Greece travel with Oracle Tours

Peloponnese Tours: Monemvasia & the Mani Peninsula

The Mani Peninsula and fortified Monemvasia a 1 day Excursion from Sparta.

Due south of Sparta, past the lovely unspoiled port of Gythion, at the tip of the middle peninsula of the Peloponnese and at the extreme southern tip of the Balkans lies the Mani. This remote and barren area has several interesting villages and nice beaches. The residents of the Mani district have retained their autonomy through several administrations including Roman, Venetian, Turkish and Byzantine (I think) mostly because there are few natural resources to exploit and less worth stealing. Maniots have a modern reputation for being obstinate and easy to anger.

During the 2nd C AD Pausanius told how the people of the Mani would call themselves Lacedaemonians and looked upon themselves as the direct descendents of the ancient Spartans. Maniots were still worshipping the pagan gods as late as the 12C AD which is quite an achievement for Greek citizens.

The Mani area is worth visiting because it has a strong measure of natural beauty and good swimming spots. The architecture is unique in that the homes are built of stone and fortified like medieval towers and lastly, the exceptional natural features of the Diros caverns.

After we leave the Mani we'll head north and east to the easternmost peninsula of the Peloponnese, the Malea Promontory, and the beautiful fortified port town of medieval Monemvasia. Monemvasia has been called the 'Gibraltar of Greece' due to the huge natural rock formation which protects it. This formation is connected to the mainland by a man made causeway and makes the town virtually impregnable. Only 600 years ago Monemvasia was famous across Europe for its excellent local wine know as Malmsey or Malvoisie. This fruity, dark wine came from the surrounding Malea area's unique grapes but later from other parts of Greece, most notably Crete. For many centuries, due to its fortified port facilities, Monemvasia remained the broker and expediter of this fine wines transport west. 150 years ago pirates still preyed upon the weak in these waters!

Visitor walk along the short causeway to enter the town as no vehicles are permitted within the narrow streets. As you approach the town remains well hidden and all you can see is a huge mass of looming rock until passing through the gates at which point you will suddenly see revealed before you the  the blue Aegean Sea and a dark narrow street. Shortly visitors will enter the small courtyard of the Church of Christ in Chains and only then be able to appreciate the uniqueness of the towns location more fully. Above you floats the old town and above that, the great Castle with its forbidding battlements. The architecture is of predominantly Byzantine flavor but with many subsequent alterations and additions. Up until 1246 this strategic place, which commands the Aegean from the west, was controlled by the Byzantines.

With the sack of Constantinople it fell to the Frank (Frenchman) Guillaume de Villehardouin who allowed Monemvasia self-rule and self taxation with sworn fealty. Later it was re-conquered by the Byzantines, the Turks, the Venetians and even the Pope for a brief period. Its two ports made it an excellent trading center and offer refuge to mariners who, if under sail, fear unto this day, the well known storms and rocks of the southern Peloponnese.

Here are a few of the other Oracle Greece Taxi or Bus touring destinations you may choose from

Athens, Cape Sounion, Ancient Corinth, Delphi & Ossios Lukas, Drama, Florina, Greneva, Chalkidiki, Imathia, Kastoria, Kavala, Kozani, Meteora, Mt. Athos, Mycenaea, Naufplion, Olympia, Pella and Vergina, Phillipi & Kavala, Dion & Mt Olympus, Sparta & Mystras, The Mani and Monemvasia, Thessaloniki,
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