Aegina is an island located between Attica and the Peloponnese.
In ancient times, it was the first city of Greece to mint its own silver coinage, with the image of a turtle (7th century BCE). Its high point was in the 6th century BCE when it developed major commercial and naval activity.
Following the victory of the 1821 Greek revolution against the Ottomans, Aegina was temporarily designated the capital of Greece, and, fittingly, the first coinage of the newly-formed Greek state was minted there in 1829.
Numerous neoclassical buildings of that period are found in Aegina town. Aegina draws many visitors due to its proximity to Athens, making tourism the main economic activity for locals in recent decades, while it is also a sailing destination and way-point. Also important to the economy is the role of religious tourism, thanks to the Cathedral of Saint Nectarios. Important also is the role of archaeological tourism, mainly because of the Temple of Aphaia and Palaiochora, a region dotted with wayside chapels and the ruins of the Byzantine town.
It is said that the Temple of Aphaia, the Parthenon, and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounio form an apparent isosceles triangle—the triangle of antiquity that the ancient Greeks took care to maintain in the architecture and dynamics of a temple. The Temple of Aphaia was built between 500 and 490 BCE on the site of a previous temple, which was severely damaged in a fire around 510 BCE. The people of Aegina decided to tear it down, keeping, however, the gate and the great altar and rebuilding a new temple graced by the sculptures of the “Aegina School”. The new temple took its final form in 500 BCE and is an outstanding example of ancient architecture, serving as a model for the construction of the Parthenon.
Gastronomy
Aegina is renowned for its pistachio cultivation, which, due to the exceptional quality of its pistachios, dominates the island’s agricultural activity. The pistachios are among the special Greek products with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and are an excellent superfood. Today, Aegina cultivates roughly 200,000 trees with an average annual yield of roughly 1,300 tons.
Let’s not overlook the pistachio festival, which takes place every year in September and lasts four days. Aegina’s pistachios are the best and tastiest in the Eastern Mediterranean. Aside from the salted or unsalted baked pistachios that accompany drinks and beverages, this delicious nut features in many kinds of delicacies, such as pasteli, liqueurs, and spoon sweets.
In terms of Aegina’s cuisine, the cosmopolitan, but not overly commercialized unique character of the island offers a plethora of specialities, mainly fresh fish, pasta with sea-urchins, octopus, fava bean purée, chickpeas, string beans, salads from the gardens of owners of sought-after tavernas by the sea, as well as plenty of gourmet dishes.
