with a number of other archaeological sites worth seeing.
How to get there:
It has a regular ferry to Oropos which links to the National High Road to Athens (about an hour's trip). It can also be accessed by road via Halkida (20 mins.).
