At 3 o’clock in the afternoon Kostas Zarokostas and Elsa welcome us with wide open arms. The welcome takes place at the Tower Tsitsiri, in Stavri of Mesa Mani.

-Good for you! After 800 kilometres you managed to reach daylight and early.

-Yes, but we had to start at night.

-After so many hours on the road you will be tired, you will be hungry.

-Nah, all we need is a cup of coffee. And right after that, a nice plan of action for the rest of the day.

-I have already worked it out in detail, Kostas says happily. I guarantee you the most exciting use of time until nightfall…

PANAGIA THE AGITRIA – UNCOVERING THE CLIFFS

It’s been a year already! It was early last February, when our steps led us to the legendary Cape Tainaro, at the southernmost tip of Mesa Mani. It was a charming but hopelessly brief introduction to the place. Which left us with a strong sense of unfinished, unsatisfied, unfulfilled…

-Perhaps it is better to know Mani in small doses, Anna had said at the time. For it is worth every detail, however small it may seem at first.

So, a year later we are back on the big road to Mani. Our desire was of course “locked” decisively by the phone call of Zarokostas.

-Let’s spend the three days of Carnival to walk a little in Mani, in “Cavo Grosso” and in the peninsula “Tigani”. They are beautiful trails, relaxing and not very well known. Now in the spring they will be full of flowers.

We knew very well the beauty and variety of wildflowers of Mani. What was impossible to imagine were the countless little churches, some visible and some unseen, but all built in old times, with such architecture, Byzantine or megalithic, that left us amazed. And I am sure, that in our tours so far, we have never encountered so many charming and old churches.

-Let’s start, then, from the Virgin Mary Hodegetria, Kostas says, whom the locals call “Agitria”.

We take the asphalt road north from Stavri and one kilometer later we reach Agia Kyriaki. A tiny settlement, a handful of traditional Mania stone houses and among them a few taller tower houses. Although built at a low altitude of 200 meters, the settlement has a unique view. From the edge of the rocky hill, it looks down on the soupy peninsula of Tigani and on its right the wide bay of Mezapos with the homonymous settlement nestled in the cove. On the mainland stretches the green plain of the ‘Katopaggios’, as the area is known, and above it the long mountain range of ‘Saggia’ with its successive peaks. In the background of the northern horizon rises the majestic Taygetos, with the snow-white pyramid of Ai-Lia and the other peaks.

From the settlement we take the dirt road to Tigani. 250 m. later we meet a fork with two signs. One leads north towards Tigani, while the other leads west towards the chapel of Panagia. Continue west and after about 650 m the dirt road ends in a small plateau. From here the path begins. It is marked and clearly visible. It winds through stones, thorny bushes, bushes and low wild olive trees. Colourful wildflowers and bright red anemones adorn the hard, limestone ground of the site. The grass is also towering from the abundant winter rains.

A cold, lively maestro shakes away the last remnants of the nine-hour drive and the fatigue of the day. A few dozen metres lower, the sea echoes off the cliffs of the coast. We head southwest towards Cape Grosso. It is the huge geological formation, this rugged but historic plateau, which at 6 kilometers long, about 300 meters high and a few hundred meters wide, dominates the entire SW coastline of Mesa Mani. The northern end of Cape Grosso is Cape Drosos, a giant solid rock, rising vertically several tens of meters above the turbulent sea surface.

-There’s the chapel, Kostas suddenly says.

-Where do you see it? I ask him.

He smiles and points vaguely ahead. With a second, closer look I spot it among the vertical cliffs of the steep slope. First the dome stands out with its circular shape and then the walls. As we get closer, the other details become clearly visible. The dome is plain, stone and without corners, with a worn plaster in the colour of the stone. Its long windows are iron-barred but with their glazing broken. Under the dome begins the strongest masonry, with a hint of ochre and salmon colouring. Large chipped boulders join the masonry of the chapel and give it a fortress-like appearance. Directly above it rises a solid rock wall with a height exceeding ? It is a rocky wall with a rock face that rises more than 30 metres and provides perfect protection from east and south. The rest of the rocky embrace is open, for centuries the chapel has resisted the W and NW winds of the sea.

Five solid stone steps and a heavy, rusty iron door lead us into the sanctuary of the temple. The floor is covered with huge smooth slabs, among them long traverses of reddish stone, decorative figures and a magnificent relief of a bird. All examples of the original construction philosophy, aesthetics and craftsmanship of the people of the past. Our footsteps cross the floor slowly, respectfully, not to disturb the peace and dust accumulated by time. The sanctity of the space is complemented by the marble columns with their exquisite capitals, the remains of some early Christian carved inscriptions, the subtle frescoes left on parts of the walls. These sturdy walls, which for eight centuries have withstood the rigours of time and the fierceness of the winds.

One last look at the few square meters of the humble interior. Then, from the mysterious half-light, we step out again into the bright afternoon of Mani. But Panagia Odigitria, the “Agitria” of the locals, is forever etched in our hearts.

Behind the chapel, in well-protected hollows in the rocks, traces of small cells can be seen. A part of the dome from the old wood-fired oven is still preserved. The path, impassable and invisible among the grasses, leads after a few dozen metres to two successive large rock caves, their ceilings blackened by centuries of fire. To the left of the entrance of the second cave a very beautiful water cistern is preserved. Its walls are sealed with a hydraulic curtain and the water inside is clear. For a few minutes we look out over the sea. In the distance, outside the Messinian Gulf, some landmasses can be seen, wrapped in the sea urchin. They are the islets of Methoni, Schiza and Sapienza. But there is another landmass to the north, very close to us, which penetrates like a spear into the water. It is Cape Tigani, with the historic castle of Maini on its steep peak. To this place our footsteps will lead us until nightfall.

