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ECM9 Mid-Conference Excursions

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Tour in the Chelmos-Vouraikos UNESCO Global Geopark

Spanning across the prefectures of Achaia and Corinthia, Chelmos-Vouraikos UNESCO Global Geopark is a breathtaking natural wonder shaped by geological forces over millions of years. Encompassing a vast area of approximately 647,000 acres, the geopark is defined by the dramatic landscapes of Vouraikos, Krathis, Aroanios, and Ladon rivers, as well as a diverse range of habitats supporting unique flora and fauna.

This tour will introduce participants to the park’s distinct geological formations, rich biodiversity, and historical landmarks. Depending on weather conditions—unpredictable at this time of year due to the high-altitude locations—possible stops include:

  • Mega Spilaio Monastery – Built into a towering rock formation, this centuries-old monastery is an architectural marvel set against a backdrop of awe-inspiring geology.
  • Vouraikos Gorge – A spectacular stop offering views of dramatic conglomerate cliffs while providing a chance to observe signs of mammalian life, including dormouse nest boxes and mole soil mounds.
  • Kalavryta Town – A historic town tied to significant events in Greek history, offering a glimpse into local traditions and heritage.

If the group agrees to extend the experience (weather and time permitting), an optional stop at dusk can be arranged at the natural entrance of the Cave of the Lakes, a site used by bat populations that inhabit the cave system. In this case, the return to Patras will be slightly later, with dinner in the picturesque village of Planitero, nestled among very old Oriental Plane (Platanus orientalis) trees and beside the crystal-clear springs of the Aroanios River—a perfect setting to conclude the day immersed in nature.

Tour in the Kotychi lagoons Ramsar site

The Kotychi-Strofylia Wetlands, a designated Ramsar site, form one of the most important coastal ecosystems in Greece, covering a vast area of lagoons, marshes, and a Pinus pinea forest along the northwestern Peloponnese. This diverse landscape provides a crucial habitat for numerous bird species, making it a prime destination for birdwatching and nature exploration.

This tour will give participants the opportunity to:

  • Visit the Information Center of the Management Body of the National Park of Kotychi-Strofylia Wetlands and Protected Areas of Western Peloponnese and learn about the area’s unique biodiversity, conservation efforts, and ecological significance.
  • Explore the Strofylia Pinus pinea Forest, one of the largest stone pine forests in Greece, a rare ecosystem of significant environmental value.
  • Enjoy birdwatching in the Prokopos Lagoon, one of the important stopover sites of the area for migratory birds, where flamingos, herons, and other wetland species can often be spotted.
  • Visit spots with known otter presence, as well as vole presence (in the oak forest)

Experience the coastal landscape, where freshwater meets the Ionian Sea, creating a dynamic and ever-changing environment.

Tour of Ancient Olympia and the Archaeological Museum

Step back in time and explore Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games and one of the most significant archaeological sites in Greece. Nestled in a lush valley at the confluence of the Alpheios and Kladeos rivers, Olympia was not only a center of athletic excellence but also a sacred sanctuary dedicated to Zeus.

This tour will include:

  • A guided visit to the archaeological site of Olympia, where you will walk among the ruins of the ancient stadium, the palestra, and the gymnasium, imagining the grandeur of the original Olympic Games. You will also visit the Temple of Zeus, once home to the legendary gold-and-ivory statue of Zeus—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
  • A tour of the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, which houses remarkable artifacts, including the famous statue of Hermes by Praxiteles and the impressive pediments from the Temple of Zeus. The museum offers a deeper understanding of the artistic and historical legacy of Olympia.
  • Free time to explore the modern town of Olympia, where participants can stroll through charming streets, enjoy a traditional Greek coffee, or browse local artisan shops.

Ancient Olympia was recently included among the first 20 archaeological sites in Greece studied under the ΒΙΑΣ Project, the first large-scale research initiative on the biodiversity of archaeological sites in the country. This pioneering project highlights the unique ecosystems that have flourished within Greece’s ancient ruins, bridging the gap between cultural heritage and natural history. More insights into this fascinating aspect of Olympia will be shared on-site.

This excursion combines history, culture, and exploration, offering a unique opportunity to experience the spirit of the ancient Olympic Games while admiring some of Greece’s most treasured antiquities.

Important Note for All Participants

Regardless of the excursion you choose, please be prepared for potential rainy conditions. We strongly recommend bringing:
✔ Good walking shoes (preferably waterproof)
✔ A raincoat or waterproof jacket

For those opting for the Chelmos-Vouraikos Geopark tour, please note that the altitude may make temperatures significantly lower, so warmer clothing is advisable.

Additionally, in the case of unusually bad weather, adjustments to the itinerary of all three excursions may be necessary to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.

We appreciate your understanding and look forward to sharing these unique experiences with you!

Make Your Reservation Here!

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Congress Management:

Prof. Amandine Everard

Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and BIOtechnology (WELBIO), UCLouvain, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

Bio

Amandine Everard is a researcher associate from the FNRS (Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique) at UCLouvain in Brussels, Belgium. She is professor and leading a researcher group studying the roles of gut microbes in the regulation of host metabolism and food intake at the Louvain Drug Research Institute.

