The Roman Agora (Market of Caesar and Augustus) is located on the north side of the Acropolis, and a short distance to the east of the Greek Agora, with which it was connected by a paved street. An inscription (IG II2 3174) on the architrave of the monumental Gate of Athena Archegetis ("Athena the Leader") tells us that Julius Caesar and Augustus provided the funds for its construction in the 1st century B.C. The Roman Agora consists of a large, open-air courtyard surrounded by colonnades on all four sides. On the eastern side, there were also a series of shops. On the southern side was a fountain. The main entrance was on the west (Gate of Athena Archegetis), and there was a second entrance (or propylon) on the east, leading up to a public latrine and the "Tower of the Winds." The Roman Agora apparently became the main market of the city, taking over many of the commerical functions of the Greek Agora, which had become something of a museum (or archaeological park) by that time.

The Tower of the Winds (or the Horologion of Andronikos of Kyrrhos), is a tall, octagonal building  immediately east of the Roman Agora. It was designed by a famous astronomer (Andronikos of Kyrrhos) to be an elaborate water clock (on the inside), sundial (on the outside), and weather vane (on the top). The nickname "Tower of the Winds" is derived from the personifications of the 8 winds carved on the 8 sides of the building. Scholars used to think that the Tower of the Winds was built in the 1st century B.C. (that is, during the early Roman empire), but many archaeologists now prefer a constuction date in the mid-2nd centry B.C. (during the Hellenistic period).

The Panathenaic Stadium is located on the site of an ancient stadium and for many centuries hosted games in which nude male athletes competed (gymnikoi agones) in track events, athletics championships as we would call them today. The games, which since antiquity had been held in an area far from the city, were included in the programme of the Panathenaia festival celebrations in 566/565 BC. When the orator Lykourgos assumed responsibility for the finances of Athens, in 338 BC, he included in the public works carried out in the city the building of a Stadium. The ravine running between Ardettos Hill and the low height opposite, extra muros of the city and in an idyllic setting on the verdant banks of the River Ilissos, was deemed to be an ideal location. This was private land but its owner, Deinias, conceded it to the State for the construction of a Stadium. Major earth-removal works transformed the ravine into a space for contests, with the features of the Greek stadium: parallelogram shape with entrance at one narrow end and room for the spectators on the earth slopes of the other three sides. Lykourgos’ stadium was used for the first time during the celebration of the Great Panathenaia in 330/29 BC, when games in which nude athletes competed were held.

In Roman times the city of Athens was no longer a political power. However, it enjoyed a new intellectual and artistic heyday in the reign of Emperor Hadrian, between AD 117 and 138. In this period, the orator and sophist Herodes son of Atticus spent part of his vast fortune on erecting splendid buildings in many sanctuaries and cities of the Roman Empire. Thanks to the generosity of Herodes, significant works were carried out in the Stadium between AD 139 and 144, which resulted in two main changes to the initial form: the conversion of the original rectilinear shape to horseshoe shape by adding the sphendone, characteristic form of Greek stadia in Roman times, and the installation in the space for spectators, the theatron, of rows of seats (edolia) of white Pentelic marble. A vaulted passage under the east retaining wall terminated at the back of the Stadium. On the track (stibos), marble slabs demarcated the starting line (aphesis) and the finishing line (terma). Integral elements of the track were the bifacial herms. The entrance acquired a propylon in the Corinthian order. A triple-arched marble bridge spanning the Ilissos secured easy access to the Stadium from the city. The whole space, and primarily the portico at the level of the sphendone, was adorned with statues of marble, bronze and even gold. The temple of the goddess Tyche/Fortuna, housing the ivory cult statue of the goddess, had been built on the summit of Ardettos. The Athenians were justly proud of the Panathenaic Stadium, which was unrivalled in the world. For many years, the tomb of Herodes dominated the hilltop left of the entrance.

