Mount Penteli is a mountain of 1,109 metres in Attica, on the north-eastern edge of Athens. Since ancient times it has been known for its white marble, which was used for the Parthenon and the other buildings of the Acropolis. Visitors can walk to the ancient quarries and to Davelis Cave, a large cave with two Byzantine chapels at its entrance. The Penteli Monastery, founded in 1578, stands on the southern slope. People from Athens come here to walk, to climb on the old quarry walls and to visit the observatory in the evening. The mountain is close enough to the city for a visit of half a day.
Geography
Mount Penteli stands north-east of Athens and south-west of the town of Marathon. Its highest peak is Pyrgari, at 1,109 metres, which makes it the second-highest mountain around Athens after Mount Parnitha. It can be seen from most of the city and from the eastern coast of Attica. Suburbs of Athens reach its lower slopes, among them Vrilissia, Penteli and Dionysos.
The mountain is known for its rock. Pentelic marble is white with a faint yellow tint, so it looks golden in sunlight. The ancient Athenians cut it here for the buildings of the Acropolis, and the old quarry faces are still part of the landscape, at about 700 metres. Small streams run down the ravines, and a few of them form waterfalls.
History & Culture
The ancient quarries are the main thing to see on Penteli. The quarry that gave the marble for the Parthenon is protected by law, and it is used only for the restoration of the Acropolis. A stone road, on which the blocks were moved down towards Athens, can be seen near it. Davelis Cave is part of the same quarry. It is more than 100 metres long, and at its entrance stand two small Byzantine chapels, one of them cut into the rock. In ancient times the cave was a sanctuary of the god Pan, and later hermits lived in it. Its name comes from a bandit of the 19th century who is said to have hidden here.
On the southern slope, the Penteli Monastery was founded in 1578 by a bishop named Timotheos. It is a working monastery, and visitors can enter its church. On the northern side, near the suburb of Dionysos, old quarries have been arranged as an open-air museum of quarrying.
Activities
Penteli is a place for half-day walks close to the city. One route climbs from the suburb of Dionysos to the peak of Pyrgari, about nine kilometres there and back with 500 metres of climbing. Another follows the old marble road from Davelis Cave down towards the suburb of Chalandri, in about five hours. Around the Monastery of Agios Panteleimon there are two short marked circular trails, one for walkers and one for bicycles.
The old quarries are also used for climbing. Two crags, one beside Davelis Cave and one near the chapel of Agios Ioannis, have about a hundred routes between them on marble walls up to 35 metres high. Most are for experienced climbers.
The National Observatory of Athens has a visitor centre on a hill above the suburb of Penteli. On some evenings visitors hear a talk and look through the Newall telescope, a large telescope of the 19th century.
Nature & Outdoors
Pine forest covers much of the mountain, but large fires have burned it several times since 1995, so many slopes carry young trees and low bushes.
Water gives the mountain its greenest places. The ravine of Valanaris has a waterfall and is one of the wilder places close to Athens. Near the suburb of Drafi a small waterfall of five to six metres falls into a pool where people swim in summer. The Rapentosa waterfall drops about ten metres.
Practical information
Getting there
Penteli is entered from the suburbs around it. From the south, the suburb of Penteli is the starting point for the monastery, the observatory and the road towards Davelis Cave. It is about 18 kilometres from the centre of Athens. From the north, the suburb of Dionysos is the starting point for the peak of Pyrgari and the quarry museum. From the east, the suburb of Drafi leads to the small waterfall and to the eastern side of the mountain. Choose your starting point by what you want to see.
Getting around
The sights are spread around the mountain, so most visitors drive between them and walk only the last part. For Davelis Cave, the road climbs from the main square of Penteli past the Monastery of Agios Panteleimon, and the last 800 metres are a dirt road. The climb to Pyrgari from Dionysos takes three to four hours there and back. The paths are stony, and outside the two marked trails there are few signs, so use a map or a navigation app.
Good to know
Davelis Cave has not been arranged for visitors. Take a torch and shoes with a good grip. The Penteli Monastery usually opens in the morning and again in the late afternoon, and it is closed in the middle of the day. Evening visits to the observatory are by booking, so call or check its website first. In summer, carry water with you.
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