Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
acropolis
, north of the megaron, is the site of two underground vaulted cisterns outside
its far end, on the western side.
Náfplio and around
NÁFPLIO
(also sometimes known as Nauplia or Navplion) is a rarity among Greek
towns. A lively, beautifully sited place, it exudes a grand, occasionally slightly faded
elegance, inherited from the days when it was the fledgling capital of modern Greece.
The town is a popular year-round weekend retreat and remains by far the most
attractive base for exploring the Argolid.
There's ample pleasure to be had in just wandering around: looking around the
harbourfront, walking the coastal circuit, and, when you're feeling energetic, exploring the
great twin fortresses of
Palamídhi
and
Akronafplía
. Náfplio also offers some of the
peninsula's best
restaurants
and shops, plus facilities, including car rental. In the town itself
there are a few minor sights, mainly part of its
Turkish heritage
, and some good
museums
.
Platía Syndágmatos
, the main square of the old town, is the focus of most interest. The
nearest good
beach
is at
Karathónas
, and closer to the town is the one at
Arvanitiá
.
2
Brief history
The town's past certainly stretches back to prehistory, and parts of the
Akronafplía
wall
bear witness to that fact, though little else remains dating to earlier than the Byzantine
era. From the thirteenth century down to the early nineteenth, it, as with the rest of the
region, became an object of contention among
invading forces
. Finally came the
Greek
War of Independence
, and the city was named the
first capital
, from 1829 to 1834. It
was also in Náfplio that the first president, Kapodhistrias, was assassinated by vengeful
Maniot clansmen, and here, too, that the young Bavarian Prince Otho, put forward by
the European powers to be (briefly) the first king of Greece, had his initial
royal
residence
from 1833 to 1834. He is now commemorated by a locally unpopular statue.
Palamídhi fort
Daily: summer 8am-7pm; winter 8am-6.30pm • €4
he
Palamídhi
, Náfplio's principal fort, was a key military flashpoint of the War of
Independence. The Greek commander Kolokotronis - of whom there's a majestically
bewhiskered statue at Platía Kapodhistría - laid siege for over a year before finally
gaining control. After independence, he was imprisoned in the same fortress by the
new Greek government; wary of their attempts to curtail his powers, he had kidnapped
four members of the parliament.
The most direct approach to the
fortress
is by a stairway from the end of Polyzoïdhou
street, beside a Venetian bastion, though there is also a circuitous road up from the
southeast end of town. On foot, it's a very steep climb up 890-plus stone-hewn steps
(in shade early morning) and, when you near the 216m summit, you're confronted
with a bewilderingly vast complex. Within the outer walls there are three self-contained
castles, all of them built by the Venetians between 1711 and 1714, which accounts for
the appearance of that city's symbol - the Lion of St Mark - above the various
gateways. The middle fort, San Niccolo (Miltiádhes), was the one where Kolokotronis
was incarcerated; it became a notorious prison during the 1947-51 civil war.
PALAMEDES
CLEVEREST OF THE GREEKS
Palamídhi fortress takes its name from Náfplio's most famous and most brilliant legendary son,
Palamedes
.
According to mythology he was responsible for a range of inventions including
dice, lighthouses, measuring scales, an early form of chess and military formations for soldiers.
He was killed by the Greeks at Troy, on charges of treachery trumped up by Odysseus, who
regarded himself as the cleverest of the Greeks.
