… Natural beauty cultural and archaeological treasures…
The Municipality of Sparta stretches over an area of 1182 square kilometers on the southernmost tip of the Peloponnese. Natural beauty, cultural and archaeological treasures, help piece together Sparta’s natural and cultural legacy.
Wildly beautiful, Mt Taygetus rises in the ouest featuring cloud-piercing peaks and breath-taking It is a hiker's paradise with well-developed routes supported by an excellent trail system. In the east, the Parnon mountain range is a botanical paradise with hundreds of fauna and flora species.
The municipality of Sparta is a Greek champion in organic farming. The area’s microclimate and fertile ground is the ideal mix for the cultivation of many olive varieties and the production of excellent olive oil. The Olive and Olive Oil Festival is held at the village of Selassia in early August each year, while the town of Sparta hosts one of the two Olive and Olive Oil Museums in Greece.
The area’s oranges and other citrus fruits are exquisite, known for their fine quality throughout Greece and abroad. In Sparta, grape vine cultivation and wine making goes way back in time. Today, small and larger wine producers craft a wide range of award-winning varieties. The citrus groves in the plane, the coniferous forests on the mountains and the humble aromatic plants on Taygetus and Parnon give the local honey a special quality, taste and aroma.
The mountain settlements of the municipality produce excellent chestnuts and walnuts, celebrated with the “Chestnut Festival” held at the village of Arna in October each year. The local “syglino” (cured meat and sausages) is prepared and packed by local producers and butchers with modern methods, yet retaining its traditional taste and quality.
In the northern parts of the municipality, where there is an abundance of water sources, there are several fish farming industries producing, and distributing throughout Greece, top-quality smoked perch and salmon.
A series of year-round cultural festivals are held at the Municipality of Sparta featuring many religious, athletic and cultural events. The “Palaiologeia” at the archaeological site of Mystras on 29 May each year; the “Cultural Summer” festival at the Sainipouleio Amphitheater; the historic “Spartathlon” ultra-marathon race in late September, are only a few.
The festivals held at each village and community offer a unique opportunity to visitors to get acquainted with the local customs and traditions.