Vyziki ( el, Βυζίκι) is a mountain village in the municipal unit of

Tropaia Tropaia ( el, Τρόπαια) is a village and a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Gortynia Gortynia ( el, Γορτυνία) is a municipality in the Arc ...

Arcadia Arcadia may refer to: Places Australia * Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Arcadia, Queensland * Arcadia, Victoria Greece * Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese * Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...

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 is located 85 km northwest of

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

, just off the midpoint of the national road EO74 which connects

to Pyrgos, and 2 km from Tropaia. The village is built at an altitude of 750 m. Most of its houses are traditional structures made of stone, and two of them are fortified Venetian tower-houses (see picture on the right). The two central "squares" ( Greek: πλατείες), the folklore museum, and the St. Nicholas Cathedral stand out among the village buildings. It has been declared a traditional settlement. According to the latest census study (2011) the number of residents is 232, most of them over aged. Major productive activities in the Vyziki area involve livestock and dairy products, with the produced milk being forwarded to the nearest arcadian cheese plants.

Antiquities

The village's greater area has an elongated shape and runs from the east (near the Langadia mountains) to the west (reaching the river Ladon). On the eastern edge, there are ruins of the mighty Mattegriffon, the Frankish Castle of Akova and every August – over the last 40 years – Vyziki holds cultural activities under the name "Akova Festival". In the same area, namely, inside the castle, under its foundation, and nearby, many items of antiquity have been found – columns, pottery pieces, etc. It has been suggested that it is very probable that Akova existed before the arrival of the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

; It is located in a place inhabited in antiquity and whose occupation has had to be continuous. This could possibly be the actual location of Ancient Teuthis, mentioned in Pausanias, as many 19th century famous travellers believed, but which nowadays has been claimed by the large village of Dimitsana.Finally, the west end of the Vyziki area enters the region of Ancient Thelpousa, a great city, which is still awaiting an official systematic excavation!

References

External links

ΒΥΖΙΚΙ ΑΡΚΑΔΙΑΣ

Βυζίκι
Populated places in Peloponnese (region) Arcadia, Peloponnese Populated places in Arcadia, Peloponnese {{Peloponnese-geo-stub