Drawn to the siren song of the Thracian coast

In the old part of town, nestled inside the modern city of Maroneia, you’ll discover a little gem: the beautifully preserved Tavaniotis Mansion, an excellent specimen of 19th-century Thracian residential architecture, which is not only open to visitors but also doubles as an archaeological museum.

A few kilometers farther south lies ancient Maroneia, which was abandoned when it fell prey to repeated pirate attacks, paying a heavy price for its picturesque coastal location. The city covered an extensive territory with a colorful past, having witnessed its ancient Greek theatre turn into an arena for animal fights during Roman times.

A little more than half an hour away, just beyond the borders of the prefecture of Rhodope, ancient Zone tells its own story. Its walls, temples, private residences and workshops reveal a fortified city with a booming economy which was known to have paid the highest tax among all Samothracian colonies to the Athenian League, due to its extended prosperity.

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Tavaniotis Mansion: A brilliant example of traditional Thracian architecture

The modern town of Maroneia lies several kilometers north of the ancient city, which its inhabitants abandoned in the Middle Ages due to persistent piracy.

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Ancient Theatre of Maroneia: In the mythical land of Polyphemus

The ancient city of Maroneia, the wealthy Thracian city of the Cicones, was visited both by Odysseus and Emperor Hadrian, and – according to local legend – was also home to mythical beings, for it was in a cave here that the Cyclops Polyphemus is said to have lived.

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Zone: The ancient colony of Samothrace

According to tax records from the 5th century BC, the ancient town of Zone paid the highest tax of all Samothracian colonies to the Athenian League.