Gortynia is a mountainous municipality in western Arcadia, known for stone villages, forests and the Lousios Gorge. The seat is Dimitsana.
Dimitsana and Stemnitsa are the best known villages, with stone houses, old churches and a strong role in the 1821 uprising. The Open-Air Water Power Museum near Dimitsana shows how local water mills, tanneries and gunpowder mills worked. The Lousios Gorge has footpaths that link remote monasteries, and Vytina and Lake Ladon add forest and lake scenery. It is a good destination in spring and autumn.
Gortynia stretches across the forested mountains of western Arcadia, and its character comes from water, stone and altitude. The Lousios river has cut a deep gorge between Dimitsana and Stemnitsa, and the footpath through it connects the monasteries of Prodromou and Philosophou, as well as the ruins of Ancient Gortys. Dimitsana was a centre of learning before 1821 and its gunpowder mills supplied the fighters of the revolution, a story told at the Open-Air Water Power Museum. Vytina, with its fir forests, is a popular winter and autumn getaway, and Lake Ladon offers quiet scenery for birdwatchers. The villages are small and the roads are winding, so allow more time than the distances suggest. Guesthouses in stone buildings give a comfortable base, particularly for those who want to walk in spring or autumn.
Spring and autumn are best for walking; winter can bring snow in the mountains.
Yes, public transport between the villages is limited.
