Vytina
The modern Vytina spreads on the level plateau at the foot of mount Menalon, in an area that used to be an important agricultural resource. The settlement resulted from the fusion of previous settlements, including Old Vitina and other rural settlements. Vytina developed such a dynamism it had soon lowlands branches in Argolida, Achaia and Ilia. Because of this dynamism, but also of its position on the roads networks that developed in the first half of the 20th century, Vitina assumed the role and functions of an enlarged regional hub. The old Sanatorium and the School of Forestry were the forerunners of the mountain resort you see today. The development of the Ski Center on mount Menalo and the road connection with Olympia and Kalavryta strengthened its position within the tourism network of Northern Peloponnese. The activities that flourishing alongside (catering, food production, carpentry, textiles) concentrated and redirected manpower to manufacturing and the service industry, shaping the productive profile of Vitina in the 21st century. With over a century of dynamic presence in the heart of Gortynia, Vitina is now a bustling town with remarkable accommodation options, more than any other town in western Arcadia. An ideal starting point for trips across the Gortynia, this small town has its own cultural identity, as it is the birthplace of remarkable personalities (eg., the historian Constantine Paparigopoulos), and boast many attractions, such as the stone-built parish church of Agios Tryphon located on the main square, the Municipal Library, the historic “Greek School”, the church of Aghii Anargyri (1831), the stone bridges and water mills on the river Mylaon etc.
