The islands of Cyclades are known for bright white walls and bold blue trimmings, but where did those colors originate?

Seemingly everyone around the world dreams of taking a vacation in Greece, and apparently they are on to something. Greece has just been named one of the “Most Hospitable Places in the World” in a report released by Booking.com.

Messinia will take your breath away. This land filled with contrasts and welcoming inhabitants is only two hours drive away from Athens. See its vast olive groves, green valleys, mountains, gorges and coves.

From Crete to the Aegean Sea and from there to the Ionian Sea. From Homer to the Venetian Occupation and from there to today. Everything changes in space and time, except for the relation of the Greeks with the sea. With thousands of islands and islets scattered in the Ionian and Aegean Seas and its endless kilometres of coastline, it’s by no surprise that Greece has a special relationship with the sea.

The fortified late Bronze Age settlement of Mycenae in the Argolid plain, which gives its name to the Mycenaean civilization, is an enigma of history. Possibly dated from circa 1600 BC, the stronghold was inhabited for around five centuries, and possibly reached its peak at circa 1350 BC, when the population reached over 30,000 people. 

Why diving into icy waters raises hopes for enlightenment from the Holy Spirit!

The Orthodox Christian holiday of Theophany, also known as the Epiphany, the Celebration of the Lights, or simply ta Fota (the Lights), held every January 6, is the third and final major feast day of the holiday period. Along with St John’s Day, observed the following day, the Epiphany ends the Christmas period in the most festive and symbolic of ways.

The heart of Greek winter beats on snow-covered mountain tops, where ski enthusiasts –craving for adventure– can experience the sought-after intensity and adrenalin rush. Escape in an idyllic white mountain setting where the cold mountain air puts human will and endurance to the test!

Winter mountainous Greece at its best, canyons, rivers, lakes, mountains in harmonious coexistence with humans

As the weather cools, our gaze turns to the mountains, ski slopes rivers and stone-built villages of Greece's top wintertime destinations. So, just in case there is any confusion, yes, Greece does have a winter. The dry-baked Cycladic islands turn green as the rains arrive; their inhabitants bundle up against temperatures that can sink to the low single digits when biting northerlies whip through the Aegean.

Just 20 km away from Metsovo you will find the artificial lake of Aoos springs. The lake stands at an altitude of 1343m and is an important hydro-biotope.