With the prevailing of Christianity and the prohibiting of pagan celebrations and the barbarous spectacles of Roman times, such as bloody gladiatorial duels and contests with wild beats, the Panathenaic Stadium lost its glory. As time passed it presented a sad picture of dereliction, as the splendid marbles were incorporated into Athenian buildings and fed the limekilns in its vicinity. European travellers, mainly, visited its site, as emerges from their testimonies, in which they also give accounts of the magical rites enacted by young Athenian maidens in the ruined vaulted passage, aimed at finding a good husband.

Among the first attempts to revive the idea of the Olympic Games were the games organized in the Panathenaic Stadium in 1870 and 1875, on the occasion of the Zappeian Olympiads, exhibitions of Greek products with sponsorship from the benefactor of the Nation, Evangelis Zappas. This idea was brought to fruition by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French aristocrat with a sound classical education, who organized the International Olympic Conference in Paris, in 1894. President of the Conference and plenipotentiary of the Panhellenic Gymnastics Association was Demetrios Vikelas, who persuaded the delegates that the first modern Olympic Games should be held in the Greek capital in 1896. The Panathenaic Stadium was chosen to host the Olympic Games and was the epicentre of the city’s preparations for this major event. The enormous expense of reconstructing the Stadium was undertaken largely by another benefactor of the Nation, Georgios Averoff. His marble portrait statue, to the right of the entrance to the Stadium, was carved by the sculptor Georgios Vroutos.

From as early as 1836, archaeological excavation had uncovered traces of the ancient Stadium of Herodes Atticus, and on the basis of these findings, as well as of the finds from the excavations conducted by Ernst Ziller in 1869, the plan for its reconstruction was prepared by the architect Anastasis Metaxas. The rebuilding of the Stadium from Pentelic marble is distinguished by its high degree of fidelity to the ancient monument of Herodes.

The first modern Olympic Games commenced on 25 March and concluded on 3 April, and were a resounding success. The victor in the Marathon race, the most popular contest, was the Greek Spyros Louis. It was in the Panathenaic Stadium that the Olympic Hymn was heard for the first time, with lyrics by poet Costis Palamas and music by composer Spyros Samaras. Throughout the twentieth century the Panathenaic Stadium hosted diverse events, among them pan-Hellenic and international games. In the Athens 2004 Olympic Games it experienced moments of suspense and emotion during the archery contests and as the finishing line of the Marathon race. A creation of the Athenians, as its name proudly proclaims, the Panathenaic Stadium has been the venue for noble competition and fair play, of mind and of body, since Antiquity.

The archaeological site of the Kerameikos, between Ermou, Peireos, and Asomaton Streets, is a small part of the ancient Attic Deme of Kerameon, one of the largest demes of ancient Athens, located on the northwest edge of the city. As suggested by its name, the Kerameikos (from the Greek word for pottery) was a settlement of potters and vase painters, and the main production centre of the famous Attic vases. Those parts of the Kerameikos that were located near the riverbank suffered continuously from the overflowing river, and so the area was converted into a burial ground, which gradually developed into the most important cemetery of ancient Athens.

Potters were drawn to the Kerameikos by the clay deposits of the Iridanos, the small river that runs through the Kerameikos archaeological site. The river lay buried for centuries under eight or nine meters of landfill (level of Ermou Street), but was uncovered again in the 1960's during the archaeological excavations.

The earliest tombs at the Kerameikos date from the Early Bronze Age (2700-2000 BC), and the cemetery appears to have continuously expanded from the sub-Mycenaean period (1100-1000 BC). In the Geometric (1000-700 BC) and Archaic periods (700-480 BC) the number of tombs increased; they were arranged inside tumuli or marked by funerary monuments. The cemetery was used incessantly from the Hellenistic period until the Early Christian period (338 BC until approximately the sixth century AD).

