Category Archives: sights

Chlemoutsi Castle

20 Friday Jun 2014

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Chlemoutsi Castle

Chlemoutsi Castle

(48.24 km – approx. 51 mins from Katakolon)

This beautiful medieval castle stands on the summit of a hill on the westernmost headland of the Peloponnese. It was built between 1220/1230 by the Frankish prince Geoffrey I de Villehardouin and was the strongest fortress in the Frankish principate of Achaia.

Chlemoutsi Castle

Upon arrival in the nearby picturesque village of Kastro (which means Castle in Greek), take your time to enjoy a Greek coffee in one of the traditional kafeneia. Make sure you use the toilet facilities in the kafeneion since there are only chemical toilettes at the site and are closed most of the time. From the main plateia (square) it is another 5 minutes on foot up the hill or a few minutes by car.

The location chosen for the castle was due to strategic purposes. From the top of the hill Chlemoutsi protected the famous commercial port of Glarentza (now Kyllini) and the capital of the Principate, Andravida, and controlled the area that formed the core of the Frankish possessions in the Morea  (Morea is a corruption of the word for mulberry tree in Greek (mouria).  This was the name given to the Peloponnese in medieval times since there were so many mulberry trees.

The castle consists of two enclosures: the outer Enclosure which is polygonal in shape and the Interior Enclosure.

Access to the core of the castle, where the prince’s palace was located, was via one gate, which led, through a vaulted passage, into the central inner courtyard.

chlemoutsi castle

Admire the stone catapult projectiles which were once used to defend the castle. Huge cisterns for collecting the rainwater under the ground provided the castle with water in times of siege since there was no well. The complex was arranged in 6 wings, 5 of which are two-storey.

The ground floor was where the stables, staff rooms, storerooms and workshops were. The upper storey was the princely residence. There were private apartments, kitchens, a chapel and the bedrooms. The princess’ bedroom has now been converted into a beautiful museum. The bedroom of the princess has a beautiful fireplace (the first in Greece) and two large light-windows with seats and, of course, the built-in closets.

Built-in cupboard at Chlemoutsi Castle

After your visit to the castle, on your way back, make sure you make a stop at Arkoudi beach (near Kyllini) for lunch or a coffee.

wineries

10 Saturday May 2014

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wineries near katakolon

 

Domaine Mercouri

(3 km  –  approx. 7 mins  from Katakalon)

Site

The setting of this boutique winery is incredible; near the sea in a setting which has been officially recognized by the Greek government as an area of outstanding beauty. Take your time to stroll around.

boutique winery

Domaine Mercouri

The old family house is a little spooky and is inhabited by a 95-year-old woman and her housekeeper. You can visit the old stables, which are filled with antique farm equipment and the wine cellars with the French oak barrels.

mercouri main house

old family house

Take a picture of the very small family church and pet the dogs (the huge St Bernard dog is Lara, she’s very drooly and that’s why she is behind a fence). It is part vineyard and part zoo since there are numerous peacocks, turtles, cats and their most recent acquisitions are the little Skyrian horses, a Greek breed.

a Greek horse breed

Skyrian horses

The estate grows more than 15 varieties of grape of both Greek and international origin, from which the wines are produced.
In addition to the production of wines and olive oil, the Mercouri Estate also welcomes large and small parties of friends of nature and wine. Tours allow for the possibility to visit the wine production facilities, vineyards and olive groves of the estate, as well as the small folklore museum which houses a collection of old rural tools and instruments. Guests are also permitted to walk among the trees and to the beach and come into contact with the beautiful nature that surrounds the estate. Tours end with a sampling of products from the estate under old pine trees, with a view of the Ionian Sea and the island of Zante and the possibility for guests to purchase Mercury estate products.

 
The Mercouri Estate is open daily (except Sundays) between the hours of 09.00 and 15.00

mercouri estate

peacocks on the estate

monasteries

28 Friday Mar 2014

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The medieval monastery of Skafidia

(9.64 km – approx. 13 mins from Katakolon)

The beautiful medieval monastery of Skafidia is now actually a nunnery. Rumour has it that members of the church hierarchy had their differences about “earthy issues” thus, eventually resulting in the monastery being converted.

From the outside, this monastery looks like a fortress. Once you are inside, wander around in the open courtyard and admire the old katholikon (main church) where you can see frescos in the narthex dating back to the 10th century AD.

