What I can see

Penteli is the second highest mountain of Athens, with an altitude of 1,109m., and is located on the northeast side of the city, 12km from the centre. Despite enormous housing pressures and numerous catastrophic fires, more than 1,100 species of plants, 80 species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and an endemic species of locust live here. Located here are 3 small churches and the Cave of Davelis, which is a place where the god Pan was worshipped but – as legend has it – bears the name of the robber who used the cave as a hideout. Additionally, the mountain offers climbing routes, most of high difficulty, there is a hiking path of about two hours, and a small waterfall to the side of Pikermi.

What I can't see

The original name of the mountain was Vrilissos. It got the name Penteli from the endemic plant Verbascum Pentelicum. It is famous for its marble, which was used to build the Acropolis. Quarrying over the centuries, and most importantly the dozens of quarries that were developed during the 20th century, altered the mountains terrain significantly and concequently its flora. Today, only the Dionysos quarry still operates. Despite the enormous pressures the mountain has undergone, there is still fauna such as rabbits, partridges and foxes. In the past, there were jackals and lush forests. During the Mesozoic Period (230 to 65 million years ago), there was also the mesopithecus pentelicus. In the neighbouring Pikermi area, a huge variety of fauna of the same period has been found, from machairodous, hyenas and rhinos, to antelopes and giraffes. The rock of the mountain allows for the formation of streams, some of which reach inside the present city, such as those of Chalandri and Filothei.

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