Nafplio and Epivadro

Places of Interest - Greece

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introduction

Nafplio is a Greek port city located on the Gulf of Argolís in the east of the Peloponnese peninsula. It was the first Greek capital after the struggle for independence and is still one of the most admirable cities in the country. In its history it was always an important city that is demonstrated by the presence of no less than 3 strategic forts in its city walls.

Today it is still an important trade and commercial center but also a tourist city with numerous guesthouses, restaurants and hotels. In addition to its own charm, the proximity of ancient places such as Mycenae, Tiryns, Argos but especially of the beautiful antique theater of Epivadros is very important for the “sucking” effect of tourists. The marble roadcover and the remarkably homogeneous architecture make Navplion one of the more elegant cities in Greece.

highlights

Nafplio:

Since the Venetian times, the Platía Syntágmatos is the center of public life in the city of Nafplio. This beautifully paved square offers visitors pleasant relaxation in the numerous cafés and eateries. It looks the same as in the 18th century, when the Turks built some mosques there. A cinema has now been set up in the mosque on the east side of the square, but in 1822 the first Greek Parliament met on the south side.

The court that sentenced Kolokotronis also held a seat here. The Sýntagma square is dominated by the stately Venetian arsenal (1713), where the Archaeological Museum is now housed: there are finds from Ancuint towns like Tiryns and Mycenae. Most of the streets in the area around the square are narrow and connected by stairways. Several Turkish fountains, with Arabic inscriptions, remind that Navplion was once a Turkish city.

Nowadays there are more churches; the most important is the Agios Spirydon which was built in the early 18th century. Kapodistrias was murdered here when he left the church. The impact of the bullets that hit him is still visible in the wall next to the portal. Also there is Agios Georgios (from the 16th century) which was a mosque from 1540 to 1686. Now it is the cathedral of Navplion. The throne on which King Otto was crowned can still be seen.

Finally, there is the Catholic Church of the Transfiguration, which contains a monument for the foreign Philhellenes who fell for the Independence of Greece. The prayer niche (mihrab) behind the main altar recalls the time that the church was a mosque. In the Evangelistria Church in 1832 the Greek National Assembly met to confirm the choice of King Otto I. A colossal sleeping lion cut from the rocks is a work by the sculptor Siegel, in memory of the Bavarian soldiers who died during a typhoid epidemic between 1833 and 1834, in the service of King Otto. Nafplio has a number of museums such as the military and folklore museum.

Sky-line

But the city-skyline is mainly dominated by the three impressive fortresses that surround the old city: the high-altitude Venetian-Turkish fortress Palamidi built in the 18th century, rocky Akronavplia that set the Byzantines as fortress, and the fortified Bourzi Island is just off the coast. The Palamidi, the largest fortress complex in Greece, is the culmination of a 216 m high hilltop and dates back to the second Venetian occupation. It is a complicated complex of eight autonomous (and in case of emergency self-sufficient) bastions, each of which is connected to each other. It is known as a masterpiece of architecture.

Actually, the fort should be resistant to the artillery of that time, but in 1715 it fell into the hands of the Turks after one week of siege. From 1840 to 1920 it was used as a prison. In the bastion called "Andreas", with the characteristic relief of the Lion of San Marco above the entrance, was the headquarters of the Venetian army. In the beautiful courtyard there is a chapel in honor of St. Andrew, and behind it is the entrance to the cell where the Greek freedom hero Kolokotronis temporarily stayed.

The Akronavplia is the oldest fortress of the three and was used as a prison between 1936 and 1956. Finally there is the fortress island "Bourdzi". The Venetians built a fortress here in the 15th century, which was given its present appearance during the second Venetian occupation, when they also builded an octagonal tower. Until 1930 it served as the official residence of the executioner, because he was not allowed to live in the city. The fort defended the only port channel that could be closed with a long chain between fort and city.

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Epivadros (ruins):

Not later than the 7th BC Epivadros is already mentioned in the work of Homer. But the site was reputed to be the birthplace of "Asclepius", half god of medicine and son of God Apollo. It consisted of several public buildings, including a large temple that was built at the beginning of the 4th century BC.

