Greece - Korina Miller [143]
There is no public transport between Leonidio and Kosmas.
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LAKONIA ΛΑΚΩΝIΑ
The region of Lakonia occupies almost identical boundaries to the powerful mountain-skirted kingdom ruled by King Menelaus in Mycenaean times. It is home to legends, including the city of Sparta and the spectacular ruins of Mystras, the Byzantine Empire’s last stronghold.
Dominating the landscape are two massive mountain ranges, the Taÿgetos Mountains in the west and the Parnonas Mountains in the east. These taper away to create the central and eastern fingers of the Peloponnese.
Between them lies the fertile valley of the Evrotas River, famous for its olives and oranges. The valley has been a focal point of human settlement since Neolithic times, and the location of the original Mycenaean Sparta, home of King Menelaus and his wife Helen, possessor of the ‘face that launched a thousand ships’. It was the abduction of Helen by Paris, the prince of Troy, that sparked the Trojan Wars of Homer’s ‘Iliad’.
The site of this Mycenaean city has yet to be confirmed, but it is thought to have been at Pellana, 27km north of modern-day Sparta. The city was re-established in its present location by the Dorians at the start of the 1st millennium BC. Unfortunately, this ancient city lies beneath the modern town, leaving little to explore. The disappointment is more than compensated for, however, by the glorious Byzantine churches and monasteries at Mystras, just to the west in the foothills of the Taÿgetos Mountains. Another evocative place is the medieval fortress town of Monemvasia, in the southeast.
English speakers can thank the Lakonians for the word ‘laconic’ (terse or concise).
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SPARTA ΣΠAΡΤΗ
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The gridlike streets of modern Sparta (spar-tee) are in line with its ancient precursor’s image of discipline (see The Spartans, Click here), although fortunately, not deprivation. It is an easy-going, if unremarkable, town that lies at the heart of the Evrotas Valley, surrounded by olive and citrus groves, while the Taÿgetos Mountains, snowcapped until early June, provide a stunning backdrop to the west.
The town was refounded in 1834 on the orders of King Otto, who had just made the decision to move his court from Nafplio to Athens.
Mindful of history, Otto and his court felt that since Athens was to be rebuilt to reflect its former glory, so too should Sparta. There’s a pleasant enough square and a fascinating oil museum, and a few ruins attesting to its ancient pre-eminence. Most visitors head to the nearby site of Mystras, but it’s worth spending at least a few hours here.
Orientation
Sparta’s layout is as ordered as its ancient troops. With two main roads, Paleologou runs north–south through the town and Lykourgou east–west, intersecting in the middle of town. The central square, Plateia Kentriki, is a block southwest of the intersection. The main bus station is at the eastern end of Lykourgou.
Information
Cosmos Club Internet Café ( 27310 21500; Paleologou 34; per hr €2; 8am-11pm) For internet; the sign actually says ‘Hellas Net’.
Laikos Books ( 27310 23687; Paleologou 62) Good for maps and foreign newspapers.
National Bank of Greece (cnr Paleologou & Dioskouron) Has ATM.
Post office (Archidamou 10; 7.30am-2pm Mon-Fri)
Tourist police ( 27310 89580; Theodoritou 20)
Sights
EXPLORING ANCIENT SPARTA
‘If the city of the Lacedaemonians were destroyed, and only its temples and the foundations of its buildings left, remote posterity would greatly doubt whether their power were ever equal to their renown.’
Thucydides, The Histories
A wander around ancient Sparta’s meagre ruins bears testimony to the accuracy of Thucydides’ prophecy. Head north along Paleologou to the King Leonidas statue, which stands belligerently in front of a soccer