Savour the taste
Must-try dishes
The five-fingered Peloponnese peninsula is famed for luscious food and Monemvasia has plenty of traditional specialities to tempt you.
Must try dishes include traditional handmade shell-shaped pasta gkogkes, sprinkled with mizithra, a creamy sheep or goat’s cheese; crispy half moon-shaped tsaitia pastries stuffed with vegetables and feta; and succulent broustoulas, a pan pie piled high with fried onions, sweet trachana oatmeal, cured pork siglino, raisins and orange zest.
This ancient citadel is also famed for its sweet treats, ranging from delicate almond macaroons to samousades, a spicy nutty dessert dating back to Byzantine times.
Peloponnese
Must-try dishes
The five-fingered Peloponnese peninsula is famed for luscious food and Monemvasia has plenty of traditional specialities to tempt you.
Must try dishes include traditional handmade shell-shaped pasta gkogkes, sprinkled with mizithra, a creamy sheep or goat’s cheese; crispy half moon-shaped tsaitia pastries stuffed with vegetables and feta; and succulent broustoulas, a pan pie piled high with fried onions, sweet trachana oatmeal, cured pork siglino, raisins and orange zest.
This ancient citadel is also famed for its sweet treats, ranging from delicate almond macaroons to samousades, a spicy nutty dessert dating back to Byzantine times.
The rock star
PROMOTED CONTENT
SHARE
Xxxx xxx xx xx xx xxx xx xxxxx xxx xx xx xx xxx xx xxx xx xx xxx xx xx xxx
Must-try dishes
The five-fingered Peloponnese peninsula is famed for luscious food and Monemvasia has plenty of traditional specialities to tempt you.
Diving a myth
‘A rocky trail leads to the lighthouse, which has spectacular views over the Myrtoan Sea’
Peloponnese
‘Perfect for hiking and biking, this tiny island has a web of sand-dusted, thyme-scented hiking trails’
Peloponnese
The pull of the
From Monemvasia’s ancient citadel to the pristine beaches
of Elafonisos, this rugged pocket of Greece is steeped
in myth, soaked in history and laden with beauty
The beach haven
Above and beyond
For inspiration go to visitgreece.gr
On the main square – or tapia, as it’s known in the local dialect – the church of Christos Elkomenos (“Christ in chains”), with its exquisite 14th-century icon of the crucifixion, stands opposite the stocky whitewashed Church of Panagia Chrysafitissa and its fascinating museum dedicated to renowned Greek poet Yiannis Ritsos, who was born here in 1909. This is also where you’ll find the town’s artefact-packed archaeological museum housed in a 16th-century Ottoman mosque.
Dubbed “Gibraltar of the East”, set as it is in the jagged shadows of a monolithic limestone promontory, the fortress town of Monemvasia is one of this region’s most romantic under-the-radar cities.
Founded in AD583 and the birthplace of malmsey (the fortified wine frequently quaffed in Shakespeare’s plays), it’s a medieval jewel in the Peloponnese’s four-fingered crown. Monemvasia – meaning, aptly enough, “single road” – is linked to the lively mainland town of Gefyra by a narrow causeway and can only be entered on foot.
While dodging the horsedrawn carts that are still used to carry supplies, dive between the high stone walls of this magical citadel to discover Kato Poli (“Lower Town”). Its narrow cobbled alleys are studded with graceful vaulted structures known as dromikes, and lined with elegant Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman-era buildings that have been repurposed as atmospheric boutique hotels, chic stores and cosy tavernas.
For a different view of the town, follow the cobbled main street to Monemvasia’s low-arched East Gate. From here a rocky trail leads to the citadel’s lofty 19th-century lighthouse, where you can enjoy spectacular views over the Myrtoan Sea, which lies between the Peloponnese and the Cyclades.
It’s a steep climb, via a flint-strewn footpath, to Ano Poli (“Upper Town”), the clifftop eyrie where the Venetian aristocracy once had their mansions. It’s well worth the effort, however, to enjoy spectacular panoramas over the town’s cinnamon-coloured roofs as you admire the 12th-century church of Agia Sofia or wander among the atmospheric ruins of the town’s four-towered acropolis.
