North of Megalópoli the best of Arcadia lies before you: minor roads that curl through a series of lush valleys and below the province's most exquisite medieval hill towns. The obvious first stop is Karytena .

 

Moving on from Karytena, there is a choice of roads. The "main" route loops west through Andhrítsena to Kréstena, from where irregular buses run to Olympia. An alternative route to the northwest winds around the edge of the Ménalo mountains to the delightful towns of Stemnítsa and Dhimitsána , meeting the main Trípoli-Langádhia-Olympia-Pyrgos road at Karkaloú. From either of these you can visit the dramatic and remote site of ancient Gortys and explore the Loúsios gorge , above which, outrageously sited on 300-metre-high cliffs, is the eleventh-century Ayíou Ioánnou Prodhrómou monastery (commonly abbreviated to Prodhrómou). North of Dhimitsána is modern Vytína , a ski-centre with more extensive tourist facilities. If you have time on your hands, perhaps the most attractive option is to explore the region as far north as Dhimitsána or Vytína, then backtrack through meadows and woodland on Ménalo lanes to Stemnítsa and Karytena, finally proceeding on to Olympia via Andhrítsena.