century BC Sphinx of Naxos and the fifth-
century BC Charioteer of Delphi.
While it’s easy to be completely blindsided
by the mythical resonances of the sites
and structures of the Delphic region,
it’s well worth looking beyond the
legends that surround the land and
drinking in the sheer natural beauty of
its astonishingly unspoilt landscape. It
doesn’t take more than a brief commune
to understand why these verdant hills
and lush valleys fired the imagination
of the ancients, allowing their souls to
soar and gifting them with the kind of
divine sensibility that first kindled the
flickering flame of civilisation, a flame
that countless intervening centuries
have yet to truly dim.igafencu.com 135
you can happily while away the hours, exploring
its centuries-old, stone-hewn homesteads and
catching your breath as you gaze out at the
heart-stopping views across the Gulf of Corinth.
Further up, of course, is the famous Delphi
with its now-mostly-in-ruins Temple of Apollo
and the better-preserved Theatre of Delphi,
one of the most astonishing examples of
ancient acoustic know-how. The more nimble
traveller may even brave the narrow, gravelly
path that leads up to the highest point of the
sanctuary, where they will be rewarded with a
panoramic view of the Stadium of Delphi, one
of the best-preserved ancient tournament
sites in the world. From there, it is but a short
hop to the Delphi Archaeological Museum, a
showcase of many of the most inspiring local
archaeological discoveries, notably the fourth-