Corinth

Corinth is the city of two seas, the place where the Aegean meets the Ionian across a narrow neck of land, and that geography made it one of the great cities of antiquity. Standing on the bridge of the Corinth Canal means looking down at the sheer walls of rock falling 80 metres to the narrow strip of water below, with a small cruise ship gliding through — a sight that still seems impossible. The canal, finished in 1893, cut through the isthmus that the ancient Corinthians had dragged their ships across on rollers. A few kilometres away, the archaeological site of ancient Corinth spreads beneath the great rock of Acrocorinth: the seven standing columns of the Temple of Apollo, the fountain of Peirene, the agora, and the bema from which the apostle Paul is said to have spoken. Above it all towers Acrocorinth, the immense fortress-crowned mountain that guarded the pass. It is a place of enormous historical weight — Corinthians, Athenians, Romans, Byzantines, Franks, Venetians, and Ottomans all ruled here — and the modern city, rebuilt after the earthquake of 1928, is a pleasant, easy-going place, a perfect stop between Athens and the Peloponnese.

Corinth's history spans nearly three millennia and is written in layers of stone. The ancient city was one of the wealthiest and most powerful of Greece, famous for its commerce, its wealth, and its temples — and for the cult of Aphrodite on Acrocorinth, whose temple overlooked the city. Its strategic position on the isthmus between the Saronic and Corinthian Gulfs made it the gateway of Greece. In 146 BC the city was destroyed by the Roman general Lucius Mummius, and it lay in ruins until Julius Caesar refounded it as a Roman colony in 44 BC; the Roman city became one of the great metropolises of the eastern empire. It was here that the apostle Paul founded a Christian community and wrote his two Epistles to the Corinthians, and the bema (tribunal) of the agora is traditionally associated with his trial. The city flourished into the Byzantine era, when its great walls and the fortifications of Acrocorinth were built and rebuilt by successive powers. The Corinth Canal, a dream of the ancients (the tyrant Periander and the emperor Nero both attempted it), was finally completed in 1893 by a French company, transforming the sea route and the city's fortunes. The modern city of Corinth, founded in 1858 after an earthquake levelled the ancient site and badly damaged by the earthquake of 1928, is today the gateway to the Peloponnese, with the ancient site and its museum drawing travellers from around the world.

The name is recorded by Stephanus of Byzantium in the sixth century AD. His Ethnica is not a book of stories but a dictionary of Greek place-names, and for this one it says: "It was itself called Ephyra, after Ephyra the daughter of Myrmex, wife of Epimetheus". "Then it was called Helios polis because it is dry, then Pagos, then Ephyra". (Ethnica, s.v. Κόρινθος).

That is the whole of what an ancient source has to say about how the place got its name. It is a shorter answer than the guidebooks give, and it is the only one with a source behind it.

The Corinthian coast offers a range of swimming, from the city beaches to the wilder shores of the gulf. The beach at Loutraki, just north of the canal, is a long stretch of pebbles and clear water beneath the mountains — a favourite of Athenians. The coast south of Corinth, toward the Peloponnese, has quieter coves, and the beach at Kalamia is pleasant and shallow. To the east, the Saronic coast and the road toward Epidavros offers a string of small, beautiful coves. And the dramatic coves of the Perachora peninsula, beneath the lighthouse of the sanctuary, are among the wildest and most beautiful swimming spots in the region.

Corinth sits between the sea and the fertile plains of the Peloponnese, and its food reflects both. The fish of the Corinthian Gulf is superb — the tavernas of the modern city and of Loutraki serve it simply grilled. The region is famous for its currants (the 'Corinthian currant' of antiquity), its wine (the local Mavroagora and the wines of the neighbouring Nemea region, home of the great Agiorgitiko grape), and its olive oil. The local specialities are the classic Peloponnesian dishes — kleftiko, pastitsio, and the fried cod with skordalia that is a Greek tradition. The town of Ancient Corinth has excellent tavernas, and the views over the plain to the Acrocorinth make them memorable.

Spring and autumn are the finest seasons in Corinth — the archaeological site is green, the light is clear, and the crowds are modest. Summer is hot but the canal and the site are at their most dramatic; visit the site early or late to avoid the midday heat, and note that the shade is limited. Winter is mild and the site is quiet. The sunset from Acrocorinth, over the gulf and the mountains, is one of the great sights of the region in any season.

Corinth sits astride the isthmus with the A8 (Attiki Odos, Elefsina-Corinth-Patras) running straight through and the A7 branching away into the Peloponnese interior, putting it roughly an hour from Athens by motorway. Hellenic Train runs suburban line A4 from Piraeus and Athens to Kiato and calls at Corinth station with up to one train an hour, though the station itself stands 2.9 km outside the town beside the A8, so the centre is reached by taxi or local bus. The port at Leivadia, 500 m from the city and 2 km from the canal, takes cruise ships in a sheltered 9 m-deep basin.

Plan a full day: the canal, the archaeological site, and Acrocorinth together make a superb excursion. Climb Acrocorinth — the drive and the walk up are well worth it for the view from the summit, which takes in both seas on a clear day. Allow two hours for the site and museum. The canal is best seen from one of the bridges or the observation points near the Isthmia end; watch a ship pass through. Combine Corinth with the Temple of Hera at Perachora and the beaches of Loutraki for a memorable day, and remember the apostle Paul — the letters to the Corinthians were written from this remarkable city.