In honor of Asklepius they organized the Asklepieia, four-yearly Panhellenic Games consisting of horse races and, from the 4th century, poetry competitions. The cult of Asklepios reached its peak in the Hellenistic period. During the summer of 225 BC. when the city is occupied by Cleomenes III, king of Sparta. Then she became an ally of Rome. In 87 BC Epidaurus was looted by Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who plundered the temple treasure.

The sanctuary had a relationship with the oracle of Delphi. In the 19th century the ruins of Epivadros were "rediscovered". Since 1988 the site is on the UNESCO World Heritage list and the theater is one of the most important Greek remains besides the fact that it is beautifully located centrally between the mountains and hills of Peleponnesse.

Already in ancient times the theater was praised for the harmony of its proportions. It was designed in the middle of the 4th century BC, and the spectator room stands around a circular orchestra. There were first 34 rows of seats, a century later this was extended by 21 rows, so that the number of spectators rose from 6500 to 12,300.

The first row was for the considerable people, and the first three seats were for the guests of honor. Those seats were red of color and had a backrest. Almost nothing remains of the original theater building: only the core, a small hall with 4 columns. The big Asklepieia was held once every 4 years, also called the “panhellenic” games. First there were only sports competitions, but later also competitions between singers, musicians and stage painters in the theater, and chariot racing in the stadium. Antique tragedies are still being performed here every summer in the New Greek language.

A little further is the shrine with countless different parts; so you can still see the foundations of the banquet hall and the temple of Asclepius. The enkoimeterion was built northwest of the temple. This was the place where the sick went to be healed. It was a 71-meter long Ionic colonnade with several floors, and was open to the sacred grounds. Abaton was built beneath the building, a kind of cellar, where the sick slept to get a dream that would heal them. It could also be that he appeared to them in a vision to tell them the right treatment.

On Epidaurus not only the sick were healed, but Asclepius also did the salvation of women with difficult pregnancies, he let deaf hear again and let the blind see again, and he gave bald people hair again. To the west of the temple was a round building of white marble: the tholos. Only the foundations of this building are left: three pieces of wall that used to form a labyrinth. The function of the building is not certain, but there are many theories about this. One theory is that the worship of Asclepius took place in the labyrinth.

It is also said that the labyrinth could symbolize the dark and earthly life powers in the Asclepius cult. Another possibility is that it was simply used practically, for example as a home for snakes, as a water reservoir or as a storage place for Epidaurus hoses. You can also clearly see the foundations of the stadium where every four years a sporting event was organized in honor of Asclepius. Finally, there is the museum.

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history

Navplion was already inhabited in prehistoric times, but the oldest settlements have completely disappeared during later stages of construction. Archaeological excavations have shown that the area around the city has remained almost constantly inhabited from the 3rd millennium BC..According to legend, the city got its name from its founder, King Navplios, whose son Palamedes managed to expose the cunning Odysseus, when this insanity pretended not to take part in the Trojan War.

Byzantines, Franks, Venetians and Turks: they have all been here once. It was not until the Middle Ages (13th century) that Navplion became known when the "Frankish" crusader Guy de la Roche (who had declared himself the Duke of Athens) captured the city in 1247 on the Byzantines. In 1388, however, the Franks had to surrender the rule to the Venetians: Navplion was then considerably strengthened, including with the Bourdzi fort and withstood many besieges in the armed struggle between Venice and the Turks, which only succeeded in 1540 in the city. to take. Navplion was then an important transit port: silk and wool, leather goods, cheese and beeswax were exported from here to the West.

In 1686, the Venetian army under Francesco Morosini was able to recapture the city: that was the beginning of a thirty-year period of intense activity. The old district around the Square of the Constitution (Platía Syntágmatos) is mainly a product of the second Venetian occupation (1686-1715), as well as the refurbishment of the Palamidi fortress (a clear reference to the son of King Navplios) and of the Bourdzi island. Navplion was then renamed Napoli di Romagna (Romagna was the name given by the Venetians to the Greek part of the former Byzantine Empire).