This monastery can be visited in the morning hours (10.00 – 13.00). As in other monasteries, there is a dress code here as well; for the ladies, it is appreciated if you wear a skirt and have your shoulders covered up; for the men, please no shorts or shirts without sleeves.

Unfortunately, the nuns living here are a little grumpy. They get friendlier once you make a little donation to the church where you can light a candle. Just leave a euro or 2 and light a candle for your beloved persons.

Apart from its remarkable architecture, it houses many treasures, such as sacred vessels, vestments, reliquaries, uniforms, weapons, photographs, coins, votive offerings including the banner of the Monastery, the image of the Virgin Mary hand sewn in fine needlework.

Important is the archive of the monastery and library with many manuscripts, referring to liturgy, music, icon painting and other subjects.

 

day trips

23 Sunday Mar 2014

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Ancient Messene

History

Messene was founded in 369 BC by the Theban general Epaminondas following his victory at Leuktra. It was part of the strategic barrier against Sparta, the southernmost of a chain of walled cities including Megalopolis and Argos; these 3 strongholds had to confine Sparta to its own borders once and for all.

In the previous centuries the Spartans had given the Messenians a hard time. Since they were busy with becoming good warriors all the time, they needed other people (servants!) to provide them with their daily bread. In the 8th century BC, they crossed the Taygetos Mountains and invaded the fertile area of Messenia. The people who were living there became slaves and a lot of them fled and settled in other areas all around the Mediterranean. When Sparta was finally defeated in 369 BC, the Theban general Epaminondas invited the Messenians, who had been exiled from the area centuries before, to come back and build the city of dreams!

The ruins might not draw many tourists although it is a remarkable. The charming town of Mavromati sits above the ruins of ancient Messene and provides an exceptional view of the valley all the way to the coast. Systematical excavations of the site began only 25 years ago and continue up to this day.

Site

You will enter this city through one of the original city gates just like ancient travellers did 2300 years ago. The 9 km long city wall is among the best preserved city walls all over Greece. At some points they reach a height of 7 meters.

Once in the archaeological site, take your time to admire the theatre. After 1700 years of silence, the theatre was reopened last summer with a beautiful opera gala. When the archaeologist first started the excavations, they were discouraged. The theatre was practically nonexistent, the only thing left were some retaining walls.

The restoration of the theatre lasted more than 20 years. The archaeologists managed to reunite the scattered pieces and put more than 2000 seats into place. Works at the cavea have not been completed yet. Now it has been restored up to its 15th row. After its completion the capacity is estimated to reach 5000 seats which is half the capacity it had in antiquity.

Other places of interest are the agora, (the town’s large market area), the town’s central shrine and the very impressive stadium and gymnasium which form one architectural unit, an architectural rarity.

From here you will have a breathtaking view over the Messenian plain.

Tip: After your visit of the site, have lunch in the tavern just opposite the spring in the charming town of Mavromati .It is situated  above the ruins of Ancient Messene and provides an exceptional view of the valley all the way to the coast.

day trips

23 Sunday Mar 2014

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Temple of Apollo Epikourios

History

In the beginning of the 7th century BC, the Spartans captured Phigaleia and the inhabitants abandoned their city to save themselves. They consulted the oracle of Delphi to learn how they could recover their city. The oracle told them that they had to fight the Spartans hiring one hundred warriors from a neigbouring city and that god Apollo would help them as well. When the people of Phigaleia were restored to their homeland, they wished to thank Apollo for assisting them in returning to their native city. Thus, 8 km from their city they built, on a natural plateau, a temple dedicated to the god (Apollo the Helper). The first temple of Apollo Epikourios was made of wood. A few centuries later, during the fifth century BC, when Apollo saved them once more from the plague, the inhabitants decided to call Ictinus, the architect from Athens, to build them a new temple so as to satisfy Apollo once more.

Site

This remote temple is situated high up in the mountains at a height of 1130 m. The fact that it is so well preserved has partly to do with the inaccessibility of the area. In other areas they would have used the temple material to build their houses or churches. The temple escaped both these fates since it was not easy to get here. In the autumn of 1987, the monument was covered with a temporary canopy. The tent was constructed to protect the temple against the elements (weather can be quite rough at this altitude).

The temple, as we see it today, was built during the 5th century BC by the very famous architect from Athens, Ictinus (the same architect who built the Parthenon).

The building material used for the temple is the local limestone and what makes this building really special is that it combines all three architectural orders (Doric, Ionic and Corinthian).

