Why do I have a constant desire to visit Mani? To return again and again? And why, after each trip, do I have the feeling that time is not enough? That there were many more great and important things that I didn’t have time to see?

I am trying to give an answer to these questions, to understand what it is that has been drawing me like a giant magnet to the southernmost tip of the Peloponnese and Greece for so many years. I think it is first of all the beauty of the place. A beauty that is rare, special, endowed with Doric simplicity. That is captured in every detail of the Manian landscape, in the low sparse trees and bushes, in the varied weeds and flowers of the fields, in the countless rough stones scattered everywhere.

We find the same simple image and severity in the works of man, in the countless kilometres of dry stone on terraces and fences, in the stone houses, churches and chapels of the countryside. And even in the tower houses and towers, which exceed eight hundred in the whole of Mani. Sometimes they coexist with the houses in the settlements and sometimes they stand lonely and distant, on hills and steep slopes. Rectangular always and oblong, with a towering boi, full of arrogance. Everywhere angles and holistic lines. Nowhere fancy, luxuries and curves. Here there are no large windows, balconies and sunny terraces. Only the small, necessary openings for the tower bosses to fight and fight.

IN THE UPPER BOULARIOI

A tower, one of the most impressive in Mesa (Inner) Mani, belongs to the large family of Mantuvalaioi. Its high-sided, angular soupcon stands out from a distance, much higher than the other houses of Pano (Upper) Boularioi. We come across the village about two kilometres northeast of Gerolimenas. Built amphitheatrically, from an altitude of 150 metres and above, the Boularioi look out unobstructed over everything: the bay of Gerolimenas and Kavos Grosso, Katopagi with its villages and the vastness of the sea.

East of the village rises St. Ilias, with the local name “Oxouvouni“. It is a massive hill with an altitude of 677 meters, covered with thorny bushes and limestone. This rugged terrain is characteristic of all the massifs of the Mesa Mani. A little further north, the more massive hill of Faneromeni dominates, with similar characteristics, with its peak at 816 metres.

At the entrance of the village, in a park with well-tended flowers, three chieftains welcome us. They are the busts of the three Macedonian gladiators from Pano Boularioi, who were glorified in the Macedonian Struggle for their bravery and martial virtues. The two belonged to the Mantuvalean family. They are Theodoros Mantuvalos, the legendary “Captain Taygetos‘ ‘ and Nikolaos Mantuvalos, known as Captain Nikos of Agia Marina. The third chieftain is Georgios Fragoyannis.

We start climbing up the narrow asphalt road that crosses the village. A beautiful olive grove, with the characteristic low olive trees of Mani, interspersed between the houses, softens the harsh monotony of the stone.

A stone of grey limestone, which, sometimes chipped and sometimes irregular, is the exclusive raw material for the construction of towers, houses, fences and churches.

The houses of the village, modern or old, are generally traditional. Many are dilapidated and uninhabited. We walk for a while among them. Paved alleys, courtyards with olive, almond, carob and prickly pear trees, walls fallen but also standing, 19^th century dates and stone reliefs. Nowhere do we find any sign of life. Late February in Upper Boularioi, we do not exchange a single good morning.

It is difficult to determine the exact date of the foundation of the present settlement of Pano Boularioi. According to Giannis L. Mantuvalos (1), “we can reasonably estimate that it is older than 1600. A strong piece of evidence is the dry stone tower of Anemodouras, Petrakakos“. We come across the massive, but now low and dilapidated building, on the main street of the village. It is a fortress-like structure, with large irregular boulders with no mortar in between, reminiscent of an ancient bastion. There is a big morphological difference between this tower and the Tower of Mantuvala, a building of 1854, which with its five floors is the most imposing building in the village. We admire the excellent masonry and the folk reliefs on the marble lintel at the NE entrance of the tower. Then we leave Pano Boularioi, pass by the Church of the Koimisi with its octagonal dome, and in two minutes we reach Diporo.

DIPORO AND ST. STRATIGOS

Built at an altitude of over 200 meters, Diporo has even more spectacular horizons than Pano Boularioi. An uphill asphalt road crosses the settlement and ends in a rudimentary little square, in front of the ruined temple of Panagia. Some fine frescoes still remain in the niche of the sanctuary, as well as the simple bell tower built with limestone.

Diporo is a very beautiful little village, similar in morphology to Pano Boularioi. The houses are of excellent architecture and among them there is a four-storey tower house. In front of the church of Panagia, a small street leads westwards. We pass in front of prickly pear trees with large red prickly pears. Among the ruined houses some are inhabited, with obvious signs of life. It’s the spreading clothes and the barking of dogs. Very quickly the lane ends, terminating the village among ruined walls and grassy yards, olive trees and prickly pears.

