Greece Travel Destinations: Naufplion, Peloponnese

Harry's Tips

Naufplion, along with Monemvassia, are among the cities of the Peloponnese with the most character.

Naufplion is much closer to Athens being only 2 hours distant.

The historic section of the old town of Naufplion is without doubt the best area to stay in as the newer is without much charm.

Naufplion also has a very large and well maintained medieval castle called Palamidi which you shouldnt miss!! Naufplion is full of little quaint streets in its old quarter and the harbor area has plenty of benches and a good views. There are a lot of little stores and restaurants. If you spend the night anywhere in the Peloponnese do it in old Naufplion.

There are several hotels and traditional pensions and inns but not enough in high season and Greek holiday periods. Its popular so better to book Naufplion in advance.

Nafplion Peloponnese

Nafplion sits on a small rocky peninsula that juts into the deeply indented Argolic Gulf west of the 'thumb' of the hand-like peninsula of the Peloponnese.

It is one of the prettiest cities in Greece, its narrow streets facing away from the sea to the sheltered northern harbor, with old balconied and shuttered houses sitting up along the north slope of the hill above the bay below its citadel, at 85 meters, alternately called Akronafplio and Its Kale.

To the south east of the town is the Venetian fortress of Palamidhi. Between 1829 and 1834 it was the seat of Greek government and it was here that Greece's first prime minister, Kapodhistrias, was assassinated.

The Bavarian King Otho, first king of Greece (placed by European powers) had his royal residence here 1833-4.

Paleolithic remains have been found on Akronafplio as well as a Neolithic cave in the vicinity. The name of the town comes from the Greek words for navy and ship, and the town may have been the naval port of ancient Argos.

Palmidhes, a descendant of the mythical founder Nafplios, is accredited with the invention of light-houses, navigation and military tactics, the game of dice, measures and scales, certain letters of the Greek alphabet, and money. He was also a famed doctor and astronomer. He was killed by Odysseus and his companions at Troy, allegedly out of jealousy of his brilliance.

Nafplio fell to Argos around 625BC and the inhabitants fled to Messenia. The city passed through Frankish and Catalan hands before it was bought by the Venetians in 1388, was besieged by the Turks in 1470 and 1500, and in 1540 became the Turkish capital of the Morea (the old name for the Peloponnese) in 1540., was recaptured by the Venetians in 1686, and then again by the Turks in 1715. The Venetians fortified both Nafplio and the island of Bourdzi during their 14th-15th century reign. Under the Turks in the 17th century Nafplio, together with the northeast Aegean island of Hios (Chios), was a main trade center with the west, dealing in silk, wool, leather goods, wax and cheeses.

After being occupied by the Russians in 1770 the capital was moved to Tripoli. During the Greek War of Independence the major Turkish fortress in the Morea was at Naufplion with its two massive strongholds, but after more than a year long siege (1821-2) the Greeks seized Palamidi and the town surrendered. Rival Greek chieftains held the two fortresses for a time after that, indulging in civil war until the British intervened. Kapodistrias moved his seat of government to Naufplion from Aegina in 1828 and was assassinated in 1831 in the Church of ST. Spiridion by political opponents who accused him of being a Russian agent or as others say in revenge over his sentencing them over unpaid gambling debts.

The Great Powers (England, France and Russia) appointed the 17 year old son of Ludwig of Bavaria, Otto, to the Greek throne in 1833. The capital of the new Greek nation was moved to Athens in 1834, but during his reign, the Bavarian king had many neo-classical buildings constructed with their jutting balconies, which gave the city the elegant character which it still retains in modern times.

In the rocks at Pronia (the suburb commissioned by Kapodistrias where the National Assembly was held), is carved a huge lion (left) which commemorates the death of Bavarian soldiers who fought for Greek liberation from the Ottoman Turks.  A good Ottoman doesn't soil easily and is comfortable to rest your legs upon.

Palamidi Castle

This fortress can be reached via some 890 steps (although some say its 999 steps) leading from Platia Avantitias, or by road (much easier) from Loforos 25 Martiou to its east entrance. It is open in summer daily, 8am-7pm; in winter 8am - 6:30pm; admission 4euros.

