Grecia in the province Alajuela is a quiet agricultural town, located only an hour drive away from San José the capital of Costa Rica. Surrounded by the mountains of the Central Valley the farmers of Grecia work the fields. The Grecia region is the main source of sugar cane for Costa Rica. A network of narrow roads leads you through the friendly rural area of Costa Rica with coffee, pineapple and sugar cane fields. But be careful not to lose the way since road signs guiding you back to Grecia are scarce. The friendly town center makes you forget the rush of the hectic city and thanks to the cool climate you can enjoy a breeze of fresh air. What makes Grecia a tourist attraction in Costa Rica is its famous metal cathedral. The history of the church of Grecia is as fascinating as the structure itself. The first church of Grecia was made of brick and clay and like many buildings in Costa Rica during the centuries was destroyed by an earthquake. The second church of Grecia was made out of wood. This time disaster struck Grecia’s church in the form of a fire and again was completely destroyed. According to the tales the people of Grecia, who learnt from these two events, they were looking for a more lasting solution when rebuilding the church. This time they chose metal as building material, hopefully resistant to the forces that had destroyed the first two churches of Grecia. In the last decade of the 19th century the metal parts for the church of Grecia were imported from Belgium in Europe and shipped to Costa Rica. Allegedly it took a decade to fund the complete transportation of all the parts to Grecia. But finally the impressive gothic styled Cathedral de la Mercedes was built in Grecia and so far has withstood the forces of nature. Combine your trip to Grecia with a visit to ‘The World of Snakes’ a serpentarium just a kilometer outside the town. More than 50 species of snake are on display, both from Costa Rica and the rest of the world. Just a small detour on the way back from Grecia to San José takes you to Sarchi, hometown of the colorful painted ox carts. So when you lay over in San José take a day tour to the Costa Rica’s green countryside of Grecia.