Kassandra
Afitos Kassandra
Afitos or Athytos?
Afitos of painters, Afitos of people who love and dream of it. Its characteristic location overlooking the Toroneos gulf, the architecture of its houses, its well-meaning and often "archaic" inhabitants. Athytos, is the third village in the series after the isthmus of Potidaea, located there around 3000 BC. Ancient Afiti was an important city of Pallini and is mentioned by ancient writers (Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Aristotle, Pausanias, Strabo, etc.).
The change of Xenophon (8th century BC) and the temple of Zeus Ammon (4th century BC) helped to make Athytos famous during these years. A prosperous city in ancient and classical times. Athytos had its own coin that had its chief patron, Zeus Ammon.
Athytos had a dynamic participation in the revolution of 1821, although with many victims. After the chaos, the villagers were scattered in various safer areas. Around 1827, the fugitives returned, and Athytos was for many years the largest village of Kassandra. In the middle of the 19th century, a great constructive activity took place. In 1859 the church of Agios Dimitrios was built. The church was built in the central square of the village. It was a wooden royal roof with a dome and was considered the "jewel" of the village.
The visitor should see the unique architecture of the temple, the old icons and the stone relief on the outside of the south wall. It is also worth visiting the large chapels that followed.
The old stone houses with inscriptions and stone reliefs are special features of Athytos. Aletra's house in the main square has been turned into a folklore museum.
If you take the road from the square, you will be led to Brachos, the balcony of the village, where you will see the Toroneos Gulf, Sithonia and the Kassandra peninsula.
Then, you can go to Koutsomylos, the windswept acropolis of Athytos with panoramic views.
Afitos has rooms to let, hotels, taverns and restaurants with good food, cafes and bars.
The visitor, when walking in the cobbled alleys of Athytos, following Elytis on the pedestrian street of the Aegean, can enjoy the calm of the sea in Varkes, Pounta, Liosi and Daphne.
Many cultural events take place during the summer. All these are organized by the inhabitants of Athytos and thus make Athytos a reference point for the tourist of Halkidiki.