Arnaia, a standout location amid all the beauty the mountainous region of the wider Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece has to offer, combines natural beauty, restored mansions and renowned local goods, as was observed by US new channel CNN, which included the spot among Greece’s most impressive villages in 2019.
Arnaia, actually a small town, not a village, with a population of 2,300, according to a population census in 2011, is built amphitheatrically at an altitude of 600 metres, on the slopes of Mount Holomontas, at an idyllic setting filled with forests and running waters.
The town’s location is easily accessed from Thessaloniki, a major source of visitors for Arnaia, 72 km from the northern city, requiring 1 hour and 15 minutes on the road.
According to ancient Athenian historian and general Thucydides, a settlement named Arni existed in the area, in approximately 430 BC. It may have been situated at the peak of the Profitis Ilias hill, 2.5 km from the modern-day settlement. It remains unknown why, when and how this settlement vanished. During Ottoman times, the area was uninhabited and served as farming land for the nearby Palaiohori settlement. In 1478, a village with a Christian population was established at this area and named Liarigova. This name was kept until 1928, when it was changed to Arnaia as part of Greece’s systematic Hellenisation of Slavic names for locations.
Liarigova emerged as a commercial centre in Halkidiki during the 18th century, when iron ore mines flourished in the area, along with beekeeping and production of woolen rugs. The town revolted against the ruling Ottomans in 1821, when the Greek Revolution was launched, but paid dearly for its uprising with a devastating response from the rulers, who set the place on fire. The location eventually became a part of Greece in November, 1912, early during the first Balkan War.
Where to stay
As a result of being close to Thessaloniki, Arnaia attracts many visitors for one-day excursions. The town is equipped with infrastructure for stays over a number of days, enabling visitors to enjoy local everyday life at a leisurely pace.
Horostasi, a stately, renovated guesthouse at the centre of Arnaia, offers free breakfast, featuring homemade pies and marmalades. Oikia Mitsiou, a traditional 19th century house that was converted into a guesthouse, offers a view of the forest at Mount Drevenikos, directly opposite. Konaki hotel is preferred by families with children, while visitors wanting even greater serenity can opt for Prasino Horio, slightly beyond the town. It offers spacious rooms with a view.
Coffee and drinks
Pasalimani, on the road leading out towards Sithonia, is a popular choice among visitors to Arnaia. It serves good coffee, is well stocked with wine and spirits, and occasionally puts on live music. The café at the Horostasi guesthouse is another popular spot for hot beverages by the fireplace. So, too, is the bar at the Prasino Horio guesthouse, for a night out just outside the town.
For a more traditional café outing, Kafeneio Lanara, at Gerogianneon square, is great for coffee accompanied by sour cherry preserve, as well as assorted meze dishes with tsipouro or Halkidiki microbrewery beers. In the same area, Polyhoros Aristotelous, serves lovely sweets and meze dishes with ouzo.
Where to eat
The family taverna Magemeno Dasos, beyond Arnaia, in Neohori, is regarded as a leading food choice. The forest, interior children’s play park, horse rising option on horses owned by the taverna’s proprietors, skewed grilled chicken and handmade soutzoukakia (spicy meatballs in a tomato-based sauce) have built a reputation reaching Thessaloniki.
The Bakatsianos taverna, within an oak tree forest in the Agia Paraskevi bush area, serves grilled mushrooms, collected from the nearby mountain, local meat, as well as regional wine produced at Halkidiki wineries. If unwilling to leave the town, Platanos, a traditional taverna at the main square of Arnaia, will fully cover your food needs with delicious Greek cuisine dishes.
Visitors should not leave Arnaia without a stopover at the Kosma confectionary shop, situated at the centre of the town. The place is renowned for its touloumbes (fried dough pastries), while, if there during summer, definitely try the rose loukoumi-flavoured ice cream, a sublime experience.
