Kutaisi & the Golden Fleece

3-min read

Kutaisi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world — capital, in its day, of Colchis, the kingdom where Greek myth sent Jason and the Argonauts to steal the Golden Fleece. On its hill stands 11th-century Bagrati cathedral, built under the king who first united Georgia.

The myth has a glittering real-world root: in the mountain rivers of this region, gold was traditionally panned by pinning sheepskins to the streambed — pull one out after a while and it is literally a golden fleece.

🎒 The morning walk is short — if the green market is open as you pass, dive in: spice mountains, churchkhela strings and free tastings.