ROUTE DETAILS

From the settlement of Ag. Kyriakiaki a dirt road of about 900 meters. (time 10 – 12′).

Then a distinct path, without any particular difficulties and with a small difference in altitude. (time 10 – 12′).

ON THE PENINSULA OF TIGANI AND THE CASTLE OF MAYNE

At 5 o’clock in the afternoon the sun is still bright. By the end of February, the darkness of winter is dwindling. The mood improves too. It’s one thing to get dark at 5:00 and another to get dark at 7:00.

In less than 10 minutes we cover the 600 meters of the slightly downhill but rough (for conventional cars) dirt road. Immediately afterwards the trail starts. Rocky, well-formed, with a wide horizon and a direct view of Tigani. The gentle slope is covered with wildflowers, thorny bushes and thorn bushes. A simple and unpretentious place, perfectly illuminated by the afternoon sun.

In 10 minutes the gentle slope ends, we reach the sea level. The path narrows and is marked in the old, traditional way of the countryside, where there were no signs and no paint: with small, that is, successive stones, placed in timely positions, so that, with a little observation, it is impossible to deviate. In our case, moreover, our destination is clearly discernible. It is the remains of the castle at the elevated end of the peninsula.

A cold, mighty breath of a mistress arrives from the sea. Afternoon advances… We walk slowly along the rudimentary path. What a strange place this is! A hard, inhospitable tongue of land, strewn with thorns and innumerable small and large stones, white-grassed, some pebbly and some uneven, not at all friendly. A wild place, arid, in perhaps the most extreme form of the Mesa Mani. Which Nikitas Nifakos, in the 18th^th century, described in these words in his epic poem: (1) “Tree or wood or twig is not even a

they can’t find a shadow to stand in

Water does not come out in the whole of Mesa Mani

Wrist? It’s all pimples, and it’s dry as a bone.”

From women they are sown, women reap them

Women with their own hands alone pound them

Women with their backs naked carrying them

and they take out the fat stumps to keep them from getting messy.

In support of Nifakos’ verses, the legendary Philhellene writer Patrick Lee Fermor wrote of the Tigani half a century ago: (2) “The Tigani is a rocky outcrop like the hand of a frying pan, stretching across the bay three miles from Melapo and ending, at the edge, in a great high cliff. This rock is covered by a ruin: the castle of Mani… The panhandle that joins it consists of a thread of ugly cones of jagged rocks and hollows of salt. We feel the rocks, sharp as razor blades, under our ropey soles. A shadowless desolate wilderness. In this wretched heat, two ragged and barefoot women, mother and daughter, in old straw hats as wide as umbrellas, their faces blackened by the sun and their eyebrows and tangled hair white with dried brine, were picking the salt from the rocks and putting it into large baskets of wicker. They worked here all summer and sometimes even in winter. They slept in the large cave near the chapel of Odigitra, where there was a spring of brackish water to drink and soak their nuts.

This is no life, said the mother. How much could they sell the salt? And how much could they collect in a day? On a good day, she said, a little more than an ounce. On bad ones, even less. It was all relative. Then she threw back her head and let out a true happy laugh, with not a trace of bitterness in it.”

It is not difficult to see the cavities in the ground where salt was collected in the past. They are scattered everywhere, some small and some large, troughs with a circular protective wall and a bottom usually lined with currant. This is where the ‘salt water’ was poured in, carried in buckets from the many natural hollows in the rocks of the coast. During the summer, the water evaporated and the snow-white salt remained in the trough, ready for collection. On our way we also came across a complex salt marsh, the dimensions of a small threshing floor, with many partitions in between. In addition to these makeshift salt pans, there are other works of human hands. They are what remains of the dry-stone-built troughs that were obviously used by salt collectors. Almost all of them are concentrated on the inner, leeward coast of the peninsula, bordered by the bay of Mezapos.

With slow steps and searching eyes we cross the Tigani Peninsula along its entire length from south to north. Fifteen minutes later we reach the end of the land route, at the foot of the steep hill. It is the only elevated and naturally fortified point on the peninsula and in a strategic position, directly above the sea, a real attraction for every visitor, both on land and at sea. As we approach, a section with a circular walling projects to the southwest. Further to the east, just above our path, an imposing bastion is preserved in very good condition, built with megaliths whose outer surface is carved. The way the wall rises, as an extension of the natural fortification of the rocks, we cannot help but remember Fotis Kontoglou’s words about castles: “Our land is full of castles and towers. We pass through deserts, through wild dervishes, and we see against the mountains and cliffs built walls of water, standing silent and silent. Most of them have become one with the rock by the weather, and the eye cannot tell from a distance that they were built by man. The building of man has become one with the building of God.”

We climb for a while up the path that takes us to where the gate of the castle used to be. A flat area of several tens of acres is revealed before us. The ground is hard, stony, with low bushes and thorns. Scattered ruined walls of dry-stone houses, an irrefutable testimony to the former occupation of this fortified area. With no obvious paths, movement among the ruins and thorns is not easy. The surprise, however, comes from a monument of orthodoxy truly astonishing. It is the early Christian basilica of the 7th^th century, of magnificent dimensions but largely ruined. The masonry is authentic Byzantine, with large carved stones of marble or limestone limestone and tiles in between. Scattered over the rough ground, inside and outside the church, lie columns, column bases and capitals, many tombs dating back to the 7th^th century, while the three arches bear witness to the unconventional splendour of this ancient monument of the castle. Also impressive is a rectangular underground cistern, with a hydraulic curtain to seal the walls and a length of more than 10 metres!

Crossing the plateau in a NW direction, we reach the concrete pillar of the G.Y.S. After the gap, the steep slopes that surround the plateau and end up on the inhospitable coast. The mainstem gets stronger, foamy waves crashing roaringly against the rocks of the shore. The sun also lowers to the pelagic horizon line. It won’t be long before it sinks. It’s time to take the long path back to the hamlet of Agia Kyriaki.

