Kallithea is a village and seat of the homonymous Municipal Department in the Municipality of Kassandra in the prefecture of Chalkidiki. During the summer months is the most populous village of Chalkidiki. It is located on the first leg, in Kassandra. It is 85 km away from Thessaloniki and is the most cosmopolitan place in all of Chalkidiki. Kallithea, whose name refers to the beautiful location of the village and its good view to the sea, is surrounded by pine forest.
The area is of archaeological interest, as in Kallithea is excavated a sanctuary of Dionysus and Nymphs, part of the sanctuary of Ammon Zeus (who was worshiped in the area since the 5th century BC) and the area of the altar. In the middle of the 4th century BC a great temple of Doric order was built, in honor of Ammon Zeus. Dionysus had already begun to be worshiped in the area since the 8th century BC, as they show a staircase carved into the rock and a cave devoted to the worship of the god.
In the place of Toleina the archaeologists discovered an early Christian basilica. The peculiar, original and unique Early Christian basilica dates back to the 6th century. The middle aisle is occupied by an earlier building, which seems to be a martyrdom.
The village was founded in 1925 by refugees from Asia Minor who settled in the area after the Asia Minor Catastrophe, coming from the village of Maltepe of Propontis of Asia Minor, which was called Vryas in Antiquity and Pelekanon in Byzantium. The inhabitants named New Maltese the settlement they created, in memory of their homeland, Maltepe of Asia Minor. The main occupations of the inhabitants were agriculture and livestock farming. After 1950 the village was renamed New Kallithea and eventually Kallithea, due to its beautiful view. In recent years, settlers from the rest of Greece settled in the settlement.
Interesting is the Russian-style church of Saint Panteleimonas (as before the refugees settled, a farm was owned by the Russian monks of Mount Athos), located near the sanctuary of Zeus. There is also an irrigation canal in the middle of the 19th century.
In closing, Kallithea is a village in Chalkidiki, where high-quality tourist services are provided to satisfy all visitors. If you like the crowd then you must definitely spend some days and nights in the area. The village attracts thousands of visitors not only for its beautiful beaches but also for the significant archaeological finds that have come to light after the archaeological research that has taken place on the beach.
