Living in Mount Athos
Xavier Zimbardo
Mount Athos
is a complex, intricate place. It is a difficult place if one wishes to know it
truly and not simply to confirm what one already believes about it. One needs
to go there again and again, to hike along its pathways (to walk, let's say,
from the Skete of Saint John the Baptist to Saint Anne or to Kerasia); to wake
up at night for the service and, while in the church, to wage “the battle of
the pew”, that is, to resist drowsiness; to eat food cooked without olive oil;
to listen to its music and it's silence; to chat with its people; to learn its
history; to live according to its pace. And when one has done all this, one
still may not have understood what it is that makes Mount Athos such a very
special place in the world.
Mount Athos
is a place of great natural beauty, with a biodiversity which is unique to the
Mediterranean basin. Thick, leafy woods where the chestnut tree prevails, but
also semi-desert landscapes from the loose stone-covered hillside of Saint Nile
as far as Karoulia; steep rocky coasts but also gentle seashores, plenty of
water (springs, waterfalls and small rivers) but also barreness; a rare flora
and a rich fauna.
(From the preface of the book)
Pages: 128
Dimensions: 24 χ 31 cm.
