Areopoli is a town in the Mani region in the south of Peloponnese in Greece. It is known from the 18th century, when Mavromichalis family members were among the pioneers who revolted against the Ottomans on March 17th, 1821. During the 20th century, a big part of the population from...
After extended sightseeing, we drove a few kilometers to the north to Pori beach. It is one of the longest beaches in the Peloponnese, with an excellent view of old Monemvasia and its fortress. Its two kilometers long beach, mainly sandy with small pebbles, the south bеach end has sоme...
Surrounded by the teal waters of the Aegean Sea, imposing Monemvasia is an iceberg-like slab of rock, with sheer cliffs rising hundreds of meters from the sea, linked to the mainland by a single, highly defensible 200 meters long causeway. While uninhabited in antiquity, the rock may have...
On the way to the south, we stopped for an overnight at the largest beach in Laconia located just two kilometers from the town of Gythion. It is six kilometers long sandy beach with small pebbles. It gets livelier in summer, but thanks to its size, it never gets overcrowded. We parked...
We spent a night in the modern little town of Sparta to recover from climbing ancient Mystras. In the evening, we had our favorite gyros, then we found a lovely pastry shop with excellent ice cream and after that, we washed it all down with a beer in a trendy bar. The next morning we took...
Former Byzantine capital and fortified city Mystras is spread over a steep mountainside of Mt. Taygetos and surrounded by verdant olive and orange trees. It is the single most compelling set of medieval ruins in Greece (entrance 12 EUR). Treading the cobblestones, worn smooth by centuries...
At a tranquil location with a panoramic view, scattered with antiquities, at the plain of Thirea, at a small distance from Astros, is located Loukous Monastery. It is built at the location of ancient Eva, at the ruins of the temple of Polemokrates, which during the Early Christian period...
We made a relaxed overnight at the gravel car park next to the sandy beach in Arcadia, just four kilometers from Paralio Astros. We arrived there in the evening and parked next to the scary abandoned church, but the ghosts were friendly and let us sleep. The next morning we got a...
We spent the afternoon in the small charming city of Nafplio. It occupies a knockout waterside location beneath the towering Palamidi fortress and is graced with attractive narrow streets, elegant Venetian houses, neoclassical mansions, and interesting museums. It’s also chock-full of...
In a small valley in the Peloponnesus, the shrine of Asklepios, the god of medicine, developed out of a much earlier cult of Apollo (Maleatas), during the 6th century BC at the latest, as the official cult of the city-state of Epidaurus. Its principal monuments, particularly the temple of...