Session 1 Morning session 9.30 – 12.20

Host: Municipality of Aristotelis

Participants: Open to all partners and local stakeholders

Language: English - translation will be provided

Platform: Zoom meeting

Agenda:

9.20 – Participants log-in

9.30 – Welcome to Aristotelis /Nicholas Avgerinos, Vice Mayor of Aristotelis/

9.40 – Aristotelis challenges and strategy in the PROSPERA project /Panagiotis Tsolakidis, Local Project Manager and Nicholas Avgerinos, Vice Mayor of Aristotelis/

9.55 – Good practice 1: Aristotelis Grove /Marilena Zamani, Municipal Councillor, AXTADA S.A. (Municipal Tourism Establishments Development Agency S.A)/

10.15 – Q&A moderated by ILVO

10.25 – Good practice 2: Heritage Hikes /Nicholas Avgerinos, Vice Mayor of Aristotelis/

10.45 – Q&A moderated by ILVO

10.55 – Break

11.10 – Good practice 3: The Kouzina Project /Maria Pappa, Marketing & Communication Manager, Mount Athos Area Organisation/

11.30 - Q&A moderated by ILVO

11.40 – Good practice 4: Women’s Cooperatives in Aristotelis / ‘Varvara’ Women’s Cooperative/

          +live jointly cooking workshop

12.00 - Q&A

12.10 Conclusions

12.20 Lunch

Session 2 Local discussions 13.30 – 15.30

Time: To be defined by local partner

Platform: Provided by local partner

Host: Local partners

Participants: Local stakeholders

Session 3 Plenary closing session 15.30 – 16.15

Host: ILVO and the Municipality of Aristotelis

Participants: Open to all stakeholders

Platform: Zoom meeting


Good practices of Aristotelis:

Good practice 1: Aristotelis Grove

In Aristotelis Chalkidikis, efforts for place branding of the peri-urban area around the town Stagira, has resulted in the creation of Aristotle’s Grove, an outdoors theme park situated a few kilometres outside Stagira. Aristotle’s Grove combines elements of educational and outdoors recreational tourism, as it is situated in a green area, uphill, overlooking the sea and with views of close by mountains, while it contains a series of experimental, scientific and interactive instruments that visitors can play with and learn about the laws of physics and Aristotle’s writings. There is an entrance fee which is 2€ for adults and 1€ for children. The low price makes the park accessible to the majority of people.

More information: Aristotelis Grove

Good practice 2: Heritage Hikes

In Aristotelis Chalkidikis, efforts for place branding of the peri-urban area around the town Stagira, has resulted in the creation of the Aristotelian Route, an outdoors hiking pathway, connecting the new town of Stagira to the ancient city of Stagira, which is now an archaeological site. Furthermore, the Aristotelian Route is not only meant to be an individual route, but also part of a wider network of Aristotelian routes, as well as other culturally defined routes such as the Mount Athos borderline routes, and more. As such, there is a wider effort for ‘heritage hiking tourism’ in the area.

More information: Heritage Hikes

Good practice 3: The Kouzina Project

The KOUZINA program in Aristotelis Chalkidikis is an annual gastronomic festival that takes place towards the end of spring and beginning of summer. It always lasts one month and it includes a series of gastronomic events that represent the national and local culture. The festival focuses on local tradition, products and recipes and it is a vehicle for honouring the local land and the gifts it offers. The gastronomic approach includes marrying local tradition with modern gourmet creations, while always using local organic produce

More information: KOUZINA Project

Good practice 4: Women’s Cooperatives in Aristotelis

The Women’s Cooperative that is active in Aristotelis Chalkidikis is the Varvara Agricultural Association, called Dryades. The association was founded in 1998, it consists of 11 members, and it is based in Varvara Chalkidikis, within the municipality of Aristotelis. It is a partnership of housewives, who many years ago combined their strengths and culinary knowledge to create a fragrant home, with the aim of turning rich local products into a tradition and gastronomic brand. Its main traditional products include pasta, sweets, jams, liqueurs, and aromatic herbs. The women of Dryades use local raw materials, such as local milk produce, to make traditional products, such as trachana pasta, a traditional Greek recipe for pasta or local fruit produce for making jams and sweets.

More information: Women's Cooperatives