This small agricultural town, now neatly spread on the fertile plain, was once capital of the Principality of Achaea the regional administration, as it were, of the Western Peloponnese under Frankish rule after the Fourth Crusade in 1204.

To most, Kyllini is simply known as the best option to access the Ionian Islands, as it is the westernmost cape of the Peloponnese, and closer to Zakynthos and Kefalonia than any other port in the mainland.

The Museum is, of course, one of the most important in Greece, as it houses findings from the sacred enclosure of Olympia dating from Prehistory to Early Christianity, thus showcasing several centuries of Greek religion, art, and everyday life.

The event is one of particular importance for the social and cultural life of the city.

The monasteries of the area are located, in their majority, in mountainous areas, not unlike many of the older settlements in the region of Mani.

The Archaeological Museum of Sparti is the first purpose-built regional museum of Greece, in the sense that it was designed and constructed from scratch for the purpose of becoming a museum.

Mani is, indeed, a land of many faces.

An Outdoor Museum of Architecture and the Gate to Hades

Hard as it may be to pinpoint the single place where the Greek War of Independence started in the spring of 1821, there seems to be a consensus according to which it all started in Areopoli. 

The part of Mani known as "EksoMeria" (=outer side) may belong to both regions of Messenia and Laconia, though the people inhabiting the numerous villages and the virtually invisible traditional settlements are the inhabitants of Mani at heart this peculiar region of exquisite beauty defines them.

Tucked away at an altitude of 240 metres, Itylo is the beating heart of Mani, still standing out as one of the most beautiful villages in the region.

The Neoclassical Surprise