Visit this magical spot at sunset and you’ll understand why local lore says that if you’re single and you visit magical Monemvasia, you’ll be married within the year.
The Peloponnese peninsula is famed for luscious food – and Monemvasia has plenty
of traditional specialities to tempt you
On the table:
there are many
delicacies to try
Must-try dishes include traditional handmade shell-shaped pasta gkogkes, sprinkled with mizithra, a creamy sheep or goat’s cheese; crispy half moon-shaped tsaitia pastries stuffed with vegetables and feta; and succulent broustoulas, a pan pie piled high with fried onions, sweet trachana oatmeal, cured pork siglino, raisins and orange zest.
This ancient citadel is also known for its sweet treats, ranging from delicate almond macaroons to samousades, a spicy nutty dessert dating back to Byzantine times.
Further down south sits the dazzling desert island of Elafonisos. Blessed with talc-white sands lapped by mirror-clear waters and backed by sweet-scented cedar forests, it’s hardly surprising that the twin beaches of Simos on the island are consistently classed among the most beautiful in the Mediterranean.
Not to be confused with Crete’s famous pink beach at Elafonisi, Elafonisos sits in the deep blue waters of the Laconian Gulf, just a ten-minute ferry ride from the southeastern Peloponnese town of Neapolis.
Although Simos can get busy on weekends, when it attracts a party crowd who come here to dance in the soft sand serenaded by the beats of local DJs, during the week this is a peaceful spot. With its silky sand and warm shallow waters, Simos beach is perfect for families, too.
A paradise for weekday beach babes (including Lady Gaga), its pristine Natura 2000-protected waters are also perfect for snorkelers, who might be lucky enough to spot a long-limbed octopus and nimble-fingered starfish ambling along the seabed. Sheltered bays and windswept stretches of open sea near Chamokylo beach also provide ideal conditions for watersport lovers, who can try their hand at everything from sea kayaking to kitesurfing.
Perfect for hiking and biking, this tiny island (it’s six square miles) has a web of sand-dusted, thyme-scented hiking trails offering spectacular views over to Kythira, the legendary island birthplace of the love goddess Aphrodite, and to Cape Tainaron, the mythical home of Hades, god of the underworld.
Grab a sunhat, sunscreen and plenty of water and stride out to see Stroggyli Lagoon, a vast wetland ringed by rare plants and trees, which offers refuge to pretty pink flamingos and other migrating birds; or pedal over to the beaches of Siderospilia and Kamari to seek out ancient paved paths dating back to AD375.
When the sun begins to sink over those silvered sands, cross the narrow bridge leading from Simos beach to the island’s 19th-century Agios Spyridon church. This blue-trimmed edifice, hewn from mighty Maltese stone and dedicated to the island’s patron saint, is the best place on Elafonisos to watch the sun descend in a blaze of scarlet over the Laconian Gulf.
Said to have inspired the myth of Atlantis, the Bronze Age and Minoan ruins of the ancient settlement of Pavlopetri – that sank beneath the waters after a massive earthquake in 1000BC – were discovered in 1967 by Dr Nicholas Flemming, an oceanographer from the University of Southampton.
Just a few metres below the surface in the tranquil waters of Vatika Bay, this thrilling archaeological site, which is the oldest submerged town in the world, is a magnet for divers who flock here to swim among crumbled walls, courtyards and rock-cut tombs dating back to the 3rd millennium BC.
Take your seat: dining comes with a view
Brick by brick: every building has a story to tell
Shore bet: walk on the edge of history in Monemvasia
Take a dip: the Mediterranean is waiting for you
Down by the sea: escape from it all at Simos beach
Something in the water:
discover the secrets of
Pavlopetri (above) or
tour the Caves of Diros
The Peloponnese peninsula is famed for luscious food – and Monemvasia has plenty of traditional specialities to tempt you
Dubbed “Gibraltar of the East”, set as it is in the jagged shadows of a monolithic limestone promontory, the fortress town of Monemvasia is one of this region’s most romantic under-the-radar cities.