Delphi and Surroundings: Ancient Theatre for Summer Drama, Itea Harbour Town, Galaxidi Seafaring Heritage, Hosios Loukas Byzantine Monastery, and the Gulf of Corinth Coast Road
The Delphi surroundings route covers the ancient theatre where the musical competition of the Pythian Games was held, the Itea harbour town below the oracle, the Galaxidi seafaring heritage town, the Hosios Loukas monastery with the most important Byzantine mosaics in Greece, and the Gulf of Corinth coast road circuit.
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Delphi Theatre: The Musical Pythian Games
The ancient theatre of Delphi, carved into the natural slope of the Parnassus hillside immediately above the Temple of Apollo with the view over the sanctuary below and the Gulf of Corinth on the horizon, was the venue for the musical competitions of the Pythian Games that began as the primary competition at Delphi before the athletic events were added. The theatre seated 5,000 and the view from the upper seats over the entire Delphi sanctuary is the most complete aerial perspective on the ancient site available to the visitor.
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Itea: The Harbour Town Below the Oracle
Itea at the foot of the Parnassus slope on the Gulf of Corinth, the modern town 10 kilometers from Delphi that was the ancient port through which the olive oil of the Delphi plain was exported and the pilgrims arrived by sea, is the most convenient base for the summer visit to Delphi with the waterfront restaurants, the beach hotels, and the morning drive up to the sanctuary before the midday heat. The Sacred Way from Itea to Delphi, the ancient processional road along which the pilgrims walked, is now the modern road through the most beautiful olive grove in Greece.
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Galaxidi: The Seafaring Heritage Town
Galaxidi on the Gulf of Corinth 18 kilometers west of Itea, the 19th century seafaring town whose merchant fleet was the fourth largest in Greece before the development of steam ships made the traditional sailing vessels obsolete, preserves the neoclassical captains houses, the maritime museum, and the church of Agios Nikolaos patron of sailors in the most complete early 19th century seafaring townscape in mainland Greece. The Galaxidi carnival is the only carnival in Greece that involves flour throwing, creating the most chaotic and photogenic pre-Lenten celebration in central Greece.
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Hosios Loukas: The Byzantine Mosaic Monastery
Hosios Loukas monastery 60 kilometers east of Delphi, founded in the 10th century over the hermitage of Saint Luke the Stiriote and containing the most complete program of 11th century Byzantine mosaics in Greece, is the most significant Byzantine monument in central Greece and the destination that the visitor combining the Delphi circuit with the Byzantine heritage most needs to include. The Catholicon church mosaics, including the Pantokrator in the dome and the Descent into Hell on the sanctuary arch, represent the most complete example of the Middle Byzantine decorative program in the Greek world.
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Gulf of Corinth: The Coastal Circuit
The Gulf of Corinth coast road from Itea west to Nafpaktos, the 60-kilometer coastal drive through the olive groves and the fishing villages on the north shore of the Gulf, provides the most scenic driving circuit in central Greece and the most complete view of the geographical feature that the Delphi sanctuary overlooked. The Nafpaktos castle above the harbour, the site of the 1571 Battle of Lepanto where the combined Christian fleet defeated the Ottoman navy, is the most historically significant castle in the Gulf of Corinth coastal circuit.
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Delphi Practical: Accommodation and Getting There
Delphi is accessible from Athens in 2.5 hours by car on the Athens-Lamia motorway via Livadia, or by KTEL bus from Athens Liosion bus terminal in 3 hours. The Delphi village accommodation ranges from the budget guesthouses on the main street to the panoramic view hotels on the cliff edge above the sanctuary. The morning visit from 8am when the site opens, before the tour buses arrive from Athens at 10am, provides the Delphi sanctuary in the near-solitude that the afternoon visitor never experiences.