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NAFPLIO TODAY.
SHOULD-SEE NAFPLIO.
Nafplio (Ancient Greek) has a bit of an identity crisis as it has so many names on its bio. It would have different names under the Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman occupations.
Finally, they settle on Nafplion or Nafplio (modern Greek) in the 1800s.
However you pronounce it, Nafplio is worth a visit.
Ancient History.
We know something about Mycenae and Tiryns, which lie 15 and 5 miles to the north of Nafplio. Their rise to prominence is in 1600–1100 BC. As they are both inland, they would use somewhere between Argos and Nauplion as a port for trading.
Then the Peloponesse and all of Greece falls into what is known as the Greek Dark Ages (1100 – 800 BC). Very few records exist of any Greek history during this time. (Or it was utterly destroyed).
After the Dark, There is Darker.
From 800 B.C. until the 6th Century B.C., there is little to no mention of Nafplio. As it is near Argo, they may include it in their history. Unfortunately, no one from that time is talking.
We know that in the 6th century B.C., the city of Nafplio falls to Argos. Nafplio allied with nearby Sparta (Argo’s arch-enemy), who also falls.
After the fall, trade and commerce seem to shift to Argos, northwest of Nafplio. And Nafplio becomes an invisible city again. They find very little written information about the city. Sometime during the middle ages (5th – 15th century A.D.) Argos and Nafplio become part of a lordship under nearby Morea. In 1212 A.D., both of them go to the Duke of Athens as war spoils.
It remains as a fief of the Duke of Athens until around 1388 when they sell it to Venice.
During the next 150 years, the Venetians fortify and strengthen Nafplio, both in the original upper city, Acronauplia, and the newer lower town.
In 1514, the Ottomans took up residence. The Venetians were back in 1685 and built the castle of Palamidi, to strengthen the city’s defenses. Unfortunately, they left very few soldiers, so in 1715, the Ottomans were back. They remain until 1827.
Getting its Greek Back.
After putting up a brave fight, thanks to the Venetian fortifications, the Ottomans finally fall to the Greeks during the Greek War of Independence. The following year, 1828, the Greeks make Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first head of state of the new provisional government. They place it in Nafplio. After his assassination in 1831, they establish the Kingdom of Greece and name Otto of Bavaria as their King in 1832. He moves the capital to Athens two years later.
Thanks to its colorful past, Nafplio has a wealth of treasures to show you today.
Nafplio Today.
Just in the city, you have the ancient Greek walls, Byzantine castles, Ottoman fountains, and Venetian architecture. Nearby, you have UNESCO World Heritage sites a short drive from Nafplio.
Nafplio, to me, rarely feels crowded in comparison. There is the occasional cruise ship, but the majority of these are under 1000 guests. And, there is the usual end of summer crush. But outside of these times, it just does not have the crowd claustrophobia of cities and ports the mega-ships visit. It has its touristy areas, but you can see the real Nafplio as well.
What is in Nafplio for me?
See & Hear.
Walk the pedestrian streets of the old town section. You have a different architectural style with every block you walk. Hear the children playing and the mothers calling to one another. Without cars, you can hear your surroundings.
Another option is to sit at a sidewalk cafe, listening to life happening all around you.
Taste & Smell.
Nafplio has its own Syntagma Square. Use this as a meeting/starting point and wander the lanes. Hidden courtyards are home to cafes that feature the unique Peloponessian cuisine. Old tavernas and wine shops offer tastes from the local vineyards.
Feel.
Sip a glass of wine in the region where they are growing the grape.
Watch the shadows grow longer across the Venetian walls framing the mountaintop.
Think back on your day in this magical little pocket of the Peloponnese.
There may be better ways to end your afternoon, but this one doesn’t suck.
SHOULD SEE SITES.
Acronauplia – is where it all began. This ancient site overlooks the old town from the end of the peninsula. Some call it the lower fort. The original city, from the Bronze age, was within this fortification. There are remnants of the old walls in the western part of the castle. Acronafplia was built upon and modified by the Romans, Franks, Venetians, and Turks.
Bourtzi – Sits on a small island in the harbor and is the symbol of Nafplio since 1471. This Venetian fortress has weapons on all sides. They also built an underwater “wall” of rocks so that large ships are unable to approach the island. Starting in 2015, a renovation of the fort began. During this time, you cannot visit the island.
Palamidi Fort – sits on the highest point of the peninsula overlooking everything. It is an excellent example of Venetian fortification construction and remains, for the most part, in the original condition. Construction began in 1711. Unfortunately, the Ottomans were able to seize it four years later. On November 29, 1822, the Greeks took the fort from the Ottomans, beginning the liberation of the city and Greece. After this time, it was a prison. You can drive to the defense or climb the staircases. How many are there? It all depends on who you ask. They call it the 999 steps, but the part visible from below is actually between 857 and 913. (Depending on where you start counting to the bottom of the fortification. To reach the highest part of the fort is 999 steps from the town below. I did mention you can drive up?
Additional Fortifications.