She is author of more than 50 research publications in that field and her work is internationally recognized as she is part of the Highly Cited Researcher over the world.

Summary

Gut microbes: a promising therapeutic target for obesity and type-2 diabetes?

The gut microbiota is a key player involved in health and diseases. Gut microbes have been identified as important regulators of host metabolism. Therefore, different tools targeting the gut microbiota such as probiotics, are studied to reduce obesity and metabolic disorders. Probiotics have a long history of use even if a clear definition only emerged at the end the twentieth century. The more commonly exploited species are lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. Over these last years, other genus were also proposed as potential beneficial microbes and are referred as next-generation beneficial bacteria candidates. Among the potential next-generation beneficial bacteria that are under investigation in the context of obesity, Akkermansia muciniphila seems to be a promising candidate. Akkermansia muciniphila is inversely associated with obesity, diabetes, cardiometabolic diseases and low-grade inflammation. We demonstrated that this bacterium was able to counteract diet-induced obesity and metabolic disorders in mice. Nowadays, a large body of evidence also demonstrates the causal beneficial effects of Akkermansia muciniphila in several preclinical models. In order to translate these preclinical data into human applications, we administered this bacterium in volunteers suffering from overweight and metabolic syndrome. This study demonstrates that pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila was safe and well tolerated in humans. Moreover, this first exploratory study reveals that Pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila has also protectives effects on the deleterious progression of the metabolic syndrome over time in humans. In conclusion, these results support the interest of targeting gut microbes to counteract metabolic disorders.

Prof. Konstantinos Gerasimidis

Professor of Clinical Nutrition, University of Glasgow

Bio

Professor Konstantinos Gerasimidis is Professor of Clinical Nutrition. He has graduated in Nutrition and Dietetics and completed his postgraduate studies in Clinical Nutrition. During his doctoral research at the University of Glasgow, he explored the effect of exclusive enteral nutrition on the gut microbiota and nutritional status of children with Crohn’s disease; Professor Gerasimidis also leads a laboratory team which explores the role of gut microbiota and its interaction with diet in the onset, propagation, and management of acute and chronic conditions. He has a strong interest in exploring the effect of habitual diet, elimination diets and artificial nutritional support on the gut microbiota of children and adults with inflammatory bowel disease.

Summary

In the human gut resides a complex microbial community whose size is at least equal to that of the human body eucaryotic cells, but with a functional capacity which outnumbers that of the host by a number of 100. Recent evidence suggests that this microbial community, often named as the gut microbiome, is important not only for the onset of infectious disease but also for the development of non-communicable conditions, including conditions of the digestive tract. Diet is a major regulator of the human gut microbiome composition and function. However, the role of diet in the causal pathway between the gut microbiome and gastrointestinal disease can be complex. For example, in patients with coeliac disease, it is unclear if the gut microbiome plays a role in the underlying disease pathogenesis, or any changes observed are the effects of treatment with gluten free diet. Likewise, beneficial members of gut microbiome, like Bifidobacteria, have been implicated in the aetiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but treatment of active IBS symptoms with a low FODMAP diet further decreases the concentration of these species, and interventions with probiotics have had modest only effects. An exciting area of future research is whether we can use microbial signatures as prognostic markers of adverse disease outcomes in conditions, like intestinal failure, and also if dietary manipulation of the gut microbiome can control disease activity outcomes in patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Dr Siv Kjølsrud Bøhn

Associate professor, Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Bio

Siv Kjølsrud Bøhn (PhD) is Associate professor at Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Her current scientific focus on improving health via impacting the gut microbiota. Bøhn participates in various clinical trials across different patient populations, mainly taking the responsibility of trial- design and implementation and outcomes ranging from the microbiota-effects, molecular biomarkers, to method validations and measures of fatigue and health-related quality of life. Bøhn has teaching and supervision expertise within nutrition, public health, cell biology, biotechnology, and immunology.

Bøhn has a solid background molecular effects of diet interventions in different patient populations with hands-on experience from clinical trial design, trial implementation and biobanking, biomarker profiling of inflammation and gene expression analysis as well as statistics and bioinformatics.

Summary

Introducing the gut microbiota – why do we have bacteria in our guts and why are they important for health?

On all bodily surfaces that are exposed to the environment we find a complex and diverse ecosystem of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa), collectively termed the microbiota. During the last decades it has become clear that the microbes in the gut (‘the gut microbiota’), are serving many beneficial roles for our health and that disturbances in the gut microbiota are associated with the development of many different diseases. During evolution we have adapted to co-exist with the microbes using efficient strategies to keep the microbes in check in the mucosal linings. At the same time, the microbes help us to digest ‘left-over’ food components that are otherwise indigestible to us. The products of bacterial metabolism in the gut not only provide energy, but also serve other roles such as regulating the immune responses. However, we are only at the beginning of understanding how the gut microbiota and their metabolic products affect our health.

The lecture will introduce the microbiota and broadly explain why we have bacteria in our guts, what they are doing there, how we control them, how they are affected by the food that we eat and why disturbances in the microbiota may lead to diseases of various kinds.