The most important Athenian vases come from the tombs of the Kerameikos. Among them is the famous “Dipylon Oinochoe”, which bears the earliest inscription written in the Greek alphabet (second half of the eighth century BC). The Kerameikos excavations began in 1870 under St. Koumanoudis of the Archaeological Society of Athens. They continued in collaboration with the German archaeologists A. Brueckner and F. Noack over the next few decades, and are carried out by the German Archaeological Institute since 1913.

The site is regularly cleared of undergrowth. A set of projects, such as the construction of a network of visitor paths, the restoration of buildings, the re-opening of the Kerameikos Museum, the placement of informative signposts, and the construction of an amphitheatre, were completed in 2004. Moreover, recent expropriations of neighbouring land plots are expected to expand the site and allow further excavations to take place in the future. The site's small museum houses the finds from the Kerameikos excavations.

The Temple of Poseidon in Sounion Athens: Cape Sounion is found about 70 km to the south-east of Athens, on the southernmost tip of Attica peninsula. According to the myth, this is the site where Aegeus, king of Athens, fell into the sea because of a misunderstanding. Theseus, the son of Aegeus, had traveled to Crete to kill Minotaur, the legendary monster who lived in the palace of Knossos, and to release Athens from the obligation to send seven boys and seven girls every year to the king of Crete, only to be eaten by Minotaur.

Theseus thus had said to his father that if he killed Minotaur, he would hoist a white sail on the return home. Theseus indeed killed Minotaur and was returning to Athens safe and well but unfortunately, he forgot to hoist white sail and had a black sail on his mast. Aegeus saw the black sail from Cape Sounion and believed that his son was dead. His despair made him fall into the sea and, later on, the Athenians gave the sea his name, the Aegean Sea.

Some of the archaeological items found in this site date from as early as the 8th century BC, while Herodotus affirms in his documents that in the 6th century BC, the Athenians used to celebrate a quadrennial festival at Cape Sounion. In Homer's Odyssey, Menelaus while returning from Troy, stopped at this temple where he buried Phrontes, his helmsman.

In fact, this place was emotionally important for the Athenians, as this was the last point of their land that the ancient Athenian sea farers and warriors could see when they sailed away into the Aegean and around the Mediterranean Sea and also this was the first spot of Attica to see when they returned from the journey or war. That is why the Athenians decided to built a temple there, dedicated to Poseidon, the god of the sea, to give them nice sea trips so that they would come back home.

The first version of the temple was built in the archaic period but it was destroyed by the Persians in 480 B.C, in the second Greco-Persian War. Pericles, the famous Athenian leader, rebuilt the temple of Poseidon probably around 440 B.C. but only some columns of it stand till today. A 5m tall statue of Poseidon used to stand inside the temple, but today only a part of it survives and it is displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Athens. The frieze of the temple was made of marble from Paros island and it depicted the legends of Theseus. On one column, you can see the word "Byron" on it, engraved by the famous poet Lord Byron during a visit in 1810.

Many daily excursions are organized to Cape Sounion from the centre of Athens. It is considered among the sites you should definitely visit if you come to Athens. Apart from the archaeological remains, Cape Sounion is also famous for its beautiful sunset and the great views to the Aegean Sea. This site can be accessed through a scenic highway that crosses many residential resorts, like Glyfada, Vouliagmeni and Varkiza.

Located in southern Athens, between the Acropolis and the Ilissos river, the Olympeion was the sanctuary of Olympian Zeus. Here stands one of the greatest ancient temples of Zeus and, according to Vitruvius, one of the most famous marble buildings ever constructed. The sanctuary's foundation is attributed to mythical Deukalion. The site also comprises the temple of Apollo Delphinios - the sanctuary of Apollo Delphinios was traditionally associated with Theseus - and a tripartite building with a south courtyard of ca. 500 BC. The latter has been identified as the Delphinion Court, which was allegedly founded by Aegeas.

