The Association "Filoxenia" is located in the largest mountain village of Corinthia, Kryoneri or otherwise known as Matsani. The 900 or so inhabitants live here permanently, winter and summer, and are almost exclusively engaged in agriculture. Grapes (raisins & table sultanas) 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.
The village has cafes, grills, cafes, taverns, mini-markets, a butcher's shop, a bakery-pastry shop and a petrol station. Most of them are open every day and ensure the absolute self-sufficiency of residents and visitors in foodstuffs and more.
The community is supported by infrastructures such as a regional medical clinic, pharmacy, a school centre with 125 students (kindergarten, primary school & high school), a playground in the square, sports centres (football, basketball, volleyball, mini-chess courts), a polycentre, a youth club and an open amphitheatre.
Residents and visitors have the opportunity to enjoy the traditional-environmental trails and the 35 km long hiking - mountain biking trails around Kryoneri.
Other important known and unknown local monuments and sights are the Mycenaean burial enclosure of Panagia, the Byzantine monastery of Lehova, the Astronomical Observatory of Kryoneri and the Oak Forest of Mougostos.
Geographical Location
The village is located in the geographical centre of Corinthia and at approximately equal distances from the sea and the mountainous area of the prefecture. It is built amphitheatrically at an altitude of 740 m and has a panoramic view of the Corinthian and Saronic Gulf. Southwest of the village rises Mount Vesiza (1,207 m), which is the natural boundary to the Stymphalia plateau. From this mountain springs the river Elisson, which crosses Kryoneri with its green valley before flowing into the Corinthian Gulf at Kiato.
Indicatively, we mention some distances that separate Kryoneri from areas of interest in the surrounding area:
Athens / Airport (150 km, 1.52 hours).
Athens / Center (128 km, 1.30 hours)
Patras (115 km, 1.15 hours)
Kiato / Beach - Corinthian Gulf (15 km, 15 minutes)
Corinth (40 km, 35 minutes)
Lake Stymphalia (27 km, 33 minutes)
Nemea (wine road) (33 km, 48 min)
Climate
The region is famous for its famous healthy climate and clean air. In the 1950s and 1960s the area was used as a holiday resort, at a time when the beach was not popular due to mosquitoes and malaria. In fact, at the time when tuberculosis was on the increase, many patients rented rooms to families in the village for the summer season. Because there were not enough beds in the houses, many stayed in tents in the forest outside the monastery of Lechova.
Kryoneri is also known for its atmospherically and astronomically rare sky (location of the Kryoneri Observatory).
History
The village has been inhabited since ancient times, as indicated 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 period, 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.