ELEMENTS OF THE ROUTE

From the relevant sign (at the junction to the chapel of Odigitria) to the castle: 30 – 40 minutes.

The return from the castle to the settlement of Ag. Kyriaki takes 45 – 55 minutes.

The route has slight slopes and few difficulties.

For an enjoyable hiking experience from Agia Kiriaki to the Tigani peninsula and the castle of Maini, with stops for observation and photography, a time of 3-4 hours is recommended.

A DINNER WITH SUPERB LOCAL FLAVORS

The night of February falls fast in Stavri. The day-long fatigue and hunger begins to get the better of us. Fortunately Panagiotis’ tavern is nearby. As we approach, smoke billows from the burri. It comes from the large wood stove in the center of the shop that spreads a wonderful warmth around it. Panagiotis Kokorakis, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Oitylos, greets us with his wife Anna with great cordiality. People smiling and extroverted, within seconds we feel like we know them from years. Panagiotis takes a chair and sits with us.

-I don’t have any charcoal for grilled meats. But I’m sure something will turn up.

Anna brings the tsipouro first, with yeast bread made by her. They evoke memories of the past with tastes and scents of bread that are now gone. Equally authentic are the tiny Maniantikos elitses made by the family: black vinegar and green crunchy lemon. All delicious, perfect for a chippo.

-And where to try our old palamid, says Panagiotis.

They are pieces of palamida fillet with plenty of oil, from that famous Mani. It is a spicy taste, of rare delicacy, with a perfect balance of sour and salty.

-I have never tasted a tastier cured meat, says Kostas.

Next to him, Kyriakos Papageorgiou, our Volian friend with long experience in fine tsipouromezedes, exalts. Panagiotis cannot hide his satisfaction and rewards the verdict of the group with a second plate of palamidas.

-Leave some room for a little wine, says our friend.

The elits and passata give way to the pork raised by the family, cooked in the pot with grass “melikioni”. It’s a real revelation. It’s hard to describe the deliciousness of Anna’s cooking with the homemade pork, virgin olive oil and melikyoni grass from the Kastri countryside. It’s the turn of the table for the “σύγκlino”. The atmosphere is enlivened by this very special pork. Someone asks for details of its preparation. It’s a fascinating process that Panagiotis describes to us: Deep salting of the meat with salt from the ‘sgoornes’, the salt pans of Tiganio, salting for a few days in a clay pot, smoking with branches of rosemary, sage and carob, rinsing with plenty of water, boiling in a cauldron with the addition of orange peels and finally storage in clay pots with the ‘glyna’, the fat of the animal.

-And where does the cholesterol go? someone asks.

-A, “σύγκlino” is eaten in small portions, as a snack. It also needs some physical exercise to burn the fat. As we will do tomorrow at Cape Grosso, concludes Panagiotis.

CAPE GROSSO

The last day of February dawns beautifully with bright sunshine, clear air and a few clouds scattered in the blue sky. Heading southwest we set off for Cape Grosso, through olive groves with the famous, low Maniata olive trees. One kilometre later we meet on the right of the road the ancient cistern of Kotarou, one of the largest in the area. Very quickly we reach the small settlement of Agios Athanasios with the homonymous church and, two and a half km after Stavri, we enter “Kipoula” or “Kippoula”. It is a traditional settlement, with stone houses and tower houses of the characteristic Maniaki architecture. One of them, long and large in the western part of the settlement, is built entirely with ornate dry stone, without a trace of intermediate mortar. A strange and rather unique sight in the centre of the village is the roofless stone masonry of the church of St Demetrios. The paradox lies in the fact that this roofless church contains within its interior a smaller 15^th century church, which eventually escaped demolition (due to its age), but without ever completing the construction of the larger church surrounding it.

Leaving the village, we feel the catalytic presence of Cape Grosso, which dominates the western horizon along its entire length. But what is Cape Grosso? It is a huge, elongated plateau that occupies the entire length of the west-south-west coast of the Mesa Mani (3). The length of the plateau is 5 km, its width ranges from 300 to 600 metres and its height from 270 to 290 metres above sea level. This huge rock is a naturally fortified site, since it is surrounded almost everywhere by steep slopes. On this plateau was the site of Ano Pula, which has been identified by many researchers with the ancient city of Epola of Pausanias. The entire lowland area of the so-called ‘Apokieri Mani’ was under the feet and control of whoever was to command the plateau (4). The Frankish ruler William Villardouin was therefore justifiably impressed by the advantages of the plateau which, while offering him a very large area, required very little expenditure to fortify it effectively. The choice of the fortified site was made by Villardwin’s personal decision but after field research and the urging of some people who knew the place. The building of the castle in the year 1250 had the immediate result of the capitulation of the local population. According to Pan. (5) ‘The armistice and the pursuit of an agreement for a compromise came from the pressure of the common people on the rulers and not from the decision of the latter, who (in the text of the ‘Chronicle of Morea’) are said to be determined to continue resisting’.

We leave the cars outside of Kipoula and continue on foot. Olive grove. Fences with dry stone walls. Path with red marks on level ground. In less than 5 minutes we reach the “Kipoula’s Lake”, a waterhole with a diameter of about 20 meters. S-SW of the pond, the trail begins to climb, rocky and smooth. But already we are in front of another old cistern with a depth of 1.5 meters and a length of at least 5 meters. The inside of the walls is covered with a tile-coloured hydraulic curtain, while the upper part of the cistern is covered with the characteristic long stones, the “macronia”.

The Byzantine “kinternes”.

