We arrived in Panariti on an autumn day with rain, noon time. First stop was the café of the village. Angelos and Georgia were waiting for us there and they welcomed us with a juice and a coffee. But they were not alone; other residents of the village, who enjoyed a little rest after the agricultural work, were there, too.
The discussion begins about cabbages and kings and quickly comes to the main subject, which is none other than the history of the village. They tell us what they know and each one of them adds a relevant piece of information. This is how we learn about other times, when the village still had an award-winning raisin factory, an ancient Greek temple that was converted into a Christian church and an abundance of running waters.
Cyclopean or Pelasgian? - Findings from walls
Our questions result to answers that feed the imagination and raise other questions. This is how we learn about topics that are unknown, lost in time. One of them is the Cyclopean walls, which we were told exist and indeed, are located in an estate of the village. By chance, the owner of the field, Timoleon, is near us, who along with Angelos are willing to take us with them, so that we can see them up close.
We get into the car and a few minutes later we find ourselves on a side road. Just next to it we see a series of crops. We begin to descend, until we are in front of a "natural fence", full of plants. But by lifting these plants, you can see some huge stones, placed by human hand, on top of each other. "These are the cyclopean walls," Timoleon tells us, and continues, "others told us that they are Pelasgian, of course, but no official record or further investigation has been made so far by the archaeological service."
The Gymnasium school that operated until few years back
Every village has a school. At least an elementary school. However, Panariti is not the same as the rest of the villages, as there is also a Gymnasium here, which operated until 2019. It hosted children from the surrounding mountainous areas and its presence proves the prosperity of the mountainous areas of Xylokastro – Evrostini, which is due to the wealth of agricultural production and above all, to its people.
As we return to the village’s café, in order to take the way back, we see the building. Two-storey, well-preserved, with a large courtyard and an inscription, which has calligraphic letters that read "GYMNASIUM". We go down and take some photos from the courtyard. If you look at it from some angles, you'll think that it hasn’t been touched by time, it's like it's still working. "We have to do something with the school," Angelos and Timoleon tell us as we get back in the car. And it is true that the building allows many activities to be done in it.
When you go to Panariti, you will see it, too. It is the village with its wild beauty and unexplored history...
