Trikala
Located at the fertile plain of Thessaly in central Greece, modern
Trikala is the Homeric Trikki. According to tradition Trikki was the
daughter of Pinios. It was also believed that Trikala was the birthplace
of Aesculapius, which explains the existence of the oldest sanctuary
to the physician-god, the ruins of which are southwest of the town.
This was a kind of medical center, from which the worship of Aesculapius
gradually spread.
Crowned by its Byzantine castle (The Fortress), at the top of a wooded
hill, built on the site of the ancient Acropolis, the picturesque
city of Trikala lies on St. Nicholas Heights, by Litheos river, and
is divided into two by an old aqueduct.
The castle, which is not far from the temple of Aesculapius, was built
in Byzantine times on Hellenistic ruins, and underwent many changes
under Ottoman rule. From the Hill of Profitis Elias one has a marvelous
view of the valley below studded with big and small villages, the
river cutting patterns among them. The churches of Agios Demetrios
and Agii Anargyri complete the Byzantine flavor of the town. |
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