Greece - Korina Miller [154]
Limeni Λιμέι
The tiny village of Limeni is 3km north of Areopoli on the southern flank of beautiful Limeni Bay.
High on the hill, on the south side of Limeni Bay is Limeni Village ( 27330 51111/2; www.limenivillage.gr; s/d/tr incl breakfast €80/120/140; ), a complex of replica Maniot towers with spectacular vistas of the bay, hills and village. Restaurant attached.
In a glorious location set out over water, Takis ( 27330 51327; fish per kilogram €55-65; lunch & dinner) lures in diners; it’s the place for fish in the area.
Itilo & Nea Itilo Οτυλο & Νέο Οτυλο
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Itilo (eet-ih-lo), 11km north of Areopoli, was the medieval capital of the Mani. To travel between Lakonian and Messinian Mani, you must change buses at Itilo.
The village is a tranquil backwater, but shows signs of recent renovation, and is perched on the northern edge of a deep ravine traditionally regarded as the border between outer and inner Mani. Above the ravine is the massive 17th-century Castle of Kelefa, from which the Turks attempted to constrain the Maniots. It’s on a hill above the road from Nea Itilo. Nearby, the Monastery of Dekoulou has colourful frescoes in its church.
Nea Itilo, 4km away, lies at the back of secluded Limeni Bay.
There are three buses daily except Sunday to Areopoli (€1.40, 20 minutes) and Kalamata (€4, 2¼ hours). Areopoli–Itilo buses go via Nea Itilo and Limeni.
Diros Caves Σπλαιο Διρο
These extraordinary caves ( 27330 52222; adult/concession incl tour €12/7; 8.30am-5.30pm Jun-Sep, 8.30am-3pm Oct-May) are 11km south of Areopoli, near the village of Pyrgos Dirou – notable for its towers (signposted to the right off the road down to the caves).
The natural entrance to the caves is on the beach and locals like to believe the legend that they extend as far north as Sparta (speleologists have so far estimated the caves to be 14km; tourists enter to 1.5km). They were inhabited in Neolithic times, but were abandoned after an earthquake in 4 BC and weren’t rediscovered until 1895. Systematic exploration began in 1949. The caves are famous for their stalactites and stalagmites, which have fittingly poetic names such as the Palm Forest, Crystal Lily and the Three Wise Men.
Unfortunately, the half-hour guided tour through the caves is disappointingly brief – it covers only the lake section, and bypasses the most spectacular formations of the dry area.
The nearby Neolithic Museum of Diros ( 27330 52223; adult/concession €2/1; 8.30am-3pm Tue-Sun) houses items found in an adjoining Neolithic cave, the Alepotrypa Cave. Entrance to the museum includes entrance to this cave. This was used to store crops, and housed workshops, living areas and formal burial grounds. The inhabitants died as a result of the earthquake of 4 BC, after which the cave was sealed by boulders.
Pyrgos Dirou to Gerolimenas
Πργος Διρο προς Γερολιμέας
Journeying south down Mani’s west coast from Pyrgos Dirou to Gerolimenas, the barren mountain landscape is broken only by deserted settlements with mighty towers. A right turn 9km south of Pyrgos Dirou leads down to the Bay of Mezapos, sheltered to the east by the frying pan–shaped Tigani peninsula. The ruins on the peninsula are those of the Castle of Maina, built by the Frankish leader Guillaume de Villehardouin in 1248, and subsequently adapted by the Byzantines.
Kita, 13km south of Pyrgos Dirou, bristles with the ruins of war towers and fortified houses. It was the setting for the last great interfamily feud recorded in the Mani, which erupted in 1870 and required the intervention of the army, complete with artillery, to force a truce.
Gerolimenas Γερολιμέας
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Gerolimenas (yeh-ro-lih-meh-nahss) is a tranquil fishing village built around a small, sheltered bay at the southwestern tip of the peninsula. It’s the perfect place for scenic seclusion.
SLEEPING & EATING
Hotel Akrogiali ( 27330 54204; www.gerolimenas-hotels.com; s €25-30, d €50-80, tr €70-120, 2-/3-/4-person apt €80/100/120; ) The Akrogiali has a great