Varasova ( el, Βαράσοβα) is a
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
mountain in the southern part of
Aetolia-Acarnania
Aetolia-Acarnania ( el, Αιτωλοακαρνανία, ''Aitoloakarnanía'', ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the geographic region of Central Greece and the administrative region of West Greece. A combination of the histor ...
in western
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. It was known as ''Chalcis'' ( grc, Χαλκίς) in
antiquity
Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to:
Historical objects or periods Artifacts
*Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures
Eras
Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...
, and there was an ancient Aetolian town at its foot named
Chalcis
Chalcis ( ; Ancient Greek & Katharevousa: , ) or Chalkida, also spelled Halkida (Modern Greek: , ), is the chief town of the island of Euboea or Evia in Greece, situated on the Euripus Strait at its narrowest point. The name is preserved from ...
, ''Hypochalcis'' or ''Chalceia'' (hence the name of the current administrative unit
Chalkeia
Chalkeia (Greek: Χάλκεια) is a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nafpaktia, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of ...
). It rises steeply from the coast of the
Gulf of Patras
The Gulf of Patras ( el, Πατραϊκός Κόλπος, ''Patraikós Kólpos'') is a branch of the Ionian Sea in Western Greece. On the east, it is closed by the Strait of Rion between capes Rio, Greece, Rio and Antirrio, near the Rio-Antirrio b ...
to 917 m elevation.
[ It is situated just east of the mouth of the river ]Evinos
The Evinos ( el, Εύηνος) is a river in western Greece, flowing into the Gulf of Patras. Its source is in the northern Vardousia mountains, near the village Artotina, Phocis. The river flows in a generally southwestern direction, for most o ...
, 3 km east of Galatas, 14 km east of Missolonghi
Missolonghi or Messolonghi ( el, Μεσολόγγι, ) is a municipality of 34,416 people (according to the 2011 census) in western Greece. The town is the capital of Aetolia-Acarnania regional unit, and the seat of the municipality of Iera Polis ...
and 18 km northwest of Patras
)
, demographics_type1 =
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, ...
. 8 km to its east is the mountain Klokova. There are several rock climbing
Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...
routes on the steep south and southwest faces of the Varasova.[
It is referred to as the ]Mount Athos
Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...
of Rumelia
Rumelia ( ota, روم ايلى, Rum İli; tr, Rumeli; el, Ρωμυλία), etymologically "Land of the Names of the Greeks#Romans (Ῥωμαῖοι), Romans", at the time meaning Eastern Orthodox Christians and more specifically Christians f ...
or Western Greece, due to the large number of churches and monasteries (around 72) built in the Byzantine and the Ottoman period. Several still exist today, including the 9th-18th century cave monastery of Agios Nikolaos near Kryoneri, which is only accessible by boat.Galatas tourist guide
/ref>
Local tradition tells us that the Titans endeavoured to throw this rock into the sea, so that it might form a bridge between the two coasts; but the rock proved too heavy, and was dropped where we see it today.
Gallery
File:Limnopoula.jpg, East side of Varasova, Kato Vasiliki
File:Patras Varasova 2008.jpg, Varasova from Patras
)
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, ...
File:Kryoneri2243.jpg, Varasova from Kryoneri
File:Kryoneri1754.jpg, Varasova, Kryoneri
File:Calydon_Aetolia_2010.JPG, Varasova from ancient Calydon
Calydon (; grc, Καλυδών, ) was a Greek city in ancient Aetolia, situated on the west bank of the river Evenus, 7.5 Roman miles (approx. 11 km) from the sea.
Its name is most famous today for the Calydonian boar that had to be ov ...
References
External links
Climbing routes at Varasova
{{Authority control
Landforms of Aetolia-Acarnania
Mountains of Greece
Mountains of Western Greece
Climbing areas of Greece