The Bastion of Pende Adelphia – also goes by the name “The Five Brothers” for the five canons still there. This last remaining section of the sea level fortifications is a short walk from Philellion Square. Follow the seaside promenade (Boumpoulinas) S.W. past the harbor to the very end. The barricade will be on your left. Look for the round tower.
Around the City.
Philellion Square – Is an excellent meeting/starting point to explore the city. More pie shape than square, it faces the waterfront and splits the old town in two. From here, you should be able to walk anywhere in the old section in 15 minutes or less.
Syntagma Square – is the heart of the old town. Neoclassical style buildings and a little byzantine architecture create a charming backdrop to this social center. At the east end is a building from the 1500s that was once a mosque. Much later, it was a movie theater, the Trianon. Many still call it by that name today.
The Archaeological Museum – sits at the west end of Syntagma Square in what was once the Venetian arsenal, dating from 1713. During WWII, it was the German’s interrogation center. The collection has items from this region dating back to (perhaps) 22,000 B.C.
Vouleftikon or Parliament building is off Syntagma Square. Standing in front of the museum, facing it, look left. Begining circa 1730 as a mosque. The Greek People’s Assembly (parliament) used it for meetings in 1825, after taking back the city from the Ottomans. Later it would serve as a prison. Today, it hosts musical performances.
Medrese is the building directly behind Vouleftikon. Formerly a Turkish religious school in connection with the mosque. The best view is from the terrace of Vouleftikon. (walk up the steps).
Also worth a peek.
The Public Library is one block north (towards the harbor) from Syntagma. The building, dating from 1887, was at first a girl’s school. Today, the library has books, letters, and newspapers, dating back to the 1500s, as well as historical paintings on the walls.
Vas. Konstantinos.
This street leads away from Syntagma Square to the east. The Megalos Dromos, or Great Road, was the main street of the new Greek city. Ioannis Kapodistrias, Greece’s first president, has it built to connect his Little Palace with Syntagma Square. Some locals (Nafpliots) still call it by its original name. It is a pedestrian street, but some of the roads that cross it are not.
Komboloi Chaplet Museum – is a private museum with chains from all over the world. A chaplet is a string of 55 beads for counting prayers. (a rosary has 115, three times as many.) Numbering close to 1000, they are from amber, red coral, ivory, bone, antler, ebony, and other materials. They date from 1700 to 1950 and are in arrangements by different groups, the Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim is one. Catholics and Christians are another. And there are the Greek chaplets.
War Museum – is a two-story museum chronicling the history of the local cadets. This history ranges from the Greek War of Independence to WWII.
Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF) is a private museum and foundation, whose goal is the research, preservation, study, and presentation of the material culture of the Peloponnese, and also Greece. The building was the former residence of Ioanna Papantoniou, the founder. The museum has won awards for its collection of books, documents, ceramics, furniture, and costumes covering Hellenic customs, cultures, fashion, and children.
Platia Trion Navachon.
The Three Admirals’ Square was the location of the first president’s, then kings Little Palace. Unfortunately, the 1929 fire burns it to the ground. The Statue of King Otto marks the spot. Kapodistrias had it built, along with the Great Road, to honor three admirals. They fought on the Greek side in the victorious battle of Navarino in 1827.
The Town Hall, – is the three-story single building on the south side of the square. This 1857 building was initially Greece’s first high school. As you face the town hall, the two-story building to its right began as the first pharmacy in Greece.
Off the Vas. Konstantinos.
Porta della Terraferma – (The Land Gate) was at one time the only way into the walled city from the land. The current entrance (remains of) is from 1708. Once there was a moat bringing water from the sea, making you cross a drawbridge to access the opening. At sunset, they would close the gate and raise the bridge. The entrance is one block southeast of Platia Trion Navachon. Adjacent to the gate is the neo-classical Courthouse, dating from 1911. Take a peek inside to see old Nafplio.
New Town.
National Gallery – contains a collection of art focusing on Greece during the War of Independence and the time soon after. Several pieces refer to Nafplio, the area around it, and recent Greek history. It also shows the use of art as media in a time before the 24-hour news.
The Lion of Bavaria is a sculpture dating to 1840 by commission from King Ludwig of Bavaria. It was in memory of the Bavarian soldiers who died during the typhoid epidemic in Nafplio between 1833 and 1834. The soldiers were part of Otto’s army. He was the son of Ludwig and would later be King of Greece.
Day Trips.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Mycenae and Tiryns – are both worth visiting.
Ancient Tiryns is less than four miles from Nafplio and closer to the water. The building is possibly by the brother of the King of nearby Argos. It probably served as the harbor for Mycenae, which would begin construction approximately 50 years later.
Mycenae is 11 miles to the north of Tiryns and will become the most influential center of the Mycenaean Culture. This culture dominates mainland Greece, the Aegean islands, and the shores of Asia Minor along the Aegean. The time of this is during the late Bronze Age era (1600-1100 B.C.).
Ancient Lerna is on the far shores of the bay, across from Nafplio. These ruins dating back to 2700-2200 B.C. make this site one of the most important prehistoric sites in Greece. In Greek mythology, this is where Heracles performs his second labor by killing the multi-headed Lernaean Hydra.
UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus – is a sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. The main attraction here is the theater, which still hosts musical performances today.
