Temple of Apollo Epicurius in Bassae

The Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae sits at 1,150 meters elevation in the remote Arcadian highlands of the Peloponnese, reachable only by winding mountain roads with no town in sight. Designed around 420 BC by Iktinos — one of the architects of the Parthenon — it is the only ancient Greek temple known to incorporate all three classical orders: Doric on the exterior colonnade, Ionic along the interior walls, and a single Corinthian capital column, the earliest confirmed use of that order anywhere. In 1986 it became the first Greek site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. A large steel-and-canvas protective tent now encloses the ruins, lending the site an eerie, almost science-fictional quality against the stark mountain backdrop. The hike up rewards visitors with sweeping views across the ridgelines of ancient Arcadia.