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Vol XI No 1, Spring 2001

Briefly Noted_________________________

  On my way to the olive press in Peania, a village outside of Athens, I noticed that the traffic had increased considerably. Convoys of earth-laden trucks clogged the narrow road leading to the port of Lavrion. The owner of the press, Mr. Hatzistamatis, told me that the entire region was one big building site.  The area is called Mesogia, the Middle Lands, and is located northeast of Athens on the backside of Mt. Hymettus.  Small traditional villages, like Koropi, Spata and Peania, dot the verdant countryside, known for its vegetable plots and wineries. In the last few years many warehouses, small factories and commercial outlets have sprung up, making use of one of the few undeveloped areas in Attica. The construction of the new Athens Airport in Spata, now completed, has naturally rekindled commercial interest in the area. Land prices are soaring, new roads are being built to handle the airport traffic, and major hotel chains are planning their construction in view of the 2004 Olympics. The airport will help the Greek economy, and assist in the development of a previously ignored region. It is important to have good transport to the airport and equally important to have hotels for travelers using the airport as an East-West hub.

What is more significant, though, is that  the plain of Mesogia provides fresh air and is the chief source of agricultural wealth for the Athens area. Off the main road the terrain is green and lush. In summer the terra-cotta coloured earth  blends with the olive groves. This ecological sanctuary is replete with birds, wildlife, extended cross-hatched vineyards, acres of pine forests, sheep and solitude. Byzantine churches blend into the undulating landscape. The churches, which are scattered over the whole area, are most numerous on the lower slopes of Hymettus. Most are in a grievous state of disrepair. Grass fringes their eaves and valarian sprouts from the stones. Some are whitewashed, some have polygonal domes, some round. Most are cruciform, and there is even one with two apses.

Mesogia is also remarkable for the number of antiquities found beneath its soil. Coins, vases and statues have been unearthed, including an exquisite Kouros of the very early fifth century. Osbert Lancaster called this area “among the loveliest in Greece”.

As I was waiting for my olives to be pressed, I followed my dog, Rex, who had found a trail of tantalizing odors. We came across some large sheep with curly horns, which viewed us with dismay.  It was still early in the morning and a fall mist hung over the trees. The ground smelt earthy and healthy. Further down was a vineyard that had seen better days, and a nursery of chrysanthemums, giving up their autumn glory perfume.

Back at the press, I collected my thirty kilos of oil, and over a thimbleful of sweet black coffee, paid my dues and headed back to Athens on the road of endless construction.

Much has been said and written about the mindless expansion of the city, the absence of green zones, pollution, and the dwindling sources of oxygen; but I hear no voices supporting Mesogia, no voices supporting the sheep, the vineyards and the olive press. I heard the sheep this morning; I felt the earth, pressed my olives and counted my blessings.  

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