Local information

Ten kilometres away from the Ensophion, the ancient city of Kalamata is one place that has plenty of growth potential, a crossroads of the cultural, tourist and commercial worlds. Located at the southern end of the Peloponnesean peninsula, it boasts everything one expects to find in Greece, from crystal clear waters and blue flag beaches to fine local cuisine and thousands of years of history. Giorgos Koutsoulis, Kalamata’s Mayor, believes the city – referred to by Homer as the town respected by the gods – is privileged. “A tourist should visit Kalamata to enjoy the sun, the sea, the quiet, to make excursions to Archeological sites or to enjoy nature and, of course to attend the festival.” Each summer, the city hosts an international dance festival that gains in stature year by year. It is just one of the cultural draws that the city is promoting, alongside countless other attractions. With its roots going back to around 2000 BC, it has followed its course through history – from a Mycenaean city to Byzantian, and living under the rule of the Franks, the Venetians and the Turks. Its historical monuments and sights are still surviving evidence of a dynamic past and magnets for visitors. Mr Koutsoulis says the people of Kalamata feel that they continue the history of the place. He believes it is an ideal starting point for discovering the whole region. “Kalamata is a centre from which one can start an excursion to different destinations like Mystras, Olympia and the temple of Epikourios Apollo,” he says. It is an ideal spot from where to enjoy mountain-climbing, swimming on the lovely beaches and sun-bathing. The historic city of Kalamata has an ancient castle, ferries to Crete and is a regional cultural centre for theatre, music and dance. There are many interesting and important archeological sites to visit in the region such as the ancient Olympia and Messini, the Palace of Nestor and the Byzantine Mystra in the forested mountains, also, the world-famous grotto-caves of Dyros.

Certainly the Peloponnese region, which represents about 11 per cent of Greek territory, is not short of attractions. It is known as the cradle of Greek civilisation and boasts numerous important cities like Argos – the most ancient town in Europe, Mycene, Nafplio and, of course, Olympia. The Peloponnese has large mountainous areas, many covered by forests, and among them traditional villages and Byzantine monuments. Mythology is closely linked to many parts of the region. Antonis Matsigos, General Secretary of the Peloponnese region, says a lot of money has been invested to improve the tourist infrastructure and restore historic buildings. It includes improvements to the road network and Kalamata airport. This is also the location of the world famous Corinth canal. “Our main concern is to improve the quality of the services provided in the tourism sector in order to attract quality visitors to the beauty and cultural heritage of the region,” he says.

If you are looking for a natural, uncontaminated environment where you can have and enjoy, at any time of the year, your vacations as well as a two-storied hall, where you can hold the Annual Conference of your group or organisation or other educational activities, we have the pleasure to inform you that we have just such a place for you at competitively low prices! It is located, on its own idyllic hilltop, just above the seashore village of Akroyali Avias, 10 kilometres from Kalamata, the capital of Messinia, in Peloponnessus. It has magnificent, panoramic views over the Gulf of Messini, the surrounding mountains (Mount Tayetos) and olive groves and is easily accessible by all forms of transport, both public and private, from all directions in Europe, the C.I.S., Asia, Africa and beyond!

The classical, round-shaped building that you see on the picture on the front is the “The Universal Union Hall” with, on top, a large, carpeted conference hall, capable of holding, comfortably, between 100 and 200 people, ideal, especially, for the cooler weather of Autumn-Winter-Spring. Below this is an excellent 2,000 volume, Esoteric- Ecological “Ensophia Holistic” library for study and research, which is also ideal for Summer meetings, holding 50 to 100 people, always remaining cool in the hottest weather. This, also, has its own accommodation rooms, kitchen, showers etc.

The Ensophion

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