Apart from all the special architectural features of the temple, it is worth seeing how technology has been applied in order to preserve the temple. For example, a network of special devices has been set in place to record seismic events and the behavior of the individual parts. If you decide to visit, ask the guard to show you the documentary which explains everything about the restoration project.

pyrgos

19 Wednesday Mar 2014

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Municipal Museum of Pyrgos

Before entering the Municipal Museum of Pyrgos, make sure you walk around this beautiful neoclassical building and admire one of Ernst Ziller’s architectural accomplishments. What used to be the city’s marketplace, now houses many impressive finds from this prefecture.

See the boar’s tusk helmet; a similar one (according to Homer) would have been worn by Odysseus. Admire the costume jewellery from the late bronze era (1600-1200bc). These pieces are 3000 year old but they would sit proudly on the style pages of a glossy magazine.

Other findings really worthy of seeing are the ancient “safety-pins” and the ancient “thylastra”, baby feeding bottles.

ancient elis

18 Tuesday Mar 2014

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Ancient Elis

History

Ancient Elis (58 km from Olympia) was the city which had, under its supervision, the organization of the Olympic Games. One month before the games, all the athletes and trainers had to gather there to train under the supervision of the local judges. They would see if the athletes were good enough, otherwise they were excluded from the Games, and they would divide them into categories. Of course, in those times, they didn’t have birth certificates, so they would determine which category they belonged to from their built and body hair. Two days before the Games began, a procession set out from this city-state and all the athletes and trainers had to walk the whole distance to Olympia (58 km).  Imagine how tiring it must have been to walk such a distance before even competing in the stadium.

This procession was meant as spiritual cleansing, to prepare themselves psychologically for the religious games they were about to take part in.

Site

At the site, the remains are scattered and, with the exception of the theatre, considerably neglected. There are also remains of training facilities, a marketplace (agora) and roman baths.

During the summer a theatre festival takes place here and people from all over the area have the opportunity to watch ancient tragedies, comedies etc. under the moonlight.

Museum

Find out that women in antiquity were just as vain as they are today since a large number of bronze mirrors and jewellery pieces were found in the archaeological site.

olympia

16 Sunday Mar 2014

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Olympia

History

Olympia is the place where the very first Olympic Games were organized. These Games were held in honour of Zeus, once every four years, as part of a religious festival. They were greatly respected and even had the power to suspend wars for a period of three months.

In the beginning these games had a local character and only Greeks from the area of Olympia could take part. Over time, however, they got a Pan-Hellenic character and Greeks from all over the then known Greek world would travel to Olympia in order to be part of this feast. The highest moral award for an Olympic winner was a wreath made out of the branches of a wild olive tree. Victory symbolized by a wreath meant rather more than sponsors, deals and advertising campaigns. The Olympic winners won immortal fame.

The archaeological site

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to run the original Olympic track. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity! Other spots of interests are the training facilities where the athletes would warm up their muscles, the hotel for VIPs’ only and the place where the Olympic flame is lit twice every four years.

The archaeological museum

The Archaeological Museum of Olympia houses the most important finds of the excavations, which began in 1875 by the German archaeologists.

Some of the highlights are the original marble sculptures of the Zeus temple, the metopes of the temple which depict the 12 labours of Hercules (the idol of all muscle –men in ancient times), the Nike statue and the late-classical Hermes statue which has the perfect proportions. Don’t forget to walk around the statue because his “behind” is really worthy of seeing as well. Other finds of interest are the ancient “strigils”, scrapers. In ancient times the athletes would get really dirty since they would rub themselves with olive oil and sand to protect their skin from the sun. After training they would use these scrapers as a kind of peeling.

Hermes of Praxiteles

The museum of the history of the Olympic Games

Here you will find “ancient Playmobil”, small stylized statuettes of animals which were actually the offerings of the poor people. If you didn’t have the money to sacrifice a real animal to Zeus, you could buy a little votive offering at one of the ancient souvenir stands in Olympia and dedicate this to Zeus.

katakolon

14 Friday Mar 2014

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Katakolon

History

Today Katakolon, also known as Katakolo, is a little picturesque fishing village where many cruise ships anchor in order to give their guests the opportunity to visit Olympia. Imagine that all the shops on the main street only open whenever there is a cruise ship. On all other days the shops are closed here and it’s virtually a ghost town.

Until the end of the 19th century, this little harbor was very important for the export of the little black currants to the countries of Western Europe. Unfortunately, the currant trade collapsed and now the package houses which once stored the currants have been converted into souvenir shops.

