Kassandra is one of Halkidiki’s three peninsulas, the closest one to Thessaloniki city. Facing
the Aegean on the south, with Thermaikos Gulf on its left side and Toronaios Gulf on its right
side, Halkidiki’s coastline offers a great variety of natural sceneries: golden sand, light blue
waters and pine-tree forests behind the beaches. The region consists of 44 communities of
picturesque villages combining crystal clear waters, amazing view to the sea and the
mountains as well as a lively nightlife. Magnificent hotels and luxurious resorts located here,
offer high quality accommodation services, shaping a modern destination for holidays all
year round. Contemporary sports facilities, a great variety of entertainment choices and
exquisite tastes at the local restaurants and tavernas, form a location that has it all!
Zeus – Kallithea
Mythology – History
Kassandra was initially named Flegra, namely a place in fires. According to mythology,
Kassandra was the land of Giants and particularly the land of Alkyoneas, the first giant, the
child of sky and earth. During the so-called Battle of Giants, the Giants were trying to rule
the world, so they started a fight against the Gods of Olympus. According to the myths, the
Giants were throwing big rocks from Flegra to Olympus, while Zeus was throwing thunders
on their land. The goddess Athena killed the giant Pallada, threw a huge rock on the giant
Egelados and buried him on the land of Flegra. This battle lasted for hundreds of years. One
day Jupiter asked for Hercule’s help, who -although human- finally killed Alkyoneas, leading
the Gods of Olympus to victory. Then, the daughter of Alkyoneas, Pallini, overwhelmed with
grief for her father’s death, fell into the sea together with her sisters. Still, Amfitriti saved the
girls from drowning and transformed them into sea birds, the so-called “Alkyones”. One of
the daughters gave her name to the peninsula called Pallini. In 315 BC, the king of
Macedonia Kassandros, built in its summit a town called Kassandria, renaming the peninsula
as Kassandra.
In the 8th century the Greeks of the South started creating settlements in the region
of Kassandra. People from Korinthos built Potidea, the most important town of the
peninsula, in the place of a prehistoric settlement, which was also named Pallini.
According to tradition, the Apostle of Nations crossed Kassandra. The holy water
that springs today in Agios Pavlos in Nea Fokea constitutes as evidence of this visit.
During the Byzantine and modern times several monasteries of Mount Athos -presenting
great settlements, towers and castles- were built in the peninsula of Kassandra.
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