Arachova

Arachova (Greek: Αράχωβα, also Αράχοβα) is a mountain town and a former municipality in the western part of Boeotia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra, of which it is a municipal unit. Its name is of South Slavic origin, and denotes a place with walnut trees. It is a tourist destination due to its location in the mountains, its traditions and its proximity to Delphi. Greek rebels under Georgios Karaiskakis defeated the Ottomans at the 1826 Battle of Arachova. The cheese Formaela from Arachova has been designated as a protected designation of origin. Nearby Arachova, there are also modern ski facilities, a magnet for visitors. Although contemporary culture tends to flatten the particular folklore of the region, however, the town maintains some local customes and indeed demonstrates them at celebrations take place on 23 April, in the honor of the patron Saint George.

Arachova has a panoramic view and picturesque closely, with small, but peculiar architecture, houses and the cobbled streets of uphill. In the center of town stands a huge and steep cliff, The Bell Tower, covered with dense ivy. On top of the tower, a large clock is placed of height 10m. Arachova is famous for its black wine, its "brusque", the colorful textiles, carpets and the rugs, handicrafts and the woodcut creations as well.

Central Greece

Continental Greece (Greek: Στερεά Ελλάδα, Stereá Elláda; formerly Χέρσος Ἑλλάς, Chérsos Ellás), colloquially known as Roúmeli (Ρούμελη), is a traditional geographic region of Greece. In English the area is usually called Central Greece, but the equivalent Greek term (Κεντρική Ελλάδα, Kentrikí Elláda) is more rarely used.

Since 1987, its territory has been divided among the administrative regions of Central Greece and Attica, and the regional unit of Aetolia-Acarnania in the administrative region of West Greece.

Etymology

The region has traditionally been known as Roúmeli (Ρούμελη), a name deriving from the Turkish word Rumelia or Rumeli, meaning "the land of the Rûm [the Romans, i.e. the Byzantine Greeks]" and originally encompassing all of the Ottoman Empire's European possessions. The official name Stereá Elláda ("Continental" or "Mainland" Greece), derives from the juxtaposition with the Peloponnese peninsula across the Corinthian Gulf, and the fact that these two territories formed the independent Greek state after the Greek War of Independence.