It was also used as a gateway to Olympia for the early travellers. Oscar Wilde was here and even wrote a beautiful poem as he approached the shore. He came to visit Olympia and claims to have been present the very moment the statue of Hermes was unearthed. This was probably wishful thinking but it is a fact that he was expelled from University since he came back late, from his visit to Olympia, to sign up for the semester.

katakolon-port-history

Museums

Museum of ancient Greek technology

Discover the ancient Greek world as soon as you greet Katakolon Port. Only 150 meters from the pier, you will find the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology. So, take a walk beyond the souvenir shops and take a walk back in time to uncover the mystery of “how it was all done.”  Enjoy live demonstrations of the ancient Greek devices and inventions in this internationally acclaimed museum which functions under the auspices of the Municipality of Pyrgos. Many of the exhibits have been transported for exclusive exhibitions to museums from neighbouring Cyprus to distant Australia. All the exhibits have been constructed by just one man, Kostas Kotsanas, through 20 years of assiduous research and study of the ancient Greek and Latin literature, Arabic manuscripts, vase paintings and the relative archaeological finds.

This unique museum, situated next to the Katakolon railway station, includes approximately 250 functional reproductions of ancient Greek devices and inventions. The complexity will be simplified during the live demonstrations of the wondrous technological achievements of the ancient Greek civilization. The exhibits range from the catapults used by Alexander the Great, the first clock, Plato’s alarm clock and the first automatic vending machine to the first robot, the first “cinema” and the first computing device in history. These exhibits cover the period from 2000 BC to the end of the ancient Greek world. It is the most comprehensive and credible museum of its kind worldwide. Its aim is to prove that the technology of the ancient Greeks, towards the end of their world, was shockingly similar to the beginning of our modern technology.

Museum of Ancient Greek Technology

Museum of ancient Greek musical instruments

This fascinating museum, located next to the Katakolon church, houses 42 ancient Greek musical instruments. Admire the ancient Greek instruments as you listen to an ancient song of love on the hydraulis (ancient organ), observe the harp of Sappho who played as she recited her renowned poems, become enchanted by the myth of Hermes’ lyre, witness the grandeur of Appollo’s guitar, see the stringed instruments which accompanied symposiums and Dionysian rituals and study the monochord of Pythagoras.

THE LYRE of HERMES
HERMES WAS ONE OF THE MANY SONS OF ZEUS AND EVEN AS A BABY IT WAS CLEAR THAT HE WAS GOING TO BE CRAFTY BEYOND COMPARE AND A SLY GOD.
WHILE STILL A TODDLER, HE STROLLED OUTSIDE HIS CAVE SEEKING A PLAYTHING. AFTER FINDING A TORTOISE AND PLAYING WITH IT FOR A DAY (A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A GOD COULD BE EQUIVALENT TO A CENTURY FOR HUMANS), THE TORTOISE, UNFORTUNATELY, DIED. DISTRAUGHT BY HIS LOSS, HE DECIDED TO KEEP HIS COMPANION FOREVER BY TURNING HIM INTO A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. HE THEN TOOK THE SHELL AND A FEW SHEEP INTENSTINES AND CREATED THE LYRE.
APOLLO’S KITHARA (GUITAR)
WHEN HERMES WAS OLDER (PROBABLY A DAY OR SO IN GOD YEARS), HE STOLE SOME OXEN FROM HIS HALF-BROTHER APOLLO AND HID THEM SO WELL THAT APOLLO NEEDED ALL HIS ORACULAR TALENTS AND TECHNIQUES TO FIND THEM. IN THE MEANTIME HE GOT HUNGRY, SLAUGHTERED ONE OF THE OXEN, AND ATE THE MEAT. SOON, APOLLO DISCOVERED HIS WHEREABOUTS AND, OBVIOUSLY ANGRY AS A RAGING BULL, CONFRONTED THE THIEF. HERMES, USING HIS CUNNING INSTINCT, PLAYED A TUNE FOR HIM ON HIS LYRE. DRAWN BY THE BEAUTY OF THE TUNE, APOLLO SOFTED.  HERMES THEN OFFERED APOLLO HIS PRECIOUS LYRE AS A GIFT OF RECONCILIATION. APOLLO THEN DEVELOPED THIS MAGICAL INSTRUMENT FURTHER INTO THE MAJESTIC KITHARA (GUITAR) WE KNOW TODAY.

Experience the hidden gems that await you in Katakolon for a most enthralling and memorable visit.