The good thing about staying in Paralio Astros is that there are some wonderful places you can visit. First and foremost of these must be Epidavros. It is one of the most magical places I have ever visited. The amphitheatre was originally built to hold 6000 people in the 3rd century BC. A new layer was added in the 2nd century BC - as a result the theatre now holds 14,000 people. The theatre has perfect acoustics, and you can hear perfectly wherever you are sitting, with no microphones or amplification needed.
I was privileged to see four performances at the theatre in 2005, and another in 2007. The Epidavros Festival runs for around 10 weeks in the summer, with performances on Friday and Saturday evenings only. The 10 plays are by classical authors such as Sophocles, Aristophanes, Euripides and Aeschylus, and they are performed in modern Greek. It was such a thrill to be sitting in a 3rd century BC theatre, watching a play that was written before the theatre was built! Amazing!
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