With 500 kilometres of coastline and with its hinterlands never being more than 40 km from the sea, Halkidiki looks like one big island. The intense presence of the sea gives Halkidiki a sweet, Mediterranean climate and its summers are the longest in northern Greece. Its landscape is unique, characterised by the fir trees that run down to the coasts and are reflected in its azure waters. Alongside its natural beauties, the local pre-Christian civilisation has also made its mark on Halkidiki. Its multitude of archaeological sites have given it the name of the “Attica of northern Greece”. The picture of this region is rounded off by the Chalkidikians and the refugees, who keep the flame of local tradition and the traditions of the “lost” homelands unextinguished.