The Village
The Village
Piana (Greek:Πιάνα) is one of the most beautiful traditional Greek villages in the Peloponnese. Piana is built near the ruins of the ancient city Dipaia. The distance from Athens is roughly two hours. Piana is 19 km from the major city of Tripoli.
The name of Piana is connected with the mythological God Pan, who, according to ancient Greek mythology had the legs of the goat under his human body. His cave on the Piana mountain, is where he allegedly lived. With his flute he flooded the marvelous ravine with magic sounds. Here is the source of the Elisson river where Nymphs used to bathe.
Saint Georgios church dominates Piana’s square, built on an imposing rock in the centre of the village. The church is a basilica with three aisles, a dome and two splendid stone belfries. The main body of the church is made from stone. (During the Ottoman period it was a castle.
The role of Piana during the Greek Revolution of 1821
In the revolution of 1821 the village played a decisive role due to its difficult accessibility. For this reason the region around Piana constituted the ideal hiding place for the resistance fighters (Armatoloi and Kleftes).
Theodoros Kolokotronis organized in Piana the first military departments that strengthened the battle of Valtetsi and defeated the Turks in Tripoli later on. The name of Piana is historically connected with the catering for Kolokotronis’ armed forces giving them the essential food needed to win their battles.
In the courtyard of another beautiful church, named Panagitsa Polykameni, (meaning Mary’s church that was burned many times, because of the Turk’s repeated effort to ruin it with fire) one can find a traditional wood-oven. Revolutionary camps were provided with bread from Piana’s ovens. During the difficult years of the occupation the church hid Krifo Sholio (the secret Greek school where one could learn to read and write Greek, as the Turks had forbidden it).
The Folklore Museum of Piana
The Folklore Museum of Piana has a rich variety of unique exhibits. These exhibits consist of utensils, vessels and clothing related to the daily life of previous generations of Piana residents. Religious and ecclesiastical heirlooms, samples of martial equipment of the fighters of the Greek Revolution of 1821 are shown as well.
The assiduity and support of this effort comes solely from the non-profit “Papanikolas Institution.”
