Greece - Korina Miller [158]
EATING
There’s no shortage of excellent eating options in and around Kardamyli.
Elies ( 27210 73140, 6974722819; mains €6.50-10; lunch) Location, location. Right by the beach, 1km north of town, and nestled in olive groves. It’s got a Mediterranean provincial in-a-private-garden feel with top-quality nosh to boot. Think lemon lamb casserole (€7). Worth an afternoon in your itinerary.
O Perivoulis ( 27210 73713; mains €6.50-10) What it lacks in seaside (it’s in the village) it makes up for with a pretty garden, friendly Australian-Greek owners and excellent taverna dishes.
Taverna Dioskouri ( 27210 73236; mains €7.50-11.50) A safe, nothing-over-the-top option, except for the friendly owner and the clifftop view – it overlooks the ocean from the hillside just south of town.
There are two supermarkets side by side at the northern edge of the village.
GETTING THERE & AROUND
Kardamyli is on the main bus route from Itilo to Kalamata (€3.10, one hour, four daily). The bus stops at the central square at the northern end of the main thoroughfare, and at the bookshop at the southern end.
Only one daily bus heads to Exohorio (€1.40; runs to changing times) nearby; most travellers prefer to take a taxi (around €10).
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MESSINIA
ΜΕΣΣΗΝIΑ
The beaches in the southwestern corner of the Peloponnese are extremely pleasant, and while villages such as Finikounda and Koroni have felt the weight of package tourism, the old Venetian towns of Pylos and Methoni still remain delightful hideaways.
Messinia’s boundaries were established in 371 BC following the defeat of Sparta by the Thebans at the Battle of Leuctra. The defeat ended almost 350 years of Spartan domination of the Peloponnese – during which time Messinian exiles founded the city of Messinia in Sicily – and meant the Messinians were left free to develop their kingdom in the region stretching west from the Taÿgetos Mountains. Their capital was ancient Messini, about 25km northwest of Kalamata on the slopes of Mt Ithomi.
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KALAMATA ΚΑΛΑΜAΤΑ
pop 49,154
Kalamata is Messinia’s capital and the second-largest city in the Peloponnese. Compared to its more peaceful surrounds, it is a less-inspiring destination for visitors, but both museum lovers and shoppers will be sated. Built on the site of ancient Pharai, the city takes its modern name from a miracle-working icon of the Virgin Mary known as kalo mata (good eye). It was discovered in the stables of the Ottoman aga (governor), who converted to Christianity as a result of the miracles it was believed to have performed. The icon now resides inside the city’s oversized cathedral, the Church of Ypapantis.
In front of the kastro is the small, but attractive, old town, which was almost totally destroyed by the Turks during the War of Independence and rebuilt by French engineers in the 1830s. On 14 September 1986 Kalamata was devastated by an earthquake; 20 people died, hundreds were injured and more than 10,000 homes were destroyed.
Orientation
The lively waterfront along Navarinou is a long, hot walk from the kastro, which is situated above the old town. The main streets linking the two areas are Faron and Aristomenous. The city centre is situated around the central square on Aristomenous.
The KTEL Messinia bus station is on the northern edge of town on Artemidos, while local buses leave from Plateia 23 Martiou – bus 1 goes to the waterfront. The train station is on Frantzi, west of the central square. At the southern end of Aristomenous is the leafy OSE park, home to a collection of old steam locomotives and carriages.
Information
There are branches of all the major banks. The National Bank of Greece has a branch on Aristomenous, at the central square, and another on the waterfront on the corner of Akrita and Navarinou.
Diktyo Internet Café ( 27210 97282; Nedontos 75; per hr €2; 6.30am-midnight)
EOT ( 27210 86868; Polyvriou 5; 7.30am-3pm Mon-Fri) Barely ever open, but given