Asprovalta

Near the modern town lie the ruins of a Roman station of the Via Egnatia known as Pennana.^[2] A manuscript of the Simonopetra monastery on Mount Athos records that Asprovalta was founded in the 16th century under the name Aspra Valta.

Following the Asia Minor Disaster, 54 families from Erenköy in the Troad (near ancient Ophryneion) were resettled in Asprovalta.^[3] During World War I, Erenköy had hosted a Turkish artillery unit and was bombarded by Allied naval forces.^[4] After the Armistice of Mudros (30 October 1918), many inhabitants of Erenköy were dispersed to settlements across Greece, including Athens, Lamia, Kymi, Kalamata, Tripoli, Argos, Halkida, and Crete.^[5] Most, however, eventually established themselves in Asprovalta, Kato Lakkovikia (later renamed "Ofrenio" in memory of the ancient village), and the Nicaea quarter of Piraeus.

In September 1923, 54 refugee families from Erenköy, having fled via the island of Imvros, arrived in Stavros aboard the ship Elpidoforos.

Accounts recorded from refugees describe the circumstances of their displacement and resettlement. One survivor, Konstantinos Epitropou, recalled that in 1915 residents were ordered to evacuate to Karantina, from where Greek ships such as the Granikos and Varvára transported groups to mainland ports. Some families were taken to Almyros, while others, including his own, were landed at Piraeus, with part of the group continuing to Kalamata. They remained there for about five years before resettlement in Macedonia.^[6]

Another refugee, Eleni Dialogi-Petraki, recounted that the persecution came without warning, shortly after the grape harvest. Families were told to leave town the following morning, and some, like her father, initially assumed the departure would be temporary. Refugees first gathered at Karantina, then moved to Krithia, where makeshift shacks were constructed. Later they chartered boats to Imbros, but finding the island under Turkish control, they relocated once more to Asprovalta. Initial housing there consisted of shacks and tents until more permanent dwellings could be built.^[7]

Asprovalta enjoys a sunny and warm Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa). Winter highs are around 12 °C (54 °F) while summer highs are around 32 °C (90 °F).