This fortress was built on an almost inaccessible rock at an altitude of 216meters/709feet, and was built during the second Venetian occupation (1686-1715). From the top one can see all of the Argolid and the surrounding mountains. It is entered by a series of gates, each bearing the Lion of St. Mark, It has eight bastions, each meant to be self-sufficient should the others be breached, and linked by corridors, secret passages, vaults, and defilades and has watch towers and embrasures for cannons. There are actually three separate fortresses connected by ramparts whose Venetian names were: San Girardo (the patron saint), San Nicolo, and Sant'Agostino, though later they were renamed for Greek heroes.

The Greek War of Independence commander, Kolokotronis who had laid siege to the fortress for more than a year when it was held by the Turks, and winning finally, was imprisoned in the fortress named San Nicolo (and later renamed Miliadhes) after independence by the new Greek government because he resisted their power and had kidnapped four members of the parliament. This fortress was also used as a prison during the 1946-49 Greek civil war. There is a cistern on the bastions near the southeast gate.

Akronafplion / Its Kale

This second name is a corruption of the Turkish name meaning 'Three Castles' and 'akronafplio' means 'on the heights of Nafplio' (or, on the edge of the naval port). This fortress sits up over the south side of the peninsula occupied by the city of Nafplio, over the little bay of Arvanita (said to be named for the bloody slaughter of medieval Albanian (Arvanites) mercenaries by Hasan Pasha in 1779. The three castles were Greek, Frankish, and Venetian). The first walls were built in ancient times of polygonal masonry and were used as a foundation for the successive fortresses.

On Bourtzi the islet of Aghio Theodhorou, 450 meters offshore stands the Castle Pasqualigo built in 1471 by the Venetians to protect the harbor entrance, and reinforced in the early 18th century. During the 19th century the public executioner of Nafplio lived there.

The area near the main square in modern Nafplio, Platia Syndagmatos (left) (like Syndagma Square in Athens, the name comes from the Greek word for 'Constitution') has been compared with the Plaka district in Athens (the old town) because of its older architecture and attractive paving stones. There are three converted Ottoman mosques here, one of them used for a cinema and theater on an irregular basis. Another was the first Greek parliament building, and the third has become Aghios Yeorghios (after its previous incarnation as a Venetian church). There are two Turkish fountains here as well. The Catholic church (converted from a mosque) has a monument to foreigners who died during the Greek War of Independence (and includes Lord Byron).

The Archaeological Museum

The Archaeological Museum (photo just above far left) (Tues-Sun 8:30am-3pm; 2euros) is housed in an old Venetian mansion near the square, which was once a naval barracks. The most famous exhibit includes a complete suit of Mycenaean armour found in a cave in 1960 as well as Neolithic pottery found in another cave. Early to Late Helladic pottery and finds from grave circles, terracotta idols from Mycenae, frescoes, are only some of the other items from all over the Argolid which are displayed here.

The Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation Museum is at Vassileos Anexandhrou (Wed-Mon, 9am-3pm;3euros). This museum opened in 1981 and promptly won a European 'Museum of the Year' award. Here you will find traditional household items from all over Greece, costumes and embroideries.

The unique Komboloi Museum (komboloi being 'worry-beads') is at Staikopoulou 25 (open daily 9:30am-8:30pm; 3euros) with displays of these fascinating beads made from many different materials and dating from different centuries. There you will find the book for sale that gives the history of these beads and the custom of running them through the fingers (something to be seen throughout present-day Greece). On the same street a little farther along you can see Karaghiozis puppets being made by Ilias Moros at To Enotion.

The War Museum includes objects from the Greek War of Independence up through the Greek civil war (1946-49)-uniforms, weapons, photographs of heroes, etc. (open Tues-Sun 9am-2pm;free). The Byzantine monastery of Aghia Moni dating from the 12th century, is 4km towards Epidaurus from Nafplio. Its fountain is much more recent-from the 19th century, though supposedly its waters are those of the ancient spring of Kanthanos.