On a narrow, rough path, we can discover in a few minutes, lost in an olive grove, the very remarkable Byzantine chapel of Agios Panteleimon. According to archaeologist Professor Nikolaos Drandakis, the building dates back to the 8th century, while its frescoes are two centuries later.

Much more famous in Diporo and the surrounding area is the Byzantine church of Agios Stratigos, dedicated to the beloved Archangel of the place, the Archangel Michael. Less than 100 metres to the east separate the church from the rudimentary square and the chapel of the Virgin Mary. The church belongs to the type of the cruciform bicentennial with a dome. The English architect Megaw, who studied the monument in 1932, places its construction at the beginning of the 11^th century, specifically in 1025, a date that is generally accepted.

The architectural details compose a whole of unparalleled beauty. We are impressed by the masonry with the hewn stone and the tiles in between, the decorative arches with the bricks, the marble pilasters, the triple niche of the sanctuary with the masonry of the fortress. The bell tower is in ruins. The octagonal dome and the roof are tiled. As Yannis Mantuvalos notes in his book: “St. Stratigos is for this poor place a luxurious artistic jewel that surprises the eye and betrays a developed sense and extravagant disposition of the founder-founder. And this founder could not have been a local. For it is obvious that no local person would have the strength to spend so much time and so much money on the construction of such a monument, no matter how much enthusiasm and piety he may have.”

And the American A. Parkins writes that “the famous 11^th century church, set parallel to the small valley with its curves and arches of domes, rivals the shapes of the landscape that embraces it. Arched entrances lead to the ancient stone sanctuary and allow the sunlight to bring to life the gentle movements and delicate colours of the world-famous painting of St. Stratigos.”

This painting, which after a painful course of so many centuries has reached our days, is vividly described by Mantuvalos: “An unstoppable torrent of colour runs around the main temple of the monument and the area of the Holy Step from the base of the walls and columns to the dome, which are united with the representations of the arches and the roof in a pictorial panorama of incredible variety and combinations of holy martyrs and osius, of multi-faceted representations and episodes taken from the Testaments, the Gospels, the cycles of metaphysical testimonies and the synaxies of the martyrs and saints. A special place in the frescoes of St. Stratigos, among the hierarchs and evangelists, is occupied by the martyrs, magnificent figures of the early Christian fighters who fought and sacrificed for their faith and their ideals.

ON THE PATH OF BOULARIOI

It is true happiness to walk in Mani. After the trails at Cape Tenaro (issue 62, March-April 2008) and the trails at Cape Grosso, Tigani and the Agia Pelagia peak of Mesa Mani (issue 69, May-June 2009), we are now facing a new trail: the Boularioi trail. The signs and a detailed map of the area are in front of the church of Panagia. The circular route Diporo–Pepo–Liontaki–Diporo, a total distance of 5.5 km, requiring the indicative time of 2 hours and 20′, is recorded in detail.

12:15′. We start from an altitude of 215 meters, heading east. The trail passes a few metres below the temple of St. Stratigos, crosses a shallow gully and gently climbs up the northern slope of the hill of St. Ilias.

At the end of February, the spring of mania surrounds us explosively. Countless wildflowers in vivid colours, anemones in dazzling red and asphodel white, penetrate among the thorny bushes, decorating the rough limestone ground with their delicate brushstrokes, making it look like a soft, wonderful natural carpet.

The path is stony, mainly of natural rocks at the beginning, but very quickly it becomes cobbled by the hand of man. In some places, slightly uphill, the path is assisted by intermediate steps. It is obvious that once, before the roads were cut in Mesa Mani, this cobbled path was a main artery for people and livestock, connecting the settlements on the east and west coast.

In 6 minutes we come across a sign informing us that our first destination, the settlement of Pepo, is only 1300 meters away. A nice uphill section begins, with comfortable steps, a cobbled floor and a strong wall on the slope. We always climb the southern slope of the ravine. The slope is steep, but the wise cobbled path makes our walk relaxed and pleasant. The construction of the cobblestones, of course, in very few places resembles the artistry of their counterparts in Zagori or Pelion, but they are always reliable and sturdy.

12:40′. Pass by an underground cistern and 15 metres later you meet the fork in the path, which heads NE (left) towards Pepo, while SE (right) towards Liontaki. Continue towards Pepo. At 12:50′, on a now rough cobbled path, we descend to the shallow bed of the dry gully and cross to the opposite slope. The trail definitively ceases to be the idyllic and relaxing cobbled path, becomes rough, reenters the gully bed narrow and rough. In places it is nearly closed in by thorny bushes, which are quite a nuisance to touch. We are afraid. Rough ground, stiles and stiles, signage unclear.

13:10′. 55 minutes after our departure we come across the first houses of Pepo, which had remained unseen until that moment. The midday sun is warm. We hurry to find, behind a thick wall, a cool shade. We