Катаколон is a port located in the west of the Peloponnese. The small, picturesque port of Katakolon was built in the second half of the last century. It is located near Olympia, one of the most important mythological cult sites of ancient Greece. This place is called Olympia, and this is where tourists come after disembarking from their cruise ship.
In ancient times, Olympia was Greece’s most important religious and sports center. It gained its fame thanks to the Olympic Games and the large national festival known worldwide, which took place once every four years in honor of Zeus. As early as 776 BC, at the Alpheus River, in the sacred grove at the foot of Mount Cronus, the first Olympic Games were held.
Even earlier, before the sanctuary of Zeus appeared here and the Olympic Games began to be held, Olympia was widely known as a sanctuary of Gaia (the goddess of the Earth) and Cronus (the son of Gaia and Uranus, father of Zeus). According to the myth, in honor of Pelops, who won the chariot races against Oenomaus, king of Pisa, chariot races were held here. The magnificent Pelopion, located in the central part of the sanctuary, is dedicated to Pelops. Pelops’ name was also given to the entire Peloponnese peninsula.
The Peloponnese is a large peninsula connected to the mainland by a 6-kilometer-long Corinthian isthmus-famous for beautiful landscapes and ancient monuments. Once, the Peloponnese was an island, but geological processes twice separated and reconnected it to the mainland, forming the isthmus. By its outline, the peninsula resembles a plane tree leaf and is the southernmost region of mainland Greece, washed by the Ionian Sea to the west and the waters of the Saronic Gulf to the east. The peninsula covers an area of 22,200 sq. km, with a 1,100 km coastline.
ClimateThe climate of the Peloponnese is Mediterranean, with mild winters and dry summers. The average temperature in December-January is +15°C, and in July-August it is around +30°C.
