Varnavas, Kapandriti, Marathonas, Kalentzi. How many villages with a culinary and wine tradition can you visit in one daytrip? Many, a few, or even all of the villages we recommend.
Varnavas
Apart from the locals only a few people know that near the village Varnavas there is a lovely creek with streams, water basins, thick vegetation, trails and birds. You can enjoy spending some time there before you visit the amazing “Bread Museum” that is housed in a beautiful traditional mansion.
The museum was founded in 2005 and includes 3.000 different kinds of “embroidered” bread from Greece and 40 more countries – it is the largest collection of embroidered and religious bread in Europe.
The great importance of bread for humans is recorded in the time and care that is given to the decoration of bread depending on the occasion (religious celebrations, marriage, engagements, christenings), the location and the historic period (7 Androutsou str, 0030 22950 97870, 0030 6936891193, 0030 6937822962).
At the same address you’ll also find the very beautiful “Interactive Agricultural Folklore Museum”, that is housed in a picturesque residence that dates back to 1800 with its press, its wood burning oven, the loom room and the large traditional garden. The reproductions of the everyday activities are informative and impressive.
Kapandriti
People go to Kapandriti for its butcher taverns. Rightly so. But there is another exciting location there, mostly for wine lovers: the “Oenotria Land Domain Costa Lazaridi” and the very impressive Wine Museum it houses. On to their website it mentions that the great oenologist from Drama, Costas Lazaridis, got the idea from Oenotros, who was, according to mythology, the first Greek to leave his land and found a colony in the bay of Taranto, in South Italy, where he made wine. This is what Costas Lazaridis did. He set off from Drama and created his own Oenotria Land in Kapandriti and now makes wine in Attica.
The “Oenotria Land” estate is about 10.000 m² and includes a small modern winery, spaces available for social events, underground cellars for the aging of the great Lazaridi wines, and, of course, a wine tasting room. A tour at the “Costa Lazaridi Wine Museum” that includes a great collection of wine making tools is a unique experience. The exhibits, from the 17th century to this day – hand presses, barrels, miniature distillers, modern wine openers – , the modern audio-visual materials, the photographs, the maps, the sketches, all initiate visitors to wine making and offer a wide range of information, starting from the grape in the vineyard and reaching the wine, spirits and balsamic vinegar production. Booking is required. (2nd km of the Kapandriti – Kalamos road, tel. 0030 22950 52 213, 0030 22950 52 214)
Marathonas, Lake Marathonas
In the area of Marathonas ancient glory coexists with one of the best modern halva making cottage industries and one of the most famous meat taverns in Attica. The Marathon Tumulus, that is the 9 m. tall and 50 m. wide hill, is the tomb of the 192 Athenians that fell in the battle of Marathon against the Persians in 490 B.C. They were buried at the same spot they gave their life, something that was a great honour. In the Archaeological Museum (0030 22940 55155), the findings of the Marathon Tumulus excavation, as well as of the Plataeans Tumulus are on display in the trophy room. While the museum’s exhibition includes findings dating from the Neolithic Era, in 5.000 B.C. until the times of Herodes Atticus in 200 AD The huge Egyptian style sculptures, copying those of the Serapis temple in the Nile Delta, are also very impressive.
From ancient Egyptian gods, to modern halva gods. The cottage industry “Halvas Marathonos – Afoi Hatzigavriil O.E” is a revelation. The business was founded just in 2013 by brothers Tasos and Efthimios Hatzigavriil. Of course, they have the secrets of halva engraved in their DNA, since the recipe was brought to Greece by their immigrant grandfather from Makri in Asia Minor. Today they make handmade halva in more than 20 flavours: mastic, cranberry and chocolate, orange, kumquat, bitter chocolate etc. You can try and also buy halva there. (164 Marathonos av., N. Makri, tel. 0030 2294 090273).
What’s left for the end of the day? Food. Where? At the famous meat tavern “Argentina” in Kalentzi, Marathonas. It has, of course, Greek appetizers and meze, but you’ll go there for the enormous beef steaks that melt in your mouth, and for the amazing spareribs. The setting is simple, with classic wooden tables, and a beautiful cobbled garden with trees. You absolutely must make a reservation on Fridays and the weekends. If you can time your arrival, you can order your meat in advance, as it needs around 40-50 minutes to prepare. And it will be waiting for you juicy and ready to eat (3 Bitakou str, Kalentzi, Marathonas, 0030 22940 66476).
