# Edipsos

Edipsos or Aedipsos (Greek: Αιδηψός) is a village in Evvia.

## Understand

80 of Greece's 752 hot springs are located in Edipsos, making it a popular tourist destination. The spas date back more than 20,000 years. The 2011 population of the village was 6,141. Many famous personalities have visited the town so far, such as Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Sir Winston Churchill, Eleutherios Venizelos, Theodoros Deligiannis, Georgios Theotokis, Ioannis Kondilakis, Archbishop of Athens Theocletus I, Aristotelis Onassis, Maria Callas, Kostis Palamas, Marika Kotopouli and others.

### History

The heyday of the Edipsos area is dated to the Roman era. In late Roman times, the city had expanded north of Thermopotamou, a torrent that has been covered today by Thermopotamou street. The region experienced its great prosperity mainly in imperial times, especially in the 2nd AD century. The last period of prosperity placed in 5th and 6th century AD in the years of the emperors Theodosius and Justinian. The historian Plutarch says Edipsos was a place where people meet from all over Greece to make baths, rest, talk and have fun. The Roman general Sulla was using the baths. According to the historian Plutarch, when Sulla had health problems was coming to bath. Nowadays there are bath ruins from that era, which bear the name "Baths of Sulla." Edipsos still visited by emperors Adrianos, Markos, Aurelius Septimius, Severus, Pertinos the empress Julia Dovna. The city found pedestals of statues of Constantine the Great and the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius. At Christian era, people began to abandon the spa area which was associated with Roman manners and was a pagan custom. The population is concentrated in the hinterland, in the area of Agia Paraskevi, near the present village of Edipsos, not only to avoid the place of debauchery but also the raids of Slavs, Arabs and the pirates.
Edipsos baths started permanently inhabited from 1900 onwards. In the early 19th century, the area of Edipsos accept the refugees from Asia Minor, which will give new impetus to development in fisheries, agriculture and trade. At this time was built the first hotel in this area, "Thermae Sylla", and then other large hotels followed, like "Heraklion", "Stadios", "Istiea", "Aigli", "Avra" and other . Also private spas are created to meet the needs of bathers and other forms of business, such as luxury nightclubs with live music and famous orchestral groups.

## Get in

To get to and from the mainland your best option is taking the ferry to/from Arkitsa (hourly, €3.30 per person).
There are frequent buses from Athens but they take you to the ferry pier in Arkitsa. From there you have to take the ferry. The bus ticket price will not include the ferry ticket, even if bought to Loutra Edipsos.

## See

* Cave Sulla (located behind the spa EOT near the church of St. Anargyroi in the village of Loutra Aidipsou). One of the surviving findings of the Roman period are the baths in "Cave of Sulla." The "cave" Sulla is a small building with a dome. The entire building is covered by deposits of sulfur waters that flow in the area and gives the impression of a cave entrance. At the entrance of the "cave" are two massive pedestals of statues with inscriptions in honor of the Roman Emperor Hadrian and Septimius Severus dedicated by the municipality Istieas. The first bear and later inscription in honor of Emperor Constantine of Byzantium. The "cave" was associated with the Roman general Sulla, who was visiting the spa treatment
* Archaeological collection, Edipsos. The archaeological collection is housed at EOT spas at the first floor. Some of the most bulky exhibits are in the reception areas on the ground floor. In the main entrance of the building stand two pillars inscribed with local officials of the Roman Evvia. In the reception area exposed the plate with the symbols of the mythical hero Hercules of 2nd-3rd century AD. In the mezzanine, in the foyer of the hall where the collection is exhibited, is a grave stele fragment 4th century BC from Yaltra, showing naked new-Roman statue part of Hercules. The collection presents data from the prehistoric past of the area, mainly finds from the excavations in the prehistoric settlement of Koumpiou hill 2 km North of Aidipsos. Pottery exhibits from Geometric to the Roman times from Castelli, Gialtra and excavations from Aidipsos center. Even hosted the Mycenaean sword found near the settlement Kastaniotissa near Istiea, axes and chisels from Mount Kantili

## Do

* 38.85425423.047841 EOT spa. swimming pool €5.00, baths €5.50, Lux I (whirlpools) €7.00, Luxury B {Hydromassage) €5.70, Internal swimming pools €6.50, K.TH.T. Whirlpool €4.50, K.TH.T. Luxury baths (B Jacuzzi) €5.00.

## Sleep

* 38.85291223.0462121 Thermae Sylla Spa –Wellness Hotel, Posidonos Str. 2, ☏ +30 22260 60 100, fax: +30 22260 22 055, info@thermaesylla.gr. 5* hotel, Thermae Sylla has almost 120 years history, Considered the first modern hotel in Edipsos, opened in 1896. It was designed by the architect Errikos Tobazis.

## Go next

Lamia
Agia Anna
Skiathos and Skopelos