Follow in the footsteps of Aristotle

There’s no question that it’s the beaches and exotic landscape that first catch the eye in Halkidiki. But as far as catching the mind is concerned, surely nothing comes close to exploring the legacy of Aristotle. 

The great philosopher (and biologist, metaphysicist, logician, linguist, political and economic theorist…) was born on the shores of Halkidiki’s easternmost peninsula, in Stagira. And after a stint at Plato’s Academy in Athens, he was called back to the land of his birth by Philip II of Macedon in 343 BC to teach his son, Alexander the Great, on matters of ethics and government and much else besides. 

In this way, Ancient Stagira deserves its place within Halkidiki’s cultural identity alongside the region’s monasteries, castles, wineries and other must sees. Indeed, during Renaissance times, Aristotle was known simply as ‘the Stagirist’ – when he wasn’t being called, along with Plato, one of the Fathers of Western Philosophy. 

He has influenced virtually every aspect of western thinking and famously founded the Peripatetic (or wandering) school of philosophy – so-called because of his habit of walking around whilst lecturing. So what greater motivation could there be than to get out there and discover Halkidiki in a way you might never have imagined.