A typical Byzantine cistern is either dug into the rock or, more often, built with elaborate masonry, the thickness of which varies from 50 to 70 cm and is proportional to its dimensions. If the tank is relatively large and is located in an open area, it is covered from above with an arch. If the tank is small, however, it is covered with slates or ‘macronia’. Its bottom and side walls are smeared with successive layers of lime mortar up to 3 cm thick, of which one or more at the end are made up of the waterproof (hydraulic) coating, known as ‘kurasani’. Their construction and the achievement of watertightness has been extremely successful, since even today some still “hold” water all year round.

In front of a vertical rock Panagiotis stops. His trained eye has discovered something that none of us have noticed. There are some grasses growing in the crevices.

-Do you recognize these greens? he asks us.

We look at it questioningly.

-It’s melicony and barbarion, the greens you liked so much last night in the salad and in the pork dinner. It’s an old tradition for a manatee to own the greens of his country home. These humble little greens have saved him many times in hard times from starvation.

The path becomes rough and uphill, with tall grasses hiding treacherous stones among them. For the first time we see in the distance on the SE horizon the cape of Taenaro with the lighthouse, which, just a year ago, had given us such vivid memories. For a while our feet step on a cobbled path, “plakolithi” Panagiotis calls it. Immediately afterwards we reach the flat part of Cape Grosso. We are at an altitude of 275 meters, 65 meters higher than the plain of Kipula. The time it took us to get here does not exceed 20 minutes at a normal pace.

Another reality greets us on the vast plateau of Cavo Grosso, the plateau of Upper Pula: a limestone terrain that is absolutely hostile, covered with countless thorny bushes and stones. The stones rooted in the ground are sharp and very dangerous if one stumbles and falls on them. The remaining stones, of various sizes, come from the stone blocks and fallen walls of ancient houses. The whole field of vision is dominated by a vast ruin of the remains of small ancient settlements. Let us not forget that in Ano Pula there was probably the citadel of Hippola, the main town of which was located lower down on the plain of Kippula. According to Woodward, indeed, the Sanctuary of Hippolyta Athena must have been in continuous use from Geometric to Hellenistic times, and must have been located high on the acropolis, perhaps near one of the Byzantine temples built there. These temples are the most characteristic examples that survive today on the plateau. They can be found a few dozen metres further on. They are the smaller Agios Georgios and the larger Agios Theodoros, next to each other. A cistern exists between them, covered with “macronia”. In front of them is a circular piece of ground, flat, like a small square.

-It is the “rouga”, says Panagiotis, where the elders gathered to make decisions.

A forest of tall nettles stretches across the area of the ruga, in front of the chapels. We push them aside and walk past, delighted not to be wearing shorts in this wild place.

It is moving to stand in front of these two humble monuments of Byzantium, which have been standing for about 1000 years. Their masonry, albeit damaged, still survives. Some of the frescoes, faded by time, are also preserved. The floor is earthen with uneven stones, but the architectural parts of ancient buildings are numerous in both churches. The disappointment comes from the lack of any information sign, of the kind that the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities is accustomed to, but mostly from the complete absence of any visible addition of preservation.

Pan. Katsafados mentions about the churches in his book (6): “On the eastern edge of the cliff of Ano Pula, at the point where the path ascends from Kippoula, there are two churches near each other, one of which the smaller one is honoured in the name of St. George and the other, the more important one, in the name of St. Theodora. They are both built with limestone. The church of St. Theodora was rebuilt in more recent times, but several architectural elements, both medieval and ancient, are still there in first and second use respectively. Its oldest hagiographies are in two layers, of which the original one could be traced back to the XI century and the later one to the XIV century. The attached secular building on its northern side shows the presence of priests in later times there.”

Among stones and thorns we find a rudimentary path to the north. Shortly afterwards the path disappears, but we continue in incredibly hostile terrain for another 10 minutes. We reach the edge of the cliff. What a waste of time and effort! Low down, the Tigani reveals a stunning picture, with its pelagic bay of Mezalimona and Mezapo, the most sheltered from the elements. High up, through the clouds, the snow-white Taygetos beckons us, while back to the south we gaze at Tainaro. We stay for some time facing this magnificent sight, the same one that the inhabitants of ancient Hippola gazed upon a few thousand years ago. Kyriakos and Panagiotis, however, do not waste their time. They continue their fierce battle with the ground on a long march to “Xemundo”, the northern edge of the Cape Grosso plateau. They go on to discover another Byzantine chapel, that of St. Sostis.

Note: Those who wish to admire the magnificent view of the Tigani, do not have to walk more than 120 – 130 meters north of the two temples. High-top sneakers and thick pants are recommended.

We return to the two small churches and, about 70 metres to the west-northwest, we find ourselves in front of the presumed remains of the temple of Hippolyta Athena. The structure is built with very sturdy dry stone, consisting of “slow” stones of large dimensions. The maximum height of the surviving walls is 3.5 – 4 metres and their thickness is more than 1 metre. The total length of the structure is more than 12 metres long and 5 metres wide. We gaze for a short while across the plateau to the south, to the highest point, the hill of Koumbos, whose summit rises to an altitude of 311 metres. We decide to attempt to cross the rugged plateau to its southern edge on a later occasion. For now we continue south for a while, looking for the gateway out of the castle to the plain.

We do not regret this choice. About 100 meters after the churches of Aghios Theodoros and George we find another ruined chapel. It is the ruined church of St. Lias, with a strong megalithic wall but without a roof. On the ground lie an ancient column and column base. Just 60 metres further down we find another chapel, equally ruined, on the edge of the cliff.

The path continues narrow and easy, always parallel to a fence with a dry stone fence. The place is strewn with countless ruins from the buildings of the ancient settlement. The ground is covered with thick grass, which provides rich fodder for the numerous cows. Grasses, thyme and many wild flowers. Among them are white asphodel and purple anemones.

