There is still somewhere in the world where you have the feeling of discovering something that has not yet been reached by mass tourism.
One of these places is
Termessos.
Termessos is not a place mentioned in the notice board of the excursions of the hotels. Raggiungerlo coast fatigue, and the majority of tourists to the sea hates fatigue.
Despite the proximity to the mundane and chaotic
Antalya,
Termessos remains abandoned, excluded from the main roads. To get there you must take an isolated mountain road of 10 km between bends and evocative views on the desolate but impressive reliefs Turks.
But the car is not enough. From the small parking lot, we need a hard climb for 30-40 minutes, not on a smooth path between rocks and wild flowers, which sometimes runs them on the ruins of the ancient city.
The coolness of the mountain can not counter the scorching sun of the Mediterranean Turkey. Probably be the only ones to venture out on the trail that morning. Or at most you'll have to share your discovery with 2-4 other people.
And it is perhaps this that allows
Termessos to keep that little secret that is now impossible in many places: the quietness, the feeling of discovery, the possibility of being perhaps the only ones to admire it at that precise moment.
E 'for an hour feel like a sort of Indiana Jones, or one of those explorers for the first time reach the treasures that time has hidden, or even the star of a book by Wilbur Smith.
Of course it is only a feeling, the signs and ticket you back to reality, but once started the climb becomes a pleasant feeling.
Imagine you go alone without the Fori Imperiali, the bustle of the city, or to reach the pyramids and find dozens of buses and hundreds of tourists. Imagine that you have to go to achieve a harsh and lonely path that accentuates and enhances the charm.
Certainly, the importance of architecture is not the same as the most famous monuments, but the location enhances the beauty. It is no coincidence this is the archaeological site located in the most spectacular in the whole of Turkey.
But once achieved the most impressive of the site, remain open-mouthed.
To say that the view is spectacular is reductive, makes it unforgettable justice.
In a wild environment, we can admire the remains of a huge amphitheater, located at the foot of a particularly rocky mountain which rises vertically behind him. A real eagle nest, a small Mediterranean Machu Picchu, to make the idea more.
Nothing more that sit on one of the steps. And in silence to contemplate what the man was able to build in place so remote, charming, mysterious, difficult. Admire the panorama of mountains which forms the background. Search for a few minutes to imagine how life was in a similar place in past centuries. And because the time has been able to keep.
Do not struggle to understand what we take his people to war to defend the soul that he had built. And this is why long
Termessos remained impregnable and independent from the powerful Roman empire.
But if you like the effort is not over once you reach the theater. The trail continues up to the necropolis. Here the tombs and sarcophagi are scattered disorderly, and stands out among all the beautiful tomb of Alketas. The landscape and atmosphere reminiscent of movies like Lord of the Rings.
If you pass your holiday in and around
Antalya, do not miss this trip back in time.
Why
Termessos is different.
Why is
Termessos conquest.
Why
Termessos will live forever, and always will be ready to welcome tourists more careful.
(entry 5 new Turkish lira - about 3 euro. From
Antalya, follow the SS 650 per Budur, then turn left onto the D350 direction Korkuteli, after 15 km turn left and follow signs for
Termessos and continue for 8 km of road mountain. From about 30km
Antalya)