Macedonian Tempi

Somewhere in the east of Thessaloniki prefecture, there is a small river that connects Lake Volvi with Strymoniko gulf. A water channel of communication that empties into the area of Paralia Vrasna. Its name is Richios and its journey to the sea lasts only 8 kilometers. His rus may seem lazy and sluggish, but it is enough to create one of the hidden gems of Macedonia, the Macedonian Temples.
There is no doubt that many of us have crossed the old Thessaloniki-Kavala national road, through the settlement of Rentina. They may have noticed a beautiful spot on the road, smothered in vegetation. This verdant array next to the asphalt hides a beautiful natural environment, so close to the road, but at the same time so isolated. Only a few meters away from the street and with the natural sound insulation as an ally, the only sound that can be heard is the rustling of the leaves and that of the water. An apparently quiet place where its soil hides an intense past.

Troops, traders, raiders and countless adventurers have passed through these straits. For many centuries it was the passage that connected Macedonia, thus avoiding the mountain masses and difficult paths. It is no coincidence that part of the historic Egnatia road passed through the Macedonian Temples. In fact, the strategic importance of the straits was realized during Byzantine times, when the Castle of Rentina was built at the western entrance of Tempe, so as to oversee the passage from a height. Nowadays, all this is a thing of the past. Raiders have given way to migratory birds and nature has created a little paradise. Centuries-old plane trees stand proudly beside the river, and the climbing ivy, full of audacity, seems to somehow try to cover them.