A few minutes later we arrive at the ruins of a double Byzantine temple. The older one is dedicated to St. Nicholas while the newer one is probably dedicated to St. George. In front there is a large underground water tank, as well as a worship trough carved into the rock, which keeps water in the cavity.

Panagiotis Katsafados mentions that “the temples are built with limestone and fragments of tile in the masonry. The apse of St. Nicholas covers almost the entire width of the church… In both churches the pilasters of the gate of St. Vima were ancient columns, parts of which are in situ. No traces of iconography remain. In the remains of these temples, the largest number of architectural elements, dating back to ancient and Roman times, can be identified. As the visitor gazes at the ancient remains scattered among the ruins, I wonder if the temple of Hippolyta Athena mentioned by Pausanias was located nearby, perhaps in the same place. The church of Agios Nikolaos is perhaps the oldest of all the churches of Ano Pula’.

And the author continues: “All the churches in Upper Pula are located on the edge of the cliff, and with the exception of St. Savior and Eleousa, all of them face the plain to the east. Around the churches there are dry-stone farmhouses whose date goes back to the early years of the Middle Byzantine period and much earlier. The plateau of Ano Pula is perhaps the most tangible evidence of the timeless use and occupation of a fortified site in the Middle Mani, from prehistoric to modern times. This particular site is, and should be treated as, a valuable archaeological site’.

A few minutes later the path leads us to an opening in the ruined fortification, where the gate of the castle was apparently located. This walk, between the Byzantine and ancient past of the plateau, lasted less than an hour in total. We are already descending the path and in a few minutes we reach the old chapel of Panagia Eleftherotria, above Kippoula. This chapel is also old, one-roomed, with internal dimensions of about 8×3 meters. Its most curious feature is the very low and sloping entrance, which forces us to enter the nave upside down.

-This is the entry system, which here we call “colospitaka”, explains Panagiotis.

100 meters below Eleftherotria we find another Byzantine chapel. It is built with carved megaliths and the little light inside penetrates through the doorway and a narrow slit in the sanctuary. After a while the eyes get used to the low light and some worn frescoes can be seen. The altar in the sanctuary area is impressive. It comes from an inverted base of an early Christian column bearing an engraved cross and inscription.

We are already heading downhill to Kippoula. We thus complete a small circle in the northern part of Cape Grosso, in a strange, fascinating place, with impressive viewpoints and unexpected findings from the ancient and Byzantine past of the region. With a net walking time of about an hour, our total stay at Cape Grosso exceeded 4 hours, but none of us would have objected in the slightest if it had lasted all day. Such places one rarely has the luck to visit…

Ouzaki in Gerolimenas, on outdoor tables above the sea. A path leads up to the southern extremities of the Cape Grosso plateau. Until the last light of dusk we wander around the surrounding area, which reveals traditional settlements, tower houses and magnificent Byzantine churches, such as Agios Nikolaos and the two-storeyed church of Panagia and Agios Petros in Ochia, Agios Ioannis in Keria, and of course Agios Sergios and Bacchus, the famous “Tourloti”, near Koita. Never in our tours so far have we encountered more and more beautiful Byzantine chapels. Many of them are architectural masterpieces and would deserve special multi-page dedications. We promise to return.

The last image of the day is a unique sunset over the mountain range of Saggia.

IN THE BANKS OF THE MEZAPOS

From the first day in the area we have been impressed by the spectacular bay of Mezapos, formed east of the Tigani Peninsula. At the bottom of the eastern end of the bay nestles the homonymous settlement. We set out to get to know it. We exit north from Stavri and, 500 meters later, we go downhill to the right.

-Let’s stop for two minutes, Panagiotis says after a while.

At first glance we do not see any sights in the place, except for a ruined chapel and a ravine with stone slopes. In the previous two days we have encountered a plethora of spectacular scenery and important monuments in the surrounding area.

-In this trench, however, there were extensive limestone quarries from ancient times, explains Panagiotis. The traces of the quarrying, as you can see, are still very distinct. And of course, the roofless chapel of St. Prokopios is one of the oldest in the area.

The confirmation of his words is found in the book of Katsafados, where the following is mentioned: “The ruined church of St. Prokopios, from a historical point of view, is considered one of the most important Byzantine monuments of the Middle Mani. It belongs to the type of small, one-room churches with iconoclastic painted decoration, built during the period of the second iconoclasm (813-843). According to Professor N. Drandakis (7), ‘the belts (maples) were built of limestone, which were extracted from the old quarry to the west of the church, while many clay stones were used in the construction of the chambers. Also, the masonry and the size of the arch of St. Prokopios recall early Christian basilicas. Although the surviving remains of the original decoration of St. Prokopios are therefore meagre, they do offer evidence that the church was completed during the last period of iconoclasm (first half of the 9th century).

Impressed by these facts, we continue our tour, recognizing how important the presence of an informed local or tour guide is, supported by the relevant literature. It can then be that even the simplest landscapes or objects can take on an identity that is completely different. The truth of this argument is demonstrated a few hundred metres further down the road, at the ‘Fokaloto’ settlement.

-That’s a very strange name, says Anna.

-It has its importance, replies Panagiotis. It comes from the word “fokali”, which in the local dialect is thyme. If you look at the slopes, they are full of thyme.

A few hundred meters to the right, on an uphill slope, there is a temple. It is the famous “Bishopric”.

-We will go there from another point of the route, says Panagiotis. For now, let’s pass by the church of Vlacherna.

Olive grove under the road. Imposing uninhabited tower house. Two warehouses arched over. Their construction with large stones is exquisite. Fifty yards down the road, the little church. An old building, of the second half of the 12^th century, with arches of limestone, chipped marble stones, tiled roofs and a magnificent trullo. But the wear and tear of the centuries is great. Few frescoes are preserved with the finest being that of John the Baptist in the right part of the Beautiful Gate.

