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Subjects :On the Chalkidiki peninsula "Mount Athos" there are about 20 Orthodox monasteries and several small agglomerations of houses inhabited by Orthodox monks. The monasteries are real well-kept citadels that host the monks and the numerous pilgrims who come there to pray. The monasteries have numerous towers and domes often painted with bright colors. Beyond the panoramas and the buildings of the monasteries, the monks are interesting photographic subjects (with long white beards, dressed in black with a characteristic cylindrical headdress). The subjects are however exclusively male because in the Republic of Mount Athos neither women nor females of any animal species are allowed!
Recommended equipment :On the peninsula of Mount Athos until a few years ago the movements were made exclusively on foot, so to reach the monasteries you had to walk for at least a couple of hours. Today walking is done only by pilgrims who want to walk because there is a row of buses for 8-10 people connecting the main port (Dafni) to the capital (Karyes) and from there they move to the various monasteries. Therefore there are no large weight limits for the equipment. In the backpack I brought my Nikon D750 with the 24-120 that I usually use, a Nikkor 80-400 and my faithful travel tripod Rollei Compact Traveler Mini. The supertele may seem excessive but I assure you that it was very useful for filming from the ferry that runs along the entire peninsula as many of the monasteries are located by the sea.
Best months :Since this is a journey that involves frequent trips, the important thing is that it does not rain. For the rest, as I will explain later, the period is linked to the influx of pilgrims and the possibility of having permission to access the Republic of Mount Athos.Il strictly summer period (July-August) I would not recommend for the intense influx of pilgrims. I went in November and the photographic opportunities were not lacking.
How to get there :The Republic of Mount Athos can only be reached by sea with a ferry leaving from the last Greek city (Ouranopolis). To embark you must have obtained a permit called "Diamonitirion". On the internet you will find all the directions to get it but keep in mind that the permit lasts only 4 days and for the "unorthodox" pilgrims are granted only 10 permits each turn of 4 days. Therefore in the summer to get permission it takes months and months while in November I got it in a fortnight.On the ferry you can take pictures of many subjects between monks and pilgrims, but because the boat moors at many points on the coast before to stop at the main port Dafni, there is the opportunity to photograph from the sea the coast with the monasteries.
Visits :Everyone can freely choose the monastery to be hosted. You can also change the monastery during your stay in the Republic of Mount Athos. In fact, just go to the monastery and give permission and an identity document to the monk at the entrance (these documents are returned when you leave the monastery.The permission Diamonitirion you pay 30 euros but also gives the right to be hosted in the monasteries receiving board and free accommodation, and of course it is up to the good heart of visitors to leave offers to the monastery that hosts them.
Notes :The peculiarity of this journey is above all in the fact that it can only be done by men, given the prohibition of access to the peninsula for all women, so we will have to leave our sweet half at home, which is not easy during the summer holidays. the whole journey, from the transport on the ferry to the stay in the monastery, breathes an air of great spirituality and religious faith. During the stay in the monastery (I was in that of Vatopedi) life flows with the rhythms of the monks: Orthodox mass at 4 and 7 then breakfast all together monks and pilgrims in the refectory in silence while a monk reads the scriptures in Greek . Other mass at 4 pm and 7 pm then dinner in the refectory. Participation in the Masses is not mandatory even if I found it very interesting to look carefully at the Orthodox ceremony. In the monastery you can photograph with great discretion because it would need a special permission, but in the church you can not take photographs. Another useful notation for the trip: from the travel diaries available on the internet I had made a wrong idea of ??the logistical situation of the Republic of Mount Athos. In fact, in journals advised to bring something to eat not to suffer hunger as the monks offer you only bread and olives (this is not true: the refectory there is every good of God between cheese, vegetables and desserts. , given the ban on introducing female animals, we do not eat meat and maybe even fish). Another story is that there is no electricity in the monasteries and so it is advisable to bring spare batteries and bulbs to the battery (instead there is electricity and power outlets everywhere). Another lie reported in the travel diaries is that the roads are only traveled on foot and so it is good not to overload with luggage and bring comfortable hiking shoes (I have already said of the minibuses that connect to the monasteries.They certainly have fixed schedules because however the movements are done on unpaved roads and often inaccessible and last a long time).
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