Discovering a place in harmony with nature

Over the last two years I have been on holiday in Greece, at an agriturismo called Laka Zeza, near Loutraki and Corinth, an hour and a half by car from Athens airport and two hours from the port of Patras. It is a truly very special place, far from the noise of tourism but close to many of the famous sites of classical Greece that can be comfortably visited on day trips: besides Corinth, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Nafplio, Tiryns and also Athens are all nearby. Having arrived with EasyJet from Malpensa at Athens airport, we took the train to Corinth, where we arrived after about an hour and a quarter of travel. Here at the station the owner of the agriturismo was waiting to take us to our destination, Laka Zeza, in his car. Leaving Corinth we passed through Loutraki, one of the major spa centres of Greece, which appeared to us a lively and touristy little town.

Leaving Loutraki we reached Perachora, a small, very ancient farming village that has unfortunately been heavily damaged by an earthquake in the last century. The journey continued along a little-used road that skirts numerous olive groves for a few kilometres and then heads into the pine wood; after 10 kilometres we arrived at the gate of Laka Zeza. We were immediately struck by the particularity of the place, silent and sunny, just as the friends who had recommended it had described it to us: here life unfolds in harmony with nature, in complete energy self-sufficiency and with the greatest attention to reducing environmental impact to a minimum. The houses, the owners' one and the one with the guest rooms, are white and stand out against the red earth of the large clearing where about twenty splendid centuries-old olive trees and some fruit trees live.

After welcoming us and assigning us our room, sober but in good taste, the owners pointed out the path down to the sea, which was a wonderful surprise: an isolated, very quiet bay, bordered by rock walls and surrounded by the pine wood: the blue of the sea and the green of the vegetation are an enchanting spectacle! We discovered this place almost by chance and found it ideal for an "old-fashioned" holiday, to escape the stress of the city, with days marked by the rhythms of nature; here we discovered the pleasure of being together with new friends, alternating with solitude and silence, with evenings lit by the stars or the moon and the song of crickets in the silence of the night....

In the morning breakfast is offered at flexible times, self-service: coffee, milk, tea, oven-baked cinnamon or sesame biscuits, fantastic homemade jams and often yogurt, the good Greek kind, sweetened with honey if you like, and sometimes a slice of cake. For lunch everyone has their own basket with two sandwiches, tomato and fruit, while for dinner everyone gathers together at sunset around a large table under a centuries-old olive tree, eating truly excellent food and with the chance to chat quietly in a serene, family atmosphere.

The bar is the meeting point for those who don't want to go down to the sea or want a chat in the evening: it is a very particular bar, an area with small tables and chairs, covered by a canopy, where there is a fridge and a small stove on which to prepare your own coffee, tea or herbal tea or to drink a glass of ouzo: on trust, everyone records their own consumption in a notebook.

During the days we had canoes available to move around the bay or to go and discover the surrounding coast, which is very jagged and alternates rocky coves with tiny bays of white sand; we took walks in the pine wood, along little paths like mountain ones or along the resin-gatherers' roads; we had fantastic swims in splendid water and with a mask we were able to observe the seabed and the countless fish.

Finally we had the chance to go out by dinghy with a group of marine biologists who are based at Laka Zeza for their research camps on dolphins, and for the first time in my life I felt the emotion of seeing and observing even up close some groups of dolphins swimming free and calm, undisturbed by man, who is barely present in that area! I was told that at certain times of year yoga and biodanza workshops are held in this fantastic place, along with weeks designed for children and young people to guide them in discovering nature and bring them closer to sailing, led by marine biologists and sailing experts. If you are interested you can find a lot of information about this very special place on their website: