Eretria

Eretria sits on the west coast of Evia, looking across the calm Evian Gulf towards the mainland. Modern Eretria is a relaxed resort of low houses, waterfront tavernas and a small marina, but it is laid directly over the remains of one of the most important cities of the ancient Greek world.

In the Archaic and Classical periods Eretria was a formidable maritime and trading power with its own school of philosophy, sending colonists across the Mediterranean and, together with Athens, aiding the Ionian revolt against Persia. The Persians sacked the city in 490 BC, and the Roman general Sulla destroyed it again in 87 BC. What survived is scattered through and around the modern town, so that a stroll here moves between café terraces and ancient stones.

The most rewarding sights include the ancient theatre, with an underground passage that once let actors appear as if from the underworld, the sanctuaries and gymnasium, and above all the House of the Mosaics, a wealthy home of around 370 BC whose pebble mosaic floors are among the finest of their kind. The nearby Archaeological Museum of Eretria displays sculpture, pottery and the striking terracotta gorgon that decorated that same house, giving essential context to the ruins outside.

Eretria is one of the easiest points of entry to Evia. Car ferries cross regularly from Skala Oropou on the Attic mainland in roughly twenty-five minutes, making the town a natural base for travellers arriving from the direction of Athens airport without going through Chalkida. Its beaches are modest but the water is sheltered and calm, and the small offshore islet of Nisi is a short hop away.

Stay a night to enjoy the waterfront after the day-trippers leave, or use Eretria as a first stop before heading deeper into the island. It rewards anyone who likes their swimming and seafood served with a strong sense of the classical past.