The mountainous volume of Chortiatis starts between Lake Koronia and Thessaloniki and heads southeast, penetrates into the northern Chalkidiki and almost joins with the north-westerner part of Holomontas. Its highest peak is Kissos with an altitude of 1,201 meters. The mountain was called Kissos in antiquity as well, a name which is said to derive from King Kisseas. The point of view of Hesychius, shared also by Xenophon and Strabo, is that it came from Kissoeis, which meant that the mountain has had much ivy (kissos in Greek). Thessaloniki, located nearby for centuries, made the mountain a co-walker of the City of Cassandrus. Many settlements came to light in excavations on the mountain, which was inhabited since prehistoric times, became a place of monasticism in the Byzantine period, a summer resort in the Turkish rule. Today, the mountain is a place for family walks, especially during autumn when visitors gather chestnuts and lots of mushrooms.