Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
In Spetses Town there's evidence of early Helladic settlement near the Old Harbour and
at Dapia. Roman and Byzantine remains have been found in the area behind Moni Agios
Nikolaos, halfway between the two.
From the 10th century, Spetses is thought to have been uninhabited for almost 600
years, until the arrival of Albanian refugees fleeing the fighting between Turks and Vene-
tians in the 16th century.
Spetses, like Hydra, grew wealthy from shipbuilding. Island captains busted the Brit-
ish blockade during the Napoleonic Wars and refitted their ships to join the Greek fleet
during the War of Independence. In the process they immortalised one local woman, al-
beit originally from Hydra, the formidable Laskarina Bouboulina, ship's commander and
fearless fighter.
