Orini Nafpaktia is the mountainous area behind the coastal town of Nafpaktos in Greece. It is an ideal place to visit for outdoor lovers, with boundless opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and more. My recent visit was a little more sedate though – I went chestnut picking! Read on to find out more.
Checking out the view of the mountains from Ta Petrina.
A Taste of Orini Nafpaktia
On a recent weekend break in Nafpaktos organised for Travel Bloggers Greece by Go Nafpaktia, we spent a day driving through the mountainous Orini Nafpaktia area. You can check out more in things to do in Nafpaktos. This area is quite unique, mainly due to how green it seemed, especially in autumn. Many people head here to take part in outdoor activities. This wasn't on our agenda, although driving through the area, I made a mental note to plan a cycling trip in the future. I also added it as one of the places you should include during a road trip in Greece.
And I found this weird looking mushroom on the way. Any idea what it is?
Orini Nafpaktia is also well known for its abundance of chestnut trees. Our visit coincided quite nicely with not only the ideal time to pick chestnuts, but also a chestnut picking festival, involving jazz music and awesome local food. Sounds good? It was! Let me share some of it below.
Jazz and Chestnuts in Orini Nafpaktia
I am led to believe that each year, Crystal Mountain Hotel and several other hotels and businesses in Orini Nafpaktia organise a month long festival. On each Saturday in October, different musical acts will play at different venues, and numerous activities take place. During my visit, a jazz band were playing in the setting of a chestnut forest. Listening to the talented band play jazz versions of popular music, whilst people enjoyed horse rides and picked chestnuts was pretty special!
There was also a selection of traditional food to choose from. The chestnut soup was incredible!
Picking chestnuts in the forest. No, these are not my nails!
Thank you once again Go Nafpaktia for organising the trip, and also to Avance Car Rental in Nafpaktos for providing transport during our stay. I look forward to returning to Orini Nafpaktia soon, and exploring more of the area on my bicycle!
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