Itea is a coastal town and co-capital of the Regional Unit of
Fokida, with a population of 4,362 inhabitants, according to the
2011 census. Behind the city stretches the Crissaio Pedio, having in
the background Giona and Parnassos, on the slopes of which Delphi
and Chrisso can be seen. From the beach of Itea, looking towards the
sea, one can see Galaxidi, as well as the Peloponnese. Itea is
located south of Amfissa, northeast of Galaxidi, northwest of
Desfina and southwest of Delphi, cities with which it is connected
by road.
Local government
Itea is the second largest city
of the Municipality of Delphi and, with the neighboring Kirra and
Tritaia, constitutes the homonymous municipal unit. Itea and Kirra
are now united and form a single urban complex.
Name origin
By the sea between the two ancient Greek cities, Kirra and Chalaio,
in the area of modern Itea, stood a calm water next to which a
spring with cool and fresh water gushed and was the only one in the
area. the city and even today the inhabitants of the area call it
Itea.
Ancient Times
Ruins of the Late Helladic Period and
mainly chambered tombs, speak of the existence of an ancient city
west of the current location of Itea, but without specifying which
one, but it may be Chaleion. The existence of numerous cities at
this point is confirmed by a cobblestone road to Amfissa, parts of
which survived until the end of the 19th century.
Interesting
is the recent (2013), scientific documentation of the location of
the Ancient Hippodrome of Delphi, which according to the professor
of Classical Archeology of the University of Athens Mr. Panos
Valavanis, is located in the "corner" of the Itea estate district,
just behind the hill of St. Anargyron. According to this scientist,
this racetrack is the second oldest racetrack in the world.
Ottoman rule
In the area of today's Itea, where there was the
famous willow with the only source of the area, during the period of
Ottoman rule, sheepfolds and pottery were made. Later, the
settlement of Skala Salonon was created there, with a rudimentary
wooden dock, a customs house, huts and warehouses. This settlement
evolved into Itea.
The area passed successively through many
hands, and in the last years of Ottoman rule, it belonged to the
widow of Omer Aga of Salona - Omeragou - who gave it to a man from
Galaxidi to eventually end up as a dowry of his daughter to a lawyer
from Lidoriki.
Greek revolution
Skala Salonon could not be
absent from the national invitation of the liberation struggle and
there were many war events that took place in its area. The "Battle
of Salon Ladder" or "Battle of Agali" is considered to be the best,
where on September 17, 1827, the Philhellene English captain Francis
Abney Hastings, captain of the first steamship, named "K" Greek
naval force, anchored in front of the Turkish fleet, which was
anchored in the bay of "Agali" on the west side of the gulf of Itea,
supported by land with an elite body of 500 men and cannons handled
by European gunners. Within half an hour, Astigx, with suitable
shots from the "Carteria", blew up the Turkish flagship and
destroyed another 6 warships as well as 3 Austrian supply ships,
while rendering the land shots useless. This victory restored the
dominance of the Greeks in the Gulf of Corinth and secured
communication with the Peloponnese, being the main occasion of the
Battle of Navarino on October 20, 1827, accelerating the
developments for the independence of Greece.
The official
founding deed of the city during Kapodistrias
Ioannis
Kapodistrias signed on August 13, 1830 a resolution for the
establishment of a settlement in Skala Salonon. This decision was
taken after a report by the "Extraordinary Commissioner for Eastern
Greece (...) at the request of the residents of Salona" in order to
"raise a city along the so-called Itean coast" (for more details,
see General Gazette of Greece, no. . 68, 23.8.1830). It should be
noted that according to article 5 of the specific act, it was
decided that "this new city wants to be named Krissa" (source: in
the same, for the specific name see Krissa).
The years after
the foundation
And while the systematic construction of the city
began in 1852 on the basis of the urban planning edited in Amfissa
in 1836 by Panagiotis Papanaoum, it took 40 whole years until the
city began to take a steady path of progress. In World War I, Itea
became the base of the Entente. A remnant of the presence of the
Anglo-French troops are the so-called "French Piers" that are
maintained at the exit of the city, to Galaxidi.
In the current location of C (la) Itea, there are ruins
of the Late Helladic period and foundations of houses and supports,
of an unknown settlement. Among the sights of the city belongs the
church of the "Transfiguration of the Savior", whose construction
began in 1890, a great work for the data not only of that time but
also of today, as well as shelters of natural beauty, such as the
hill of the Saints Anargyron, the olive grove and the islets in the
gulf of Itea (Agios Dimitrios, Agios Konstantinos and Agios
Athanasios).
Of interest are the various islets in the gulf
of Itea (Krissaios) that were used as shelters during the so-called
"dark" early Byzantine centuries. These islands are mentioned by
almost all travelers who passed by boat from the area. The most
remote of the seven islands of the gulf of Itea, Agios Dimitrios,
located almost in the middle of the distance from the two ports,
Itea and Galaxidi, is about 3 nautical miles. It has an area of
about 4 sq.km, is over 8 m high and is telepathic with a peculiar
shape that gave it the popular name "Venizelos' hat". The surface of
the islet is full of scattered foundations of houses mixed with
layers of tiles. The most interesting remains are on its south side,
the middle part of which has been completely removed by human
intervention, thus creating a rectangular moat about 22 m wide and
at least 5 m deep. , 40 m. This is the case that it is part of port
works and in fact neo-settlements for the mooring of the trireme.
Such a military project could be related to the military activities
of the area caused by the Holy Wars and aimed at controlling the
unimpeded arrival of pilgrims to the sanctuary of Delphi by sea. Let
us not forget that the main reason for the Holy In addition to the
cultivation of sacred lands by the Phocians, the pilgrims were
prevented from having free access to the sanctuary of Delphi. In
particular, the 4th Holy War (339-8), which ended with the battle of
Chaeronia, had as a reason the walling and settlement of the port of
Kirra, east of Itea, ie the port that led to Delphi.
On the
island of Agios Konstantinos, there is the homonymous church, of
street construction and with a small bell tower, next to which
according to the "Chronicle of Galaxidi", there was a hidden
hospital during the Turkish occupation and with testimony that the
thief Giannis Vounimos had taken refuge. from a fight in the Kioskia
of Salona, where he finally exhaled. It is also mentioned as a
refuge in 1827 of the frigate "Karteria". There was also a secret
school. Today fishing boats transport pilgrims to the island.
Agios Ioannis Theologos is a small old basilica with exceptional
style paintings, which dates from the post-Turkish period and is
located at the eastern entrance of Itea. Every Easter Tuesday a
festival is organized.
Finally, in Itea there are beaches
such as Trocadero, Vrahakia or Anagneika
Thermal Springs
A
little above the watermill is a thiomagnesium source, "Agionero"
whose waters have a slight laxative energy. The people have always
considered it spa and it has been officially recognized and recorded
as a spa of tourist importance by EOT. A study is already being
prepared for the sale and exploitation of the resources.