The region of Korinthos was the largest commercial centre in ancient Greece. During its history, it had been occupied by Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Franks, Venetians, Ioannites Knights of Rhodes and Turks. Ancient fortresses, citadels, ancient monuments, Byzantine churches, reservoirs, cobbled streets, towers and arches, all testify the city's glorious past. Korinthia’s landscape exerts a strange attraction to visitors - the picturesque mountain villages of “Mountainous Korinthia”, with its stone-built houses, pine covered mountains, fir and oak trees, lakes, natural hot springs, the lagoon, the caves and of course its beautiful beaches.