The site of the Olympeion was a place of worship of chthonic deities and of ancient Athenian heroes Athens since prehistory. Peisistratus the Young initiated the construction of a monumental temple in 515 BC, but failed to complete his project because of the fall of tyranny. The temple remained unfinished for approximately 400 years, until Antiochus IV Epiphanes resumed its construction in 174 BC. It was completed in AD 124/125 by Emperor Hadrian, who associated himself with Zeus and adopted the title of Olympios. A large poros temple dedicated to Apollo Delphinios was also built on the site around 450 BC. It was abandoned in the third century AD. The temple was Doric peripteral with two columns in antis on the front and back. In the second century AD, Hadrian built a Roman temple of the Doric order, with a built enclosure and an outdoor altar, probably of Kronos or Rea. A Roman peristyle for the meetings of the Chapter of the Panhelleloi was also constructed in the same area, and a possible residence of a prominent member of the Chapter was added on the rock of the Olympian Land in the Late Roman period.

A new city wall, the so-called Valerian Wall, was erected under Emperor Valerius in the third century AD, possibly on the same line as the Classical Themistoclean Wall. A large Late Roman cemetery developed outside the wall in the fourth and fifth centuries AD, and an extensive Byzantine settlement with many houses and workshops, including tanneries and an olive press, developed over the ruins of the Classical temple in the eleventh-twelfth centuries. This settlement had at least one main street, the so-called Ancient Street.

E. Penrose and G. Weltet excavated the sanctuary of Zeus in 1883-1886 and in 1922 respectively. Excavations around the temple were carried out by the Archaeological Society of Athens in 1886-1907 and by the architect Ioannis Travlos in the 1960's. The archaeologist Ioannis Threpsiadis also excavated here.

The area south of the Olympeion comprises the Parilissia Sanctuaries (sanctuaries located by the Ilissos river) and was unified with the existing archaeological site of the Olympeion during the Unification of the Archaeological Sites of Athens project. It is currently open to the public. The only access to the site of the Olympeion and the Parilissia Sanctuaries is from the gate house on Vasilissis Olgas Avenue. Systematic archaeological investigation by the Third Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities in the area south of the Olympeion from September 1999 until June 2004 (Project for the Unification of the Archaeological Sites of Athens) aimed to promote and enhance the monuments through systematic conservation and minor restorations, and to recondition the site through the removal of debris and undergrowth and the creation of rain water drainage and necessary facilities for visitors. The unified archaeological site comprises two new guard-posts, one on Vasilissis Olgas Avenue and another on the banks of the Ilissos, near the church of Agia Fotini, as well as sanitary facilities (also suitable for the physically challenged), a gift shop, and a storeroom.

The Agora was the heart of ancient Athens, the focus of political, commercial, administrative and social activity, the religious and cultural centre, and the seat of justice.

The site was occupied without interruption in all periods of the city's history. It was used as a residential and burial area as early as the Late Neolithic period (3000 B.C.). Early in the 6th century, in the time of Solon, the Agora became a public area.

After a series of repairs and remodellings, it reached its final rectangular form in the 2nd century B.C. Extensive building activity occured after the serious damage made by the Persians in 480/79 B.C., by the Romans in 89 B.C. and by the Herulae in A.D. 267 while, after the Slavic invasion in A.D. 580, It was gradually abandoned. From the Byzantine period until after 1834, when Athens became the capital of the independent Greek state, the Agora was again developed as a residential area.

The first excavation campaigns were carried out by the Greek Archaeological Society in 1859-1912, and by the German Archaeological Institute in 1896-97. In 1890-91, a deep trench cut for the Athens-Peiraeus Railway brought to light extensive remains of ancient buildings. In 1931 the American School of Classical Studies started the systematic excavations with the financial support of J. Rockefeller and continued until 1941. Work was resumed in 1945 and is still continuing. In order to uncover the whole area of the Agora it was necessary to demolish around 400 modern buildings covering a total area of ca. 12 hectares.

