The countryside around the town of Leonidio is dotted with the small churches and monasteries, which are such a distinctive part of the landscape. The impressive monastery of Saint Nicolas of Sitzas, nestles in a cleft in a mountainside outside Leonidion.

Our route begins at the old steamroller by the main bridge over the Daphnona River, and continues through the neighbourhood south of the river known as Kilaso. Along the way, we can admire the old Tsakonian mansions, an old olive press factory, and the small monastery dependency of Saint Charalambos. We continue on through orchards of apricot and peach trees, a small grove of olive trees, and come to the little church of Saint George/Giorgos, where we stop for a rest.

Next, we begin the climb up to the Monastery of Sitzas, which we reach in about an hour. En route, we encounter many unusual varieties of local plants, and perhaps even, wild goats. Arriving at the monastery, we take in a splendid view of Leonidion and the Red Rock Mountain in the background. We then continue on a ten-minute walk to the Cave of Dionysos. According to one version of the myth, this is where the god Dionysos was raised by, Ino.

We return to the monastery, and then head downhill to Leonidion following the same route back to our initial starting point