One and a half kilometer after Vlacherna we enter the first houses of Mezapos. The initial impression is disheartening. After the elegant Byzantine architecture, the stone houses and towers of the traditional villages, we suddenly find ourselves in front of the unimpressive concrete houses of this seaside settlement. Its topography alone, in the cove of this beautiful bay and opposite the historic Tigani, should make it one of the most picturesque settlements of Mesa Mani. Instead, it is one of the most abused. Some even old stone-built houses, most of which are dilapidated and uninhabited, make the difference between the shabby new and the ornate old ones even more obvious.

We go out for a while to the cobbled square of Analipsi, above the sea. To the right of the church, under a steep slope, an enclosed natural cove, “Kourkou”, is revealed. No boat rocks in the waters. All are pulled ashore. Next to it, a smaller bay is formed, the beach of Lika, with an opening of almost 50 meters, turquoise waters, white pebbles and successive sea caves.

-Let’s go now to Kato Mezapos, the old village, Panagiotis suggests. So, to give you a view of the old physiognomy of the place.

We cross the village to the north, over the steep slopes of the bay of Kourkous. In a few minutes we enter the residential area of Kato Mezapos (which can also be reached by car). Suddenly everything around us has changed. We feel integrated again in Mesa Mani, in this so dear and familiar environment, where the works of people seem like an extension of the land, competing in simplicity and simplicity with nature. What if there are walls fallen down, weeds in the yards and stonewalls! So what if most of the houses are dilapidated and uninhabited! The place is beautiful, utterly authentic. It is the fault of the moderns, who do not make the most of it, who leave this architectural treasure bequeathed to them by the ancients at the mercy of time.

We walk for a long time along the paths of the past, among the silent ruins, in the ancient church of St. Nicholas, next to the graves carved in the soft limestone, on the edge of vertical cliffs that end in sea caves with clear waters. And still at the ruins of the tower, which from the highest point of the village overlooks the sea and was once the lair of the pirate Sassaris, ancestor of Panagiotis’ grandmother. We also observe with great curiosity the so-called “Kamaroula”. Pan. (8).

“At the eastern edge of the cove of Kato Mezapos, near the large gravel beach that ends the dry land, the visitor sees on the rocky coast of the N side a recess 5.5 meters wide and 10 – 12 meters long, which, after careful observation, is revealed to be artificial. This harbour, which the locals call “Kamaroula”, is elevated at its eastern end, and serves to “pull” a small ship and can thus be described as a rudimentary carnage. A ship in the area is not threatened by the NW wind that affects the cove and at the same time is not visible from any part of Mezapos Bay. The northern curb of the harbour has been subsequently carved in such a way as to create the ‘road’ of a one-aisled Christian chapel, about 13 metres long and 3.5 metres wide’.

We’re heading out to the inhospitable coast. Strange place, almost flat, like a big rocky platform that penetrates deep into the sea. The peculiarity of the place lies in the surface of the rocks. It is extremely rough and scattered with many dozens, or rather hundreds, of small and large cavities, carved by nature over the centuries, and is the ideal environment for the creation of salt marshes. We gaze across the road to Tigani and wonder whether this wider area was really the site of the ‘multi-trillion Messi’, the prehistoric city, first mentioned by Homer in the Iliad and, much later, by Pausanias in his ‘Laconia’. However, regardless of the accuracy of the identification of modern Mezapos with ancient Messi, we leave the place fascinated (the Old or Lower Mezapos, of course, and not the modern settlement).

LOWER GARDENITSA AND THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

The strange seascapes of Kato Mezapos and the rocky silhouette of Tigani give way to dry stone walls and olive groves, to the bare peaks of Saggias. Our new destination is Lower (‘Kato’) Gardenitsa. Half of them are reached by a gentle path in 40 minutes. The rest follow the asphalt circular route of about 4 km by car.

Kato Gardentitsa is a small and beautiful village, with traditional houses, very few of which are open at this time of year. An old cobbled cobbled street passes by the courtyard gates and the stone terraces. We are constantly under the illusion, the hope, that, no, it can’t be, that at some point the patio doors will half-open, the housewives will appear for a little chat in the shade. But the courtyard windows remain barred, no sound, no footsteps on the cobbled street disturb the tranquillity of the village. We pass by a succession of tower houses, mansion houses of excellent construction, but all uninhabited. In a narrow alleyway we find ourselves in front of a spectacle that is unexpected and unique. It’s a millstone standing upright in the centre of the alley. Its dimensions are colossal. At 1.60m in diameter and over 40cm thick, it is one of the largest millstones we have ever seen, a carved masterpiece in one-piece limestone.

The most brilliant attraction of the place, however, is a Byzantine monument, the church of Soteros. After so many Byzantine churches and chapels in the Mani settlements or in remote parts of the countryside, one would think that we would have already been infected by a justified immunity towards every new chapel that our eyes would see. This might be true, but only in theory. In practice the exact opposite happened. Each of us, at the sight of a primitive chapel, felt the same thrill of the glory of the centuries, the same admiration for the architectural inspiration, the constructional excellence of those old painters and craftsmen. So it is now: in front of the millennium-old chapel of the Saviour, built in the first half of the 11th^th century, we feel amazement and awe. All the more so because all of us, caught up in the monstrosities of the megacities that surround us, are in danger of forgetting once and for all the concepts of harmony, of moderation, of artistry, of supreme craftsmanship.