In the 19th century the four colossal figures of Giants and Tritons at the facade of the Gymnasium were restored by the Greek Archaeological Society. In the years 1953-56, the Stoa of Attalos was reconstructed to become a museum and in the same period the Byzantine church of Aghioi Apostoloi, built around A.D. 1000, was restored by the American School. Between 1972 and 1975, restoration and preservation work was carried out at the Hephaisteion; the area was cleared of the vegetation, and the roof of the temple was repaired in 1978 by the Archaeological Service.

The Athenian Acropolis is the supreme expression of the adaptation of architecture to a natural site. This grand composition of perfectly balanced massive structures creates a monumental landscape of unique beauty consisting of a complete series of masterpieces of the 5th century BC. The monuments of the Acropolis have exerted an exceptional influence, not only in Graeco-Roman antiquity, a time when in the Mediterranean world they were considered exemplary models, but in contemporary times as well.

From myth to institutionalized cult, the Acropolis, by virtue of its precision and diversity, bears a unique testimony to the religions of ancient Greece. It is the sacred temple from which sprang fundamental legends about the city. It illustrates the civilizations of Greece over more than a millennium. From the royal palace of kings in the 15th century BC and the Pelasgic walls of the first fortification, to the Odeon constructed in AD 161 by Herod Atticus, a unique series of public monuments was built and conserved in one of the densest spaces of the Mediterranean.

The Acropolis is located on a rocky promontory 156m above the valley of Ilissos; it covers a surface area of less than 3ha. From the 2nd millennium BC it was a fortress protecting places of worship and royal palaces. Access to the plateau was protected by a wall, the Pelasgicon, which existed prior to the invasions of the Dorians who threatened Athens beginning in 1200. After the fall of the tyrants, Hipparchus in 514 and Hippias in 510, the Acropolis was reconstructed. The Pelasgicon, which a Delphic oracle declared cursed, was destroyed. The upper town, deprived of its ramparts, was weakened, and in 480 the Persians under Xerxes took it over, looting and burning the sanctuaries. Paradoxically, the looting of the Acropolis in 480 BC guaranteed the conservation of one of the most impressive collections of archaic sculpture in the Greek world. The rampart was destroyed in 472-471, at the same time as the 'Long Walls,' which enclosed Athens and its port at Piraeus. With Pericles the 5th century BC marks the apogee of Athenian democracy. A period of several decades, 447-406 BC, saw the successive building of the main temple dedicated to Athena, the Parthenon; the Propylaea, the monumental entrance which replaced the Gate of Pisistratus, built on the very site of one of the entrances to the citadel of the ancient kings; the temple of Athena Nike; and the Erechtheion - the four masterpieces of classical Greek art. Although the disastrous Peloponnesian War and the capitulation of Athens in April 404 BC caused the demolition of the Long Walls, they did not affect the Acropolis monuments.

The sacred hill of Athens, whose monuments were the admiration of all, continued to be beautified by the powerful personalities of the moment, including the sovereigns of Pergamon, Cappadocia, and Egypt, Roman Emperors such as Claudius and Hadrian, and wealthy private citizens like Herod Atticus, the private tutor of Marcus Aurelius. The first incidence of damage to the monumental heritage of the Acropolis came at the time of the Herulian raid in AD 267. Since then and in spite of long periods of relative calm, the monuments and the site have been damaged many times. The Byzantines converted the temples into churches and removed their art treasures to Constantinople. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1204, Athens was put into the hands of Frankish lords who had little respect for its ruins. When the Turks took over the city in 1456, it became a mosque, and the Erechtheion was used from time to time as the harem of the Turkish governor. In 1687, the most tragic of dates, the siege of the Acropolis by the Venetian armies of Morosini resulted in the explosion of the Parthenon, which the Turks used as a powder magazine. In the 19th century, with official authorization from the Sultan, Lord Elgin, ambassador of the King of England to the Sublime Porte, completed the pillaging by acquiring marble sections which since 1815 have been the pride of the British Museum. After a century of excavations and improvements of the site, the Acropolis is now a testing ground for the most innovative open-air conservation techniques aimed at safeguarding the marble sections, which have been affected by heavy atmospheric pollution.

