Katakolon 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 religious sites in ancient Greece. This place is called Olympia, and it is here that tourists go 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 to everyone in the world, held every four years in honor of Zeus. As early as 776 BC, at the River Alpheios, in the sacred grove at the foot of Mount Cronos, the first Olympic Games were held.
Even earlier, before the sanctuary of Zeus appeared here and the Olympic Games began, Olympia was widely known as the sanctuary of Gaia (the goddess of Earth) and Kronos (son of Gaia and Uranus, and father of Zeus). According to myth, in honor of Pelops, who won the chariot contest against Oenomaos, king of Pisa, chariot races began to be 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.
Peloponnese is a large peninsula connected to the mainland by the 6-kilometer-wide Corinthian isthmus. It is famous for its beautiful landscapes and ancient monuments. At one time, the Peloponnese was an island, but geological processes twice separated and then reconnected it to the mainland, forming the isthmus. In outline, the peninsula resembles the shape of 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 area of the peninsula is 22,200 sq. km, with a coastline of 1,100 km.
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 about +30°C.
