Early booking offers! Great hotel rates for SUMMER 2012! CALLCENTER: 004 0248 222 072

DION - OPTIONAL TRIP LEPTOKARIA

Dion is a municipality and village in the Prefecture of Pieria, Macedonia, Greece, best known for its archaeological site and archaeological museum. Zeus was honored at the ancient city of Dion located at the foot of Mount Olympus. It is located 15 km. SW of Katerini, 425 km to the north of Athens and 65 km to the north of Larissa.

The village owes its name to the important sanctuary dedicated to Zeus (Dias , "of Zeus"), leader of the gods who dwelt on Mount Olympus; as recorded by Hesiod's Catalogue of Women, Thyia, daughter of Deucalion, bore Zeus two sons, Magnes and Makednos, eponym of Macedonians, who dwelt here in Pieria at the foot of Mount Olympus. The ruins of the ancient city lie within the modern city's boundaries.

The first mention of Dion in history comes from Thucydides, who reports that it was the first city reached by the Spartan general Brasidas after crossing from Thessaly into Macedon on his way through the realm of his ally Perdiccas II during his expedition against the Athenian colonies of Thrace in 424 BC. According to Diodorus Siculus, it was Archelaus I who, at the end of the 5th century BC, gave the city and its sanctuary their subsequent importance by instituting a nine-day festival that included athletic and dramatic competitions in honor of Zeus and the Muses.

Dion Archaeological Park is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece, where recent excavations have revealed sanctuaries, tombs, theaters, churches and other artifacts, which cover a period from Iron Age until the Byzantine period. For fans of art and culture each year an ancient theater festival takes place.

In modern times, Dion used to be a village called Malathria. In October 1992, it became a municipality, and the municipality now encompasses several villages including Kondariotissa, Vrondou, Karitsa, and Dion. The municipality is called "Dimos Diou" or the "Municipality of Dion", and the administrative center is in the village of Kondariotissa.

Leptokaria - Great food - Great fun - Exciting night life - Best prices - Perfect Greece vacation