6 h. tour (Private tour)

(Transportation + guidance all the way + Mantamados + Sykamia + Molyvos or Mithimna)

We can arrange for you a private tour that will take you to all the highlights of the northern side of the island of Lesvos.

As soon as you disembark your cruise ship, you will be met by your guide and then drive with your private transportation vehicle to the graphic village of Mantamados, famous for its production of meat and dairy products, pottery workshops, but most important of all, "loukoumades"(Greek donuts). There you will have a chance to taste them. You will then continue your drive to the village of Sykamia and you will see the famous chapel of Panagia Gorgona, built on the rock at the entrance of the small haven. This was the inspiration for the famous Greek writer Stratis Myrivilis to write his masterpiece "The Mermaid Madonna".

From Sykamia you will proceed with the drive to one of the most beautiful places of Lesvos, the village of Molyvos. Traditional architecture is what you will see there, with houses built from rock and wood and painted with vivid colors, stone paved narrow streets, churches and beautiful beaches, and on top of all of these the majestic Byzantine castle overviewing the village.

On the way back to Mytilene from Molyvos you will have a chance to see on the way several other traditional villages as you will pass by them. You will be dropped off at the port of Mytilene to embark your cruise ship on time or if you have time, walk and explore Mytilene town on your own and probably have a glass of "ouzo", which is being produced on the island, before you leave.

Areopolis

Southwest of Gythio, this semi-mountainous village is the center of Itilos in Laconia. Dryalia, Lagokilio, Limenio and Omales also belong to Areopolis. Placed on the southeast side of Laconia, on the small peninsula that separate the coves of Limenio and Diros,  awashed by the Messenean Gulf, on the slopes of the last hills of Taygetus.
In the past it was called Tsirova and was recognised as a municipality in 1912. Areopoli is one of Mani’s oldest vil- lages, capital and historic center of Itilos and home of the famous family of Mavromichalis. Historical buildings are preserved, among them the Church of Taxiarhes, in which the family of Mavromichalis made the declaration of revo-lution against the Empire of Ottomans in the 17th of March in 1821. As a monument of the sacrity of the revolution, a rock with a hole in the center is saved, where Petrobeis Mavromichalis fastened up the flag of the revolution. Areopoli has a long and important history. In 1826, the town was used by the fighters as strategic base and a center where they gathered the necessary for their battles. You can visit a Church Museum which has heirlooms from those times.

Areopoli means “the city of Aris”the god of war according to mythology and it was named by Othon, the first king of modern Greece, showing this way his appreciation to the Mavromichalis family. Nevertheless, when the Bavarians were planning to destroy the castles of the area (which were for ages bases for fighters and bunkers), the people stood up in what history named the insurgency of Mani. The insurgency was finally a success and the castles remained un- touched. During the 19th century the population in Areopoli turned themselves to education and industry, lots of them immigrated, mainly in America, due to the infertility of the ground.

A landscape carved on the rocks by the wind. Hard and rugged yet charming. The colours of the sea to the west of Mt. Taigetos to the north, of Mt. Sagias (Lower Taygetos) to the south. Only to the east does the road afford a glimpse of green.

Here, at the top of Mesa Mani, the commencement of the Struggle for Greek Independence was proclaimed on March 17. 1821.

At Areopolis, the Maniot town that took its name from the god of warfare, Aris (Mars). The protected monuments are the churches of Agios Ioannis Prodromos, Agios Athanasios with wall paintings and Panagia Tsipiotissa. Also protected are the four-store of Mavromichalis Tower and is surrounded by a large building complex and a tall enclosure, rendering it a real fortress and the Pikoulakis Towerha who has three stores, with a strong, two-storey tower-house. It will also become a museum after its restoration.

