The capital of Ilia is Pyrgos. The area boasts beautiful sandy beaches along the coast of the Ionian Sea and a number of important archaeological sites.
The main attractions of Ilia include:
The main attractions of Ilia include:
- Olympia: an excavation of the origin of the ancient Olympic Games which took place every four years .
- Loutra Kyllini: thermal mud baths in an area with eucalyptus trees.
- Chelmoutsi: Frankish castle.
- Vasses / Basses (the Temple of Apollo), the temple has a Doric column order (6 x 15 columns) and built in the north-south direction. This direction is not usual for Greek temples. Unfortunately it is not possible to make a decent picture of the entire temple (such as the temple still frequently exhibited in many travel books) because the temple is in fact wrapped in a large tent to prevent decay. Including by air pollution from the powerstation of Megalopolis.
September 2013: rehearsal of the ceremony of the lighting of the Olympic flame Winter Games 2014 in Sochi (Russia) on the excavation of Olympia