In a green landscape, on the slopes of Kronio hill and at the confluence of the rivers Alfeios and Kladaios, lies the sanctuary of Olympia, around Altis, the sacred meadow that hosted the worship of ancient gods and then only of Zeus. In this sanctuary, which from 776 BC and every 4 years it hosted the Olympic Games with the participation of all Greek cities and colonies, columns, marbles and stones invite us to travel back in time and experience the atmosphere of the biggest athletic festival of the world.
Passing through the Gymnasium and the Palaestra and leaving behind the workshop of Pheidias, where he painted the famous statue of Zeus made of gold and ivory, we enter Alti, in the center of which dominates the temple of Zeus. Going through wild olive trees that silver in the rustle of the wind, we see the gift of Philip II, king of the Macedonians and one of the oldest domes in Greece, the Philippi
Our gaze is captured immediately after Heraion by the altar of Hera in front of the main entrance of the temple, saved in its foundations is the holiest part of the area, where the Olympic flame is lit every 4 years, just before its journey around world, to end up in the host city of the modern Games. The path leads us to the Stadium, the venue of the sports and there we become one of the 45,000 spectators who watched the games under the hot summer sun of Olympia.
Museum
Do not miss a visit to the Archaeological Museum of Olympia. A short distance from the sanctuary (10 minutes walk)you can discover the treasures of sculpture that adorned the temples of the gods that were worshiped in Olympia. The statues that come from the gables of the temple of Zeus, are original masterpieces in Parian marble and are rightly considered the best preserved sculptures in the country. The Victory of Panionios greets us from the blue room and Hermes of Praxitelis welcomes us alone and emblematic to one of the last rooms of the museum, just before the end of your journey in the magical, ancient Greek art.