Kelefa Castle

The imposing castle of Kelefa is located north of Aeropoli and south of Itilo. It was built around 1670 by the Turks, with the assistance of Liberakis Gerakaris and in 1685 it was seized by the Venetians and the Maniates.In our days we can see the remains of the massive exterior walls, two towers (out of four that existed originally), ruined buildings in the interior and one canon, out of the 58 that were defending the castle, in the times of glory.

Itilo

Itilo is one of the most beautiful traditional villages of Mani. Located about 11 km from Areopoli it is built amphitheatrically on the west side of the canyon that separates the interior Mani from the exterior or Messinian Mani. Standing opposite Itilo are the ruins of the Kelefa Castle while lower below are the twin bays of Limeni and Tsipa (which was renamed to Neo Itilo in 1903). Itilo is one of the most ancient towns and, as mentioned in Homer's works, it belonged to the Kingdom of Menelaos . In the area were discovered archaeological findings from the Mycenaean, Classical and Roman era. The town participated in the Trojan war and was one of the most important members of the "League of the Free Laconians" and the "Lacedaemonian League". Between 1672 and 1674 many residents of Itilo emigrated; members of Giatrianos family to Toscana and members of the Komninos- Stephanopoulos family to Genoa , while members from both families also settled in Corsica .In the village square one can see the relief plaque commemorating the town twinning between Cargeze in Corsica and Itilo (1990). Also in the square is standing the statue of the modest hero of the 1821 revolution Elias Tsalafatinos. One kilometre to the south of the town is located the Thekoulou or Dekoulou Monastery, with its preserved church and marvellous paintings of holy images.

Neo Itilo

The village of Tsipa, which was renamed to Neo (New) Itilo in 1930, lies 6 km out of Areopoli. Neo Itilo has been developed on the beautiful sandy beach of the bay and provides an ideal location for swimming, with its nice beach extending below the mountain slope where the remnants of the Kelefa Castle are still standing.

Limeni

A few kilometres outside Areopoli, Mani has reserved a pleasant surprise for the summer visitor. It is a tiny harbour village– a real painting like picture – of a few small stone houses with colourful windows and red-tiled roofs.

The houses are scattered among the rocks, which are wetted by the turquoise waters of the bay bearing the same name. On our way down the mountain slope, suddenly appears the small village, nested in the small cove, with its old stone houses hanging from the rocky mountainside with the scattered tall cypress trees. The deep blue sea next to the village combines to create a unique picturesque image. The turquoise waters are fresh for the first few meters from the beach, due to the underground flow of fresh water, coming out of the rocks. Limeni, the seaport of Itilo, was the base and the port of Mavromichalis family, which played an important role in the liberation war (Revolution) of 1821. We can see in Itilo, the restored, four-story Mavromichalis tower house with its arched openings, which is going to be used as a Museum.

Stoupa is a charming seaside village located in the Mani, a stunning region in the southern Peloponnese, the coast of Greece defined by travel connoisseurs as the New Côte d'Azur. Set dramatically against a backdrop of crystalline aqua-blue waters, majestic cypress trees, wild olive groves, verdant rolling hills and distant snowcapped mountains, it is the liveliest of villages that overlook the seas and sunsets of the Messinian Gulf. 3 hours and 45 minutes' drive from either the capital of Athens or the port of Patras, and just 40 km from the nearby city of Kalamata, it is one of the south Mediterranean's "coolest" and newest hotspots – also known as the "Laguna Beach of Lefktro": a small, laid-back and yet up-beat resort that boasts a bustling beachside promenade with a picturesque harbour and 2 of the best beaches in the Mani.

The village caters to many tastes. It is a favoured all-year-round haunt of families and companions, but also of voyagers who are into new and undiscovered European holiday destinations, as well as a cultural and social hub for foreigners from all corners of the globe who enjoy holiday homes in Municipality of Lefktro. This extended international community also includes artists, musicians, philosophers, scientists and writers. Visitors come for romantic week-end breaks, friendly get-togethers and memorable family/group vacations. Easy-going, enticing and warm, Stoupa is both an ideal place for holidays and a special retreat for long relaxing spells.