The Wise Side of Greece; Aristotle’s Trail

Aristotle is one of the most famous Greek philosophers and scientists. He was born in Northern Greece in a town called Stagira, in 384 BC. When he was young he traveled to Athens where he studied at Plato’s Academy, with the great philosopher becoming his mentor. He stayed with him until his death and then returned to Northern Greece, specifically Macedonia, where he became the teacher of Alexander the Great, at the request of his father, Philip, King of Macedonia. In Macedonia, Aristotle founded the Peripatetic School (Wandering School), it was an informal institution the  members of which tried to answer difficult scientific and mostly philosophical questions. The name originally derives from the Greek word Peripatos which was a meeting place in the Lyceum of Athens. However, after Aristotle’s death, a legend traveled around Greece that he used to walk while teaching so the name changed to Peripatetis (peripatitikos in Greek) which means wandering. Now, almost 2,400 years later, the town of Stagira, the philosopher’s birthplace, has opened Aristotle’s Trail to the public. Visitors have the opportunity to wander around the different paths of Halkidiki, where allegedly Aristotle used to teach his students about philosophy. The main path is 12 miles long. It starts from the ruins of the old town of Stagira and reaches the modern village of the same name. It runs through an amazing part of Halkidiki. The view is always breathtaking and the trail is lined with various plants and flowers to pick and admire. There are various paths for visitors to choose from, depending on difficulty and length, while there are paths for mountain biking also. In addition to the trail, the local community recently opened an Aristotle theme park.

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