but in places
Costa Blanca
Costa Blanca (“White Beach”) – part of the Mediterranean coast of Murcia and the Valencian province of Alicante, stretching from the city of Denia to La Manga. The main city of the coast is Alicante, next to which there is an airport.
High mountain ranges surround the Costa Blanca from the land, blocking the path of cold air masses coming from the north, and protecting the coast from sudden temperature changes. There are more than 300 sunny days a year. The warm, favorable Mediterranean climate has determined for these coastal cities a worthy place among the most popular resorts on the globe, visited by tourists at all times of the year. Continue reading
Catania – a major port
Catania is a major port located on the eastern coast of Sicily at the foot of Mount Etna, the center of the province of the same name. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is about 300 thousand people – it is the second largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.
Catania was founded by Greek colonists who arrived in Sicily in 729 BC. In the 5th century BC the cruel tyrant from Syracuse Heron I expelled the inhabitants of the city and renamed Catania to Aitna, but he was soon overthrown, and the city regained its name. In 403 BC Catania was once again ruled by Syracuse, and the inhabitants of the city were sold into slavery. A statue of Cora (Persephone) with a torch in hand made during that period has survived to this day. Continue reading
Athens
The capital of the Hellenic Republic is located in the historical region of Attica. Together with the nearest settlements and Piraeus is the Athenian agglomeration with a population of more than 3.7 million people. Due to the population of the agglomeration, the region of Attica is considered the most densely populated in Greece. The Greek capital is surrounded by mountains that influence the local climate.
Summer is hot and arid, with occasional rainfall, winter is warm and humid with sparse snow and frost. In spring, the weather is changeable, but in April and March hot days can fall with air temperature +28 – 30 degrees. May is a period of flowering and riot of greenery, which begins to fade under the bright sun in the summer months. The swimming season here opens in May-June and lasts almost until the end of October, when the sea temperature begins to drop below +23 degrees. Athens’ access to the sea – the Saronic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, separating Attica from the Peloponnese. Continue reading
