THE Greeks may have won Euro 2004, but now they're singing about the Olympics coming home - so I took a trip back in time to where it all began in this most historic of lands nearly 3,000 years ago.

Visitors to Ancient Olympia are immersed in an age when men were men and grappled naked for the pleasure of the gods and the glory of their village, while only the bravest of women dared sneak into the arena for a peek.

Records suggest the first Games were held in the year 776BC at this site, which already boasted the temples of the gods Zeus and Hera, on the mainland's south-west peninsula, the Peloponnese.

The comfortable way to get there today is a flight to Kalamata, and a one hour transfer by car. Held every four years (an Olympiad), the games honoured the supreme god Zeus. Three thousand years ago, competitors came from all corners of the Classical Greek world.

Today Ancient Olympia is an historical site, about 20ft below road level, where guides show you around museums, ancient statues and temples which lie in ruins.

At first there was just one event, a sprint, and visitors today set foot on the very track, almost 200m long, to imagine a cheering 40,000 crowd embanked on either side. Receiving only a wreath, winners wanted for nothing ever again on returning home.

The rulers ordered that these displays of masculinity should be unclothed despite the blazing heat. When other events were introduced - including pankration, an early version of ultimate fighting in which strangulation and savage blows to the genitals were common tactics - suffering and death walked hand-in-hand with triumph and exaltation.

The naked spectacle was ruled unsuitable for women to watch. One determined woman caught sneaking in to see her son compete was only spared because he was a champion.

A guided tour of the ruins gives some idea of the historical importance of the Ancient Olympics.

They lasted for more than 1,000 years, until the Romans banned them and burned the hallowed temples. The wooden structures perished but the stone pillars survived, as did the Olympian concept and the language. Words such as athlete, gymnast and even restaurant originate from this single site.

Also, if you've ever had to fork out a small fortune for a pair of trainers, you might be interested to know the word Nike (victory) is another Olympian survivor.

An earthquake eventually sent the pillars crashing to the ground, where they lay forgotten and buried for the best part of two millennia until they were discovered in 1766, after which the site was excavated.

Now you can walk among them - some uprighted again, others left where they were toppled - and through the tunnel into the stadium itself. Surviving statues of gods and rulers take pride of place in Ancient Olympia's museum.

Since Athens 1896 - when the Games were revived in their modern form - through to Athens 2004 and beyond, the site has become the starting point for humanity's greatest celebration, with the journey of the Olympic flame to the host city beginning here.

You'll need a seaside base from which to explore Ancient Olympia and the countless other treasures in this corner of the mainland.

The Aldemar Olympian Village Hotel - about 12 miles from Ancient Olympia - is a complex of bungalows, suites and family apartments, with dozens of swimming pools, plus gourmet restaurants, buffets and bars.

It is set on a sweeping, sandy bay at Skafidia, near the town of Pyrgos.

Spend a day or two on the beach, gazing out at the islands of Zakynthos (Zante) and Kefallonia, or choose from water-sports or land-based activities.

This area of mainland Greece, the Helis region of the western Peloponnese, is full of surprises.

Marvel at the views from mountain villages such as Kallithea - which means beautiful view. Or brave the steep, winding road down into the valley of Erymanthos and the tiny hamlet of Elea, where a short trek across a river bridge and through the olive groves delivers you to a hidden glade and the delights of a waterfall.

For a spot of island-hopping, ferries to Zakynthos and Kefallonia sail from Kylini, about half-an-hour's drive from the hotel. The Zykanthos crossing takes little more than an hour and costs as little as five Euros (about £3).

For tourists with any sense of history, Ancient Olympia wins by some distance.

As the Greek poet Pindar wrote in the 5th century BC: "As in the daytime there is no star in the sky warmer and brighter than the sun, likewise there is no competition greater than the Olympic Games."

Nobody will put it better as the finest athletes in the world return again to Greece.

TRAVELFACTS

Andy Clayton was a guest of Manos Holidays, and seven nights' half-board at the Aldemar Olympian Village Hotel starts at £521 per person next summer with Manos Holidays, a specialist operator to Greece.

Tours of Ancient Olympia can be booked on arrival at the hotel.

For further details on holidays in Greece contact your local ABTA travel agent.