When Basil and I need an escape from Athena, we head across the Corinth Canal to a peaceful little village in the Peloponnese called Piana. It’s the birthplace of my father-in-law and his father, and though I was at first sad to learn we didn’t have our own “horio house” (village house) my sadness immediately disappeared upon checking into the lovely Papanikola Hotel Guesthouse located just below the church at the center of the village.
Each time we return to Piana and to Papanikola I feel like I am coming home, without having to spend my time sweeping and mopping and getting the village house ready for our stay. Instead I arrive to a warm fire in the winter or a cool frappe in the summer, my room is ready and breakfast in the morning whenever I want it.
The guesthouse has a fabulous veranda overlooking forever (many rooms also have balconies with the same view) and this photo of “forever”, the endless mountains of Arcadia and Laconia, was shot from one of those places on a recent visit.
Although this tiny village seems remote, it’s really just 90 minutes from Athens (less if you are a local :-) but feels like a million miles away.
By Athensguide
How does a little girl from Skokie, Illinois find herself in historical Athens, leading curious explorers through the winding streets of Plaka, down "pezodromos" to hidden ouzeries for tempting mezedhes and homemade barrel wine? The journey began more than twenty years ago, and regardless of whether the wanderlust comes from the spiritual and culture DNA flowing through my veins, or the alignment of the stars on that cold mid-December day this Sagitterian came into the world, I never seem to tire of exploring my adopted homeland of Greece. Here you'll join me as I explore Athens: be it the back streets of Psirri and Gazi, or through the National Gardens and Zappeio where a family of turtles makes their home, or down wide, treelined Imittou Street in Pagrati, which pulses with Athenian life 24 hours a day. And while Athens has stolen my heart, the rest of Greece vies for my curiousity and wanderlust. My two guys (that'd be the Greek God, Vasilis and our Greek dog, Scruffy) and I can often be found settling in for a long weekend in some charming mountain village, or a quaint fishing port on a nearby island, or learning how Greek vitners are producing wines that rival some of Napa Valley's finests productions, or celebrating a panayeri in Epirus or sharing in the festivities as a family of Cretan sheepherders come together to sheer their 1500 sheep in the spring ... And if you happen to find yourself heading to Athens, consider finding yourself a real home for your stay. Living amongst the locals, be it for 3 nights or 3 weeks, will offer you the chance to experience true Athens, beyond the Acropolis. Choose from one of our 5 beautiful penthouse and historical homes, and who knows, I may be leading you down that winding "pezodromo" to our favorite hidden ouzerie!
