Also available in:
Ελληνικά
The picturesque Tsinzina (or Tzitzina) of Laconia, also known as Polydroso, can be either the base for your explorations in the lush green Parnonas, or an ideal retreat away from anything that can spoil the peace and quiet you are looking for.
I found myself in Tsintzina in October 2006 after a long trip to Arcadia and its mountain villages.
It was going to be the base for the excursions to the villages of Parnonas but finally I decided to spend some days either in the village or in the traditional guesthouse of the village, the Scholararchion (the new accommodation proposal in Tzitzina is the amazing guesthouse Prytanion) located in the beautiful square with the plane trees and the building of 1891 that for decades hosted the school and the children of the area.
We couldn’t find the Scholarchion on the internet to see if you can book a room like before, its place has been taken by the new hostel Prytaneio (accommodation link), of the same owner, if I’m not mistaken, that we mentioned above.
Access to Tzitzina Laconia
The distance from Athens is about 225 km and it will take you 2.5 to 3 hours to reach the picturesque village of Parnonas. You will take the national road to Tripoli and follow the road to Sparta. You will drive for about 40km and turn left onto the provincial road Chania Selassia – Tzitzina. From there you will carefully follow the signs for Tsinzina or Polydroso.
From the stay in Tsinzina , the night trip by jeep to one of the clearings of Parnonas and the millions of stars above will be unforgettable, the tavern of uncle Panos (Panoulis) and the unique food that his wife cooked at that time, the conversations with the tsipouros in front of the fireplace of Scholarchio (we searched in November 2013 for the guesthouse Scholarchio but found nothing.
But you can see Prytaneio guesthouse (which follows a similar name for its rooms!) in the evenings and of course the lush green nature that surrounds the village and all the areas we eventually visited in Parnonas.
Although a week ago I was swimming at a beach in Argolida, from the mountaineering refuge of Parnonas I saw the first snow of the year on the mountain tops! So be careful and always with chains in the car as Parnonas does not joke about the weather.
Photos from Polydroso-Gitzina in Parnonas
Leave a Reply