The chapel of the Saviour is simply stunning. With Byzantine architecture of the finest and most intricate architecture one can see. Perfectly carved limestones, numerous interspersed tiles in various formations, large carved marble stones with engraved representations, impressive dome at the top. According to Nikolaos Gkoules, Professor of Byzantine Archaeology at the University of Athens, ‘there are 16 examples of cross-shaped inscribed trullage temples that follow the elaborate Middle Byzantine system of brickwork that dominated Greece in the Middle Byzantine period’. (9)

One of these temples is the Savior of Gardenitsa. Very special is the exonarthex with marble columns, carved marble pillars, solid marble preki decorated with stone reliefs. A little higher, the simple stone bell tower, built into the masonry, dominates. Inside, the original antique flooring is preserved, with stunning chipped stone slabs, most of which are unfortunately covered with covers of tarpaulin or other cheap materials. “To protect the slabs from melted candles” is the reason for the use of these covers. It is possible, after all, that the village people are right in opening the chapel to us. Several hagiographies are preserved on the walls and especially in some parts of the built sanctuary. The painting is folkloric but with beautiful colours and very vivid representations and figures.

From the scarce light and the aura of the past we come back into the light. High on the E – SE horizon we gaze at the sharp end of the cone-shaped mountain with the chapel of Agia Pelagia at its top. From the first day we admire the simple silhouette and the steep, symmetrical slopes of this mountain and wonder what Mesa Mani, Cavo Grosso and Tigani look like from above. For the moment we confine ourselves to walking a few dozen metres south of the temple. There, in a fenced courtyard, an old threshing floor with large upright slabs all around it is preserved. Totally grassy, the threshing floor has been inactive for who knows how many years. There in its grass, however, a living organism is slowly moving about. It is a calm donkey, hardly disturbed by the presence of so many people. The most unexpected feature of the threshing floor, however, is a towering cactus that rises from the centre. Other such cacti are projected in various parts of the courtyard, giving us the feeling that we are somewhere in Latin America.

Heading south-southwest we exit the village and, in less than a kilometer, we meet the rudimentary settlement of Rachi or Kostarianika. We leave the car and start down a wide path in an olive grove, between fences of continuous dry stone. Five minutes later we are in front of the arched Byzantine chapel of St. Peter. Tiny the nave with external dimensions barely 7 x 4 metres. The masonry of the chapel is immaculate, looking so humble compared to the Savior’s plinth. It is made of clay masonry. The large local marble stones have a mortar binder, while the roof is covered with slates.

Inside the walls are painted. According to Professor Nik. Giole, the anti-classical, folk and conservative frescoes in St. Peter of Gardenitsa belong to the early 13^th century.

About 80 meters southwest of St. Paul’s, the equally old but heavily ruined chapel of St. Paul’s is preserved. It is also built with large loose stones but the roof has ceased to exist years ago.

We return to Rachi and prepare to walk to our next destination, one of the most famous monuments of Mesa Mani. It is the famous Byzantine church of Episkopi. Continuous olive groves begin. A signpost shows us our direction to the W – NW. The path is actually the driveway that crosses the olive grove properties and is surrounded by manicured dry stone walls. The ground is flat and undisturbed with almost zero slopes. However, it is stony and in many places rough. Spring is blooming around us with thousands of wild flowers. Among them are purple anemones, aspalaths of vivid yellow and, more rarely, tiny wild orchids. Since long ago Anna has developed a unique ability to spot these lilipedal, beautiful little flowers in the fields. For his part, Panagiotis has used their powers of observation in more practical applications, such as finding grasses and tender tops of wild asparagus.

Almost fifteen minutes after our departure we head right and, a little later, we turn left, while the path continues straight on towards Mezapo. Unfortunately, signage is non-existent. We start walking on an old cobbled path. Five minutes later the path becomes unclear. We turn right and find it again between the dry stone fences of olive groves. In some places signposting is essential. A few minutes later we encounter two successive threshing floors on the left. The path ends, the asphalt road appears and the small settlement of Katagiorgis, with the two proud towers of the Alogakos and Arnaoutis families. We cross the small plateau between the towers and find the downhill path in an olive grove, which on the right leads to the chapel of Vlacherna, while on the left, with a cobbled path, leads to Episkopi. We pass by the family cemetery of the Horses and in two minutes we are in front of the church of Episkopi.

Based on the characteristics of its frescoes, the church has been dated by Professor Drandakis to the end of the 12^th century. With external dimensions of 9 x 6m, it belongs to the type of the cruciform biconical church with narthex and dome. Its architecture is of unparalleled beauty. The fortress masonry consists of an elaborate combination of large-size carved marble stones, grey granite and limestone and some impeccably chiselled vertical stones in brick colour. The grandeur and complexity of the masonry is complemented by the impressive octagonal dome with its brick arches, stone-embossed decorations and anthropomorphic gutters. The monument is – for obvious security reasons – closed, from the opening of the south window, however, we can see some frescoes, marble columns, part of the built temple and the floor, which is paved with large marble slabs.

The church of the Episkopi is today dedicated to the Virgin Mary and was the seat of the first Bishop of Maini. However, because in its iconographic decoration no hagiography belongs to the Theomitorius cycle, but ten of them refer to the Great Martyr George, Professor Drandakis believes that the church was originally dedicated to St. George, which is the reason for the name of the neighbouring settlement of Agiorgis.

Brief travelogue from συνοik. From the ridge of Kato Gardenitsa to Episkopi.

11:25′ departure from Rachi.

11:40′ we’re heading right.

11:47′ we turn left (the path leads straight ahead towards Mezapo).

11:52′ The path becomes unclear. We turn right and find it again.

11:55′ Two successive threshing floors on the left.

11:57′ Settlement Katagiorgis or Kalospita.

12:00′ Episcopal Church.

A 5-minute walk along a rough path between dense branches leads us to the road, in front of the settlement of Fokalotos.

Anna is waiting for us at Panagiotis’ tavern.

-Today I have something different for you, he says. All from the nature of Mani.

