Seven Springs

staff — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:56:13 +0000

Seven Springs (Eptà Pigès, Επτά Πηγές) is a great place to escape from the heat of the summer and enjoy a magnificent natural scenery. It is a romantic destination surrounded by woodland and green, distant about 30 km from the capital, on the road that leads from Kolymbia to Archipolis and Eleousa, towards the mountain area of the island. The seven bubbling springs generate water all year long, culminating in a small man-made lake that provides a natural habitat to tortoises, eels, crabs and a rare fish species called gizani that lives exclusively in the creeks of Rhodes.

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The access to the lake is really popular with visitors and a tremendous experience. The combination of crystal-clear waters with pine and plate trees creates a peaceful scenery, offering the visitor relaxing moments. To get to the lake you have to walk through a very narrow dark tunnel 186 m long. The tunnel, constructed back in 1931, leads the water of the seven springs and river Loutanis to the lake. Almost at the middle its length, there is a well used as an air-shaft. Walking through the dark tunnel with your feet in the running water, is an eerie yet exciting and unforgettable experience that can be particularly refreshing. If you don’t fancy the trip through the tunnel, then you can simply follow a walking path to the lake.

The lake itself is about 200 m in length, 10 to 50 m wide and from 1 to 8 m deep and has a small cascade at its narrow end. It is used as a depository for the irrigation of Kolymbia region. It is the only place in Rhodes where visitors can enjoy a swim in fresh water. Surrounding the springs are beautiful cool pine trees and rich vegetation. There are many little rustic bridges and rivers, numerous footpaths and the area is known for the geese, ducks and peacocks wandering through the woods.

The area belongs to a Natura 2000¹ protected zone (GR4210006) together with the Valley of Butterflies (Petaloùdes, Πεταλούδες) and Mt. Profitis Elias².

¹ Natura 2000 is the centrepiece of EU nature & biodiversity policy. It is an EUwide network of nature protection areas established under the 1992 Habitats Directive. The aim of the network is to assure the long-term survival of Europe’s most valuable and threatened species and habitat.
² Greece has a total of 359 Natura 2000 zones, many of them located on the islands. On Rhodes there are 2 different zones the second one (GR4210005) extends over an area of 27.514,59 ha at the south-western part of the island.

Natura Areas in South Aegean (26)

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Kalithea Springs

staff — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 18:54:32 +0000

Since the antiquity the area of Kalithea (Καλλιθέα) was known for its thermal, therapeutic springs. In 1927, under the administration of Mario Lago, a systematic study of the waters was begun by Gustavo Gasperini, his son Carlo and Enea Brunetti (who later became the of the director of Terme di Calitea). The study concluded that the water had a range of important properties and proposed the development of the area with the creation of a Thermal Spa Institution that would function in accordance to the stringiest health requirements of the time.

In late December 1928 the Government of the Islands of the Aegean decided the construction of the building complex. The project was commissioned to the famous architect Pietro Lombardi. His plans for Kallithea Thermal Spa were considered among the best architectural compositions of the time.

This text is work under progress

Discover Rhodes » springs

Seven Springs

Kalithea Springs