Area
Epanomi is the first big village one meets when entering the region of Western Chalkidiki. It is located 25km to the south-east of the city of Thessaloniki within the administrative borders of the Prefect of Thessaloniki, since it is actually one of the city's coastal suburbs.
The life of Epanomi settlement has been going on interrupted for almost 6000 years. Various finds record that vinification was first practised in the area 1500 years ago, while, in the Byzantine Era, it was referred to as being a well-known vine-growing region. However, a settlement named "Panomi" was first recorded in a census carried out in 1302. During the Ottoman Occupation, Panomi was a free, self-administrated "kefalochori" (head village), while, according to the Ottoman tax records, viticulture and wine-production still continued to flourish in the region.
Epanomi is a beautiful rural municipality of almost 15.000 permanent inhabitants. It is surrounded by sea, and an abundance of different types of crops, hills full of olive trees and rich vineyards form a unique landscape. Viticulture is a long tradition in the region, since Epanomi was part of the wider region of "Kalamaria", namely Kali Meria (nice place), a name given by French travelers denoting the good quality of the region's agricultural products.
Local attractions include the churches of Agios Georgios (built in 1835) and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (built in 1865), the vaulted tombs, the monastery property of Kritsianoi, the lighthouse on Epanomi cape and a 550 hectares wetland of exceptional beauty hosting rare flora and fauna species.
It is worth noting that Epanomi coastline extends over a length of 40km. Its crystal-clean beaches attract many summer visitors, and its small taverns, where tourists can enjoy fresh fish, the Greek and local cuisine, good wine, tsipouro and the warm hospitality of their owners, make it an ideal tourist destination.
