Xylokastro – Evrostina

Seaside settlement with significant tourist traffic.
It lies in a dense pine forest, 34 km northwest of Corinth. Xylokastro is an ideal place to stay as well as a tourist destination. Xylokastro is one of the closest escapes from Athens. It was named after a wooden castle believed to have been built there during the Frankish rule (1204 – 1261 AD).
Today Xylokastro has 6,700 inhabitants and is the third largest city in the prefecture of Corinth. It is a place to visit either in winter or summer. Its beautiful sandy beaches and Pefkia forest attract thousands of visitors each year, making Xylokastro one of the largest tourist centers of the Peloponnese today. Many have built their own cottages here and the area offers a wide range of accommodation and entertainment.
It is worth visiting the churches of Faneromeni – Early Christian style – Agios Blasios (19th century) and Agios Gerasimos with remarkable mosaic decoration and a small collection of ecclesiastical relics, including pictures of Fotis Kontoglou.
Next to the church of Agios Gerasimos there is a room where you can see many church relics. There is also the Early Christian Church of Faneromeni. From Xylokastro you can fly to Trikala (many Athenians know them as a nearby hunting ground) and from there you can easily reach the ski resort of Ziria.
Also worth a walk in the forest of Pefkia, Kostas Karyotakis’ “green coast of the homeland” and the inspiration of Angelos Sikelianos, with the 83 species of plants and trees and the many paths ending in the Corinthian Gulf.
The feast takes place on the 11th of February at Agios Blasios.