5 things truly worth experiencing if visiting Arnaia
Arnaia’s natural setting and the architecture of the town’s old houses, alone, are probably enough to make the spot a destination in the mountainous region of Halkikdiki. However, visitors should keep in mind that the location’s prosperity in the first half of the 20th century, as well as the production of local goods, still renowned, are bonus features offering additional options on what to see and do while there.
Explore the settlement
Arnaia is a great place for walking, either along the bigger streets or cobbled paths. Taking these routes offers an opportunity to marvel at restored mansions and old houses, all fine examples of traditional Macedonian architecture, stone and wood being the basic building materials.
The local school building, from 1871, the Liarigovi school, as it was known, which later became a town hall, as well as the primary school building, are standout buildings. Alexandros house, directly opposite, was built in 1812 and first served as an inn for travellers stopping at Arnaia while on their way to Mount Athos.
Beyond the town, the rich surrounding forest, on the outskirts, can be enjoyed. It offers a well-planned network of trails. Advanced trekkers can take a route headed to Apolymeni Petra, 17 km away and requiring approximately four hours to cover. The Agia Paraskevi bush area is a popular recreation spot. Tall and imposing oak trees surround the church of the same name, built in 1908. Heading up to Ai-Lia hill, hosting a chapel, Profitis Ilias, offers a great view.
Visit Agios Stefanos church, with a transparent floor
Agios Stefanos, a church with a tormented history, has acquired unique character, nationwide, as a result of damages it has needed to overcome over the years. The church was built in 1812 as a three-aisled basilica, but was devastated by a fire in 1821, a response by the Ottoman rulers to the town’s participation in the Greek War of Independence. The basilica was gutted, only its walls left standing. Locals rebuilt the church and, when the town was liberated, in 1912, added a clock to the belfry.
In September, 2005, Agios Stefanos church was burnt again, the fire’s cause unknown. All heirlooms were lost in the fire and, once again, only the walls remained. During reconstruction, excavation work conducted at the foundations brought to light three older buildings and artefacts dating as far back as the Early Christian period.
As a result of these discoveries, officials decided to install transparent floors enabling visitors to view a specially designed archaeological space while standing inside the church. Agios Stefanos is Greece’s only church offering service above visible artefacts of previous eras.
Visit the History & Folklore Museum
The History & Folklore Museum is hosted at the oldest preserved house in the Halkidiki area, known as the Giatradiko, or doctor’s house, dating back to approximately 1750. A two-storey house made of timber and stone, it features a tower and a sheltered balcony.
At the ground floor, visitors may see farming and beekeeping equipment as well as photographs depicting life in Arnaia between 1880 and 1950. The intermediate level features carpentry tools as well as traditional café equipment, while the top floor showcases traditional costumes, an old fire extinguishing pump and a loom.
Visit the Textile Museum
The Textile Museum (Mouseio Yfantourgias), housed at a traditional two-storey building from 1870, commonly referred to as the Giannoudena house, features traits of a 19th century salon. Its exhibits hail from the collection of a renowned textile maker and merchant, Harikleia Dimitrakoudi (1913-2003).
The ground-floor area offers a step-by-step display on how wool is converted to yarn for weaving on the loom, while the top floor exhibits fancier rugs once used to adorn walls.
Look for renowned Arnaia goods
Local Arnaia goods have often received awards at international gastronomy competitions, so it is worth seeking them on home turf. The main square with the trademark plane tree is the town’s main shopping district.
The Georgakas pine honey produced by beekeeper Dimitris Georgakas is exceptional, though his cream honey variety appears to be developing into the producer’s top seller. A flower honey produced by Giannis and Pavlos Repanis is also superb. A local winery headed by Claudia Papagianni produces award-winning wines.
It is also worth tasting local specialties, including moundovina, tsipouro spirit with honey, and paspalopita, a local version of pumpkin pie. Both are trademark Arnaia products.
Read also:
Love Thess: Sweet stories filled with colours and aromas in Thessaloniki, Greece
A village of unique beauty in the Cyclades, even in winter
The verdant Greek village called the Greek “capital of water”