The Turks returned in 1715, with a strong army of 100,000 men, including many Greeks, who were probably tired of the (Catholic) Venetian rule. The Turkish pasha, who stayed in Nauplion, was also very tolerant towards orthodox Christians.

During the War of Independence, a very special and militant woman, Laskarina Bouboulina (wife of Admiral Bouboulis), was charged in 1821 with the siege of Navplion, which she blocked for 14 months on land and at sea. She personally commanded a warship, and succeeded in driving back the besieged every time they broke down.

The Turkish garrison was eventually forced to surrender. On 30 November 1822 Staïkos Staïkópoulos together with 350 Greek freedom fighters managed to enter the city. Navplion thus became the center of the Greek resistance against the Turks, and thus became the first capital and government seat of the Greek state, from 1829 to 1835.

The Parliament temporarily met in a former mosque on Sýntagma Square. Kapodistrias, the first head of state, was assassinated on 27 September 1831 by a political opponent. The following year the Greek Parliament (which from then on met in the suburb Pronia built by Kapodistrias) decided that the country should become a kingdom. The first king, Otto I, was festively received on 18 January 1833, but two years later he decided to move to Athens with his government. After six years of intense activity, Navplion became a provincial town again, but much of the metropolitan atmosphere has remained. It is still the seat of a Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.

However, due to the Venetian past there is also a fairly large presence of Roman Catholics in the city.

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tips & advice (2017)

In Archea Epivadros there is a small "K-tel" office which is more often closed than open. For this (near the post office)

you can take the bus to the ruins, Athens or Nafplio. In this last city is an office where a woman in perfect English is well informed about all lines.

Archea Epivadros - Nafplio: there is 1 bus every day at 07:20 - costs 4,50 euro and the journey takes about half an hour.

Nafplio - Tolo (see campsite): there are about 10 buses a day to and from Nafplio. The duration is about 15 to 20 minutes and the cost is 1.80 euros per time.

Tolo - Nafplio - Tripoli - Olympia: if you want to visit Olympia in a one day trip you will have to take the bus from Tolo at 07:15; at 08:30 the bus goes to Tripoli - duration 1.5 hours and costs 7.70 euros. I was told that at 10:00 a bus would leave from Tripoli to Olympia but on arrival in Tripoli at 09:50 (actually 10:00) they told me that I had just missed the bus to Pyrgos (from there faster to Olympia to go).

Now I had to take the bus from 12:00 to lympia (direct) but it does take 3.5 hours and goes straight through the mountains. Costs 13.50 euros.

Name: Camping Nicolas I (Archea Epivadros)

Address: Epidavros 210 52

Price: 10.50 euro (1 person + 1 small tent)

Phone nr. : +30 2753 041218

Website: http://www.nicolasgikas.gr

Content:

Located at 13 km from the beautiful large antique theater Epivadros (see sights) is this perfect campsite on the coast. The owners speak different languages and there is a campsite with the same name (nr2) which is also part of the same family.

There is a tiny beach but you can walk on the boulevard to the adjacent and associated restaurant which is rather pricey. You can walk further to the small theater and to the village center where there is a harbor and numerous restaurants and a supermarket. There is a mini-market at the campsite and there is WIFI. The wash block is clean and well maintained. I did not find the owners too happy though they tried it.

Name: Camping "Lido" (Tolo)

Address: Nauplion 211 00

Price: 10 euros (1 person + 1 small tent)

Phone nr. : + 30-27520-59396

Website: http://www.lido.gr/en/

Content:

This campsite is within walking distance of the sandy beach of Tolo and around the corner is a supermarket, bank and everything you need. There is perfect WIFI, a kitchen where you can sit (outside but covered) though the places are very dry (but semi-covered with a kind of cloth over it) and some are a bit on a slope. There is a large restaurant with a nice garden and the campsite is run by a German-Greek couple.

The showers are perfect and there are countless possibilities in the laundry room. The bus stop is also around the corner. The restaurant and bar are on the pricey side.