Unprecedented flavours fill the table: Greens “sigarita” with sauce and rice, “onion patties” with wild onions from the field, orange salad with coarse salt and oil, “spongato” with asparagus (i.e. eggs with the tops of wild asparagus picked by Panagiotis). And of course, there is no lack of s σύγκlino, Mani’s olives and an amazing salad of wild herbs, “chiourinies” and “varvarionios”.

In the evening the menu changes. We all gather at Karavostasi in the bay of Oitilos, in the small seaside restaurant of the amazing guesthouse “ELIXIRION”. Here we indulge in the shrimp pasta and the other delicious creations of Maria and Dimitris Sotirakos.

Late at night some of us venture to Gerolimenas for a drink in the unparalleled romantic atmosphere of the famous hotel “KIRIMAI”.

-A little bit of worldliness doesn’t hurt either, Kostas says with a wistful mood. Mesa Mani is not only churches and paths.

HOLY PELAGIA – MANI FROM ABOVE

The light climate of the place helped us to wake up unexpectedly early. Of course, it wasn’t the easiest thing to do after the night’s activities. Which, of course, any prudent hiker would make sure to avoid, especially in view of the ascent of Holy (‘Agia’) Pelagia.

We cross the amazing settlement of Koita with its imposing tower houses and then we ascend to the small, picturesque settlement of Kalania. We gaze in awe at the steep triangular mass of Agia Pelagia above our heads. But it is too late for any turning back.

Cement road after Kalonioi and then 200 meters of dirt road. We stop the car in front of the starting point with the characteristic sign, 5 km away from Stavri. At 08:30′ sharp we start the ascent from an altitude of 330 meters. The path is very wisely marked. Starting initially in a NW direction, it continues in a winding course, ensuring gentle slopes on the steep slopes. Of course, we lose distance but gain in strength, as we walk in a relaxed and pleasant manner. The ground is littered with limestone stones, not always particularly smooth. On the barren slopes the soil is scarce and tall vegetation is non-existent. Drought-tolerant shrubs such as thorns, thyme, a few short wildflowers and phlox, a variety of grasses that would have delighted Panagiotis and many wildflowers grow.

At 09:20′ we pass by a large farm building made of excellent dry stone. A last traverse to the top follows, with ground entirely paved with stone. At 09:27′, exactly 57 minutes after our departure, Kyriakos rings the bell of Ag. Pelagia. The sound of the bell is sweetly interspersed in the constant hum of the wind. That sweeps the courtyard of the temple from all sides and makes the eyes water.

We enter the chapel for a while. It is simple and whitewashed, with the walls covered by numerous icons – dedications of the faithful. Heavy, leaden clouds move across the sky. Between their openings is the superscape of the Mani, a stunning plan, with the green plain and all the villages, known and unknown, Cavo Grosso and Tigani, the sea to the edge of the horizon. To the north-northeast rises the majestic Taygetos with its snow-white pyramid.

Some clouds remain around us for several minutes. We then lose all contact with our surroundings, sinking into a mass of liquid and darkness. There is no shortage of raindrops. At the altitude of 733 meters of the summit the weather is different from the plain. This unsettled and fearful weather prevents us from continuing our ascent to the next peak. A wild and rocky peak, rising east of Agia Pelagia at an altitude of 827 metres. Perhaps next time.

EPILOGUE

We slowly start to prepare our luggage. Miserable time and thankless work. And the journey back is long. To Athens for Kostas, to Volos for Kyriakos and to Thessaloniki for us. Three different starting points with a common destination. This wonderful Mesa Mani.

-Did you plan to go to the chapel of St. Ilias? asks Michalis Tsitsiris, our host in Pyrgos.

-Another chapel? Does it have anything special?

-Nothing at all. It’s a ruin. But the view of the well is unique.

We drop our luggage and set off. At the NE exit of the village we meet the chapel of Agios Haralambos and turn left at the sign for Harobo. By a rural road we reach a small plateau, at Konitsa, 900 meters away from the guesthouse. We are surrounded by olive groves. Heading northwest, Michael finds a rudimentary, rough path. In 4 minutes we reach Pyrgakia, an awesome thorn forest. A little later, a wonderful picture of Agia Kyriaki is revealed on our right. The battle with thorns and hidden stones continues relentlessly. But at some point the torment ends. It has lasted exactly 15 minutes. But the place rewards us richly. It reveals to us an ancient, ruined chapel, built with heavy clay masonry on the edge of the cliff. And low down reveals the peninsula of the Pan as we have never seen it before.

We would like to sit on the ground for a while, to enjoy this unexpected beauty of Mani. But the terrain is harsh, full of sharp stones and thorns, keeping us necessarily upright against this extravaganza.

-You should write that only with a local can a foreigner find the chapel of Ilias, Michael tells me.

-And only if he wears special boots and thick, long trousers, I add.

REFERENCES

(1). The title of the poem is: “The history of the whole Mani, its customs, its villages and its products”. (From the book “MANI”, by Patrick Lee Fermor).

(2). “Mani”, op. cit.

(3). The name Mesa Mani defines the geographical area of the middle peninsula of the Peloponnese, extending from south of Areopolis to Cape Taenaro. (Gioles N., “Byzantine churches in Mesa Mani”).

(4) “Aposkieri” or “Aposkederi Mani” is the western part of the middle peninsula of the Peloponnese, which is washed by the Messinian Gulf, in contrast to “Prosiliki Mani”, which occupies the eastern part of the peninsula and is washed by the waters of the Laconian Gulf (Gioles N., op. cit.).

(5). pan. Stam. Katsafados “THE STARS OF MAINE”, Athens 1992.

(6). ‘The Castles of Main’, op. cit.

(7) “Byzantine frescoes of Mesa Mani”, Athens 1964.

(8). “Mani, Mezapos, the Homeric MESSE?” Athens 1994.

(9) “Byzantine churches in Mesa Mani”, op. cit.