Mainalo, Mountain in Arcadia, Greece

Mainalo is a mountain range in the heart of the Peloponnese, in the Arcadia regional unit of Greece, with its highest peak called Ostrakina. The slopes are thickly covered with Greek fir and Crimean pine, giving the area a character that feels more alpine than typically Mediterranean.

The name Mainalo comes from ancient Mount Mainalos, which Pausanias described; early European travellers such as Pouqueville, Gell and Leake placed that mountain at Epano Chrepa (1,559 m), and the name spread to the whole massif. In 2011 the ancient Mount Mainalos was securely identified with Agios Ilias (1,117 m) near Asea, 15 km southwest of Tripoli. In the 19th and early 20th century the massif was known as Apano Chrepa.

The name comes from Maenalus, son of Lykaon, king of Arcadia, not from Pan; in antiquity the mountain was especially sacred to Pan, whose cult spread from Arcadia across Greece. The villages on its slopes, including Dimitsana, Stemnitsa, Lagkadia and Kolokotronis's birthplace Limpovisi, led the 1821 Revolution, supplying gunpowder from Dimitsana's mills.

The mountain is easily reached by road from Tripoli, and the network of routes through the surrounding villages stays open through most of the year. In winter, the ski center on the upper slopes draws visitors, but road conditions can change quickly, so checking before you go is worth it.

The ancient Mount Mainalos, sacred to Pan, is now placed at Ágios Ilías near Asea, about 25 km south, not at today's Mainalo. Early European travellers such as Pouqueville, Gell and Leake mistook the nearby Epano Chrepa peak for it, and the name spread to the whole massif.