Melissi
Our village is to be found 30 Km west of Corinth, along the coast of the Corinthian Gulf, between regional towns Kiato and the more touristical Xylokastro. It belongs to the municipality of Xylokastro and It has about 1,000 permanent inhabitants, who are mainly engaged in agriculture and tourism.
It’s name (Melissi = beehive) comes from the wild bees which had their hives in rock, nearby the village Church.
- The Melissi upper village is really worth a walk by visitors as it’s built on steep mountain slopes offering magnificent views to the gulf of Corinth.
- The landscape from the upper farming plateau is dominated by old olive groves and picturesque vineyards.
- The village’s orthodox church with its beautiful frescoes in the original byzantine style is a ‘must see’. Especially during Easter holidays and the holy week the church becomes a sensational experience for all visitors.
Xylokastro
The cosmopolitan town of Xylokastro is just 3.5km away, waiting to entertain you with its wild nightlife, charming beaches and famous pine forest next to the beach.
In Xylokastro you can find open air cinemas, sports facilities, a yacht marina, all sorts of small shops as well as many night clubs, bars, restaurants and cafes.
At the eastern side of Xylokastro town extends the beautiful “aesthetic forest” which is a protected park of pines that runs along the pebble beach and it dates back over 300 years! It’s an ideal place of typical mediterranean beauty for walking and jogging while enjoying the scent of various local flowers and plants.
The park is mentioned by the famous Greek poet Kostas Karyotakis as “green piece of coast of the fatherland” and was a place of inspiration for another prominent modern Greek poet, Angelos Sikelianos.