Kalavryta

Kalavryta sits high in the mountains of Achaia, in the northern Peloponnese, at around 750 metres on the slopes below Mount Chelmos (Aroania). It is a handsome, stone-built town of squares, plane trees and mountain air, and one of the most rewarding inland destinations in the region, combining spectacular landscapes with a deep and often painful history.

The classic way to arrive is aboard the Odontotos, the rack-and-pinion railway that has climbed from the coastal town of Diakofto since 1896. Over about an hour it grinds up the narrow Vouraikos Gorge, threading through tunnels and clinging to ledges above the river as sheer cliffs rise on either side; it is one of the great short train journeys in Europe and the highlight of many visits.

Kalavryta carries a heavy historical weight. At the nearby Monastery of Agia Lavra, the banner of the Greek War of Independence was raised in 1821, making the area a cradle of the modern nation. Yet the town is remembered above all for the massacre of December 1943, when occupying German forces killed the male population and burned the town; the clock on the church, stopped at the hour of the killings, and the moving Municipal Museum of the Kalavryta Holocaust keep that memory alive.

The surrounding mountains offer plenty to explore. The cliff-clinging Mega Spilaio Monastery, one of the oldest in Greece, stands above the gorge, while to the south the Cave of the Lakes at Kastria leads visitors along a boardwalk past a series of terraced underground lakes and dramatic stone formations. In winter the Kalavryta (Chelmos) ski centre, high above the town at 1,700 metres and beyond, draws skiers from across southern Greece, making this a rare year-round mountain resort.

Kalavryta is a genuine four-season destination. Summer brings walkers, cyclists and families riding the railway; autumn paints the gorge in gold; winter is for snow and skiing; and spring floods the slopes with green and wildflowers. A base of one or two nights lets you combine the train, a monastery or cave, and time in the town's easy-going squares.