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Olympia ...
... Olympia lies nestled among the trees of a well-watered spot of the western Peloponnese. The ancient Greeks believed that this unique site was sacred to the gods, Zeus and Hera, and set it aside as a sanctuary in their honor. The sanctuary contains the ruins of numerous treasuries of the Greek city-states, a Temple of Hera, the magnificent Temple of Zeus, which housed the statue of the god that was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and, of course, the Olympic stadium, in which the ancient Olympic Games were held for over 1,000 years every four years from their inception in 776 BC in honor of Zeus. Visitors today can draw inspiration from the ancient Greeks (just as the founders of the modern Olympics did) and pay homage to the spirit of athletic competition by running a "stade" (about 200 yards) in the ancient stadium.
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