Arcadia. It is a storied and myth-heavy region in an already storied and myth-heavy country. It was the bucolic home of the goat-footed Pan, god of the wild and of shepherds and their flocks, celebrated throughout history as a place of harmonious nature and unspoiled wildness. Aristotle writes that a proto-Greek people called the Pelasgians lived in the area since very ancient times. In fact, there is an estimate that people have lived there for over 40,000 years. The Arcadians have been poetically referred to as a tribe "older than the moon".

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Today Arcadia is still a bit magical. The blue-green rivers Lousios and Alfeios rush and burble through lush valleys. Life goes on in mountain villages much the same as it has for generations in some places, and sheep and goats - Pan's charges - still block the roads occasionally as they go from one rocky slope to the next in search of a delicious scrubby lunch.

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In winter, the area is popular with skiers, thanks to the mountains and cozy stone villages. But if you can go in May, you'll be treated to clouds of fragrant yellow wild broom and carpets of poppies. 

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I've also put together a short video below the gallery. Music courtesy of Bensound.com.

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All photos by me and Barry Sweet.