Rion is the northernmost municipal unit of the Peloponnese peninsula. It stretches along the southeastern coast of the Gulf of Patras, about 7 km northeast of Patras city centre. The nearby Strait of Rio, crossed by the Rio–Antirrio bridge, separates the Gulf of Patras from the Gulf of Corinth to the east. The town is dominated by the Panachaiko mountain to the southeast.
Since Harilaos Trikoupis’ vision when he was Prime Minister of Greece one hundred years ago, Greece had the great dream of a bridge crossing the 3 km of the Corinth Gulf’s strait. In 2004, a long-standing dream became reality. The Rion – Antirion Bridge is the landmark of Greece’s 21st Century and a part of the country’s daily life which it was destined to change, thus contributing to the economic development of the area.
