Greece has probably one of the richest histories in terms of documentation and archaeological finds. However, there are some areas of Greece that have sites that just cannot be explained.
Here, we will take a look at two of the most mysterious places in Greece, complete with strange phenomena.
Kaiada
Greek myths have long since inspired a wide range of media, from films to TV shows, novels, and even online casino games. When playing online roulette at Paddy’s, players can enter the world of the Greek gods with Age of the Gods Roulette and Age of the Gods Bonus Roulette, with gameplay that explores characters of Ancient Greece.
It is this mix of history, mythology, and mystery that you get when visiting the archaeological site of Kaiada. Plutarch wrote that the cave at Kaiada was where those seen as being unfit to be a Spartan warrior were left behind.
Archaeologists located a large pit that had been known as Kaiada for centuries, nearby Mount Taygetos and the village of Trypi, within a steep ravine between Kalamata and Sparta. The pit proved to be hard to reach, but the spooky artifacts found suggest that the myth had at least some foundations in truth.
The story is also backed up by the name itself – Kai, meaning cave (Cai, Chai, or Caias), and Aida, meaning Hades (Aides). In fact, some visitors have reported feeling a strong, icy breeze when moving towards the cave – a breeze that is said to come from Hades himself, according to local legend.
You can visit Kaiada as part of a guided tour of Ancient Sparta – including stops at its Acropolis, Theater, Museum of the Olive Tree, and Roman houses.
For more ancient sites, keen tourists might also book a day tour from Athens that also stops at Ancient Olympia – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – the Temple of Apollo Epikourios, Mycenae (the kingdom of Agamemnon), and more.
Dimitrios Shipwreck
In the city where the port of Sparta once sat, now lays the ruins of a ship that is shrouded in mystery – the Dimitrios. The Dimitrios can be seen from the white sandy beach of Valtaki near Gythio, providing stark contrast between the picturesque seascape and the rustic wreck of the ship.
Originally built in Denmark in 1950 – and previously named Klintholm – the Dimitrios was registered in Piraeus in the Athens Riviera, ordinarily a relaxing place to visit, according to Forbes.
However, by December 23, 1981, the ship was stranded off the coast of Laconia, where it still stands to this very day. Despite being such an impressive site, little is known as to why the ship has been left stranded where it is, and from what we do know, some historians disagree on key details.
According to one local legend, the ship Dimitrios was forced close to shore by a ghost ship, which then disappeared over the horizon. Another rumor claims the Dimitrios was used for smuggling, and, after being caught by the authorities, was set ablaze to get rid of the evidence.
A third narrative is that the ship had to dock suddenly in Gythio, where it experienced an increasing number of issues. After, the boat was swept by the current to its current location.
What all the stories do agree on, however, is that attempts have been made to contact the owners about recovering the ship, but no one has claimed it as their own.
