Arnaia

Arnaia is one of the most picturesque mountain villages of Halkidiki, with 2,300 inhabitants (2011 Census, GG 3465/B/28.12.2012). It is built on the foothills of Mount Holomondas, at an altitude of 600 m. It is approx. 70 km from Thessaloniki and 38 km from Polygyros. The village is traversed by highway 16 (Thessaloniki-Ierissos) that leads to Agion Oros. It is the seat of the Metropolis of Ierissos, Agion Oros and Ardameri.

The village is terraced, built within a verdant landscape with deep forests and lots of running water. Permanent residents are employed in logging, livestock breeding, beekeeping, as well as the arts, sciences, and commerce. In its layout and architectural character, Arnaia maintains the features of an old local community. The village was not built over any previous organized settlement. It is old and densely built, without a defined street plan. According to tradition, the locals who returned to the village after its destruction by the Turks commenced rebuilding the settlement starting with the squares. Houses are built very close and without yards, to shield them from the wind and keep them warm in the winter.

There are no free spaces in the built environment. There are narrow, cobblestoned alleys and squares that compose an attractive combination of the beauty of tradition with the surrounding landscape. The nexus of the village is its central square, with a large plane tree through which flows potable water. The commercial center of Arnaia extends around the square and the main road, where all the state services, banks, retail stores and catering establishments are gathered.