Sample Trip: 10 Days in the Amazing Peloponnese
Messinia & Arcadia, Peloponnese: The land of Odysseus & Pan, Ancient wonders, Venetian Fortresses, delicious food & wine, gorgeous seas & lovely mountain villages.
Messinia will take your breath away. This is a land filled with contrasting landscapes of olive groves, waterfalls and beautiful coves with sandy beaches and crystal turquoise sea. There are also many historical sites to visit, including Bronze Age Nestor’s Palace with exciting new finds and a recently opened archaeological site, Ancient Messene – an entire city in existence for more than 1000 years in extraordinary condition and the mesmerizing Medieval Fortresses of Methoni, Koroni and Pylos, each situated next to the sea, offering amazing views and with its own story to tell.
Stemnitsa, Arcadia is a village that will charm you with its stone tall houses, the natural green landscape, its location between the fir forest of Mainalo and the gorge Lousios. Nearby Byzantine churches, Ancient sacred sites and lovely walking trails are enchanting—and the food is amazing!
Trip Highlights:
Fanari or Tripito – Lighthouse
At the top of the little island there is a marble column, in honour of the French allies who were killed during the Navarino battle. Forty-five miles southwest there is the deepest point in the whole Mediterranean, called the Oinouses trench, with a depth of more than 5,000 m. From the northern part of the island all the way to the lagoon called Divari, stretches the island of Sfaktiria, acting as a seawall for the Navarino Bay . On the way you may see the memorial of the Greeks who were killed during the holocaust of Sfaktiria in 1825 as well the Santa-Rosa monument, the great Italian philhellene.
There is also the Russian memorial and the Russian style church of St. Nicolas, which was built in 1997 to commemorate the Russian allied who were killed here. At the same spot there is also the Greek church of the Ascension.
The Little Turtle (Helonaki)
A small island right in the middle of the bay which has its name derived from the shape of a turtle. There, was build the Anglican memorial again to the memory of the British allies killed here.
During the summer months swimming is a frequent pastime.
