The Youth Support Organization "Filoxenia" is located in the largest mountain village of Corinthia, Kryoneri. Its approximately 1,000 inhabitants live here permanently, winter and summer, and are almost exclusively engaged in agriculture.
Grapes (raisins and table grapes (σουλτανίνα)) and olive oil are the main products of the village, which have been cultivated over the centuries and keep the population stable in their homes.
A lively village with a real social life: four cafes, two of which also function as barbecues, two taverns, a mini market, a butcher's shop, a bakery, a bakery-pastry shop, a fruit shop, a petrol station, a post office and a hairdresser's shop are open every day and ensure the absolute self-sufficiency of residents and visitors in terms of foodstuffs.
Kryoneri is the largest mountain village of Corinthia. Tradition on the one hand and dynamic cultural creation on the other hand, make the area attractive for foreign visitors. In the village there is great activity in the cultural and youth sector.
The social fabric is supported by infrastructures such as a regional medical centre, a school centre with 125 pupils (kindergarten, primary school & secondary school), a playground in the square, sports centres (football, basketball, volleyball, mini poker), a cultural club, a youth information centre, an open amphitheatre.
Residents & visitors have the opportunity to enjoy the traditional-environmental path of Kato Vrysi & the 35 km long hiking - mountain biking trails around Kryoneri.
They can visit great & unknown local monuments & sights, such as the Mycenaean burial precinct of Panagia, the Byzantine monastery of Lehova, the Astronomical Observatory of Kryoneri, the Oak Forest of Mougostos.
GEOGRAPHY OF THE PLACE
The village is in the centre of Korinthia, at the same distance between the sea and the mountains. It is built like an amphitheatre, at 740 meters of altitude and has a panoramic view on the Corinthian Gulf.
Mount Vesiza (1.200 m.) overlooks the village and constitutes the natural border with the plain of Stymfalía. From this mountain, the river Elisson spreads, which crosses Kryoneri and the evergreen plain, before flowing in the Corinthian Gulf, towards Kiato.
CLIMATE
The region is famous for its healthy climate and the clean air. In the 50's and 60's, Kryoneri was a place for recovery, while coastal zones were infested by mosquitoes and malaria. In fact, ill people rented rooms in the village's family homes during the summer period, because of the healthy climate. Since the houses were not sufficient, many lodged in camps in the forest outside the Lechova monastery (1.000 m. altitude).
In addition, Kryoneri is also well known for its cloudless skies and the lack of humidity that allows for clear star viewing from the observatory.
History
The village has been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by the archaeological findings of the settlement (Mycenaean cemetery at the "Panagia" site with 10 vaulted tombs on 3 levels, right next to the current cemetery), Mycenaean acropolis at the site of Hani Koutroubi, Barathron Cave of the late Neolithic era, Asclepion and Byzantine monastery at the site of Lehova, etc.
The population has remained stable for centuries, demonstrating the ability of the fertile area to support its inhabitants.
Main crops
Corinthian (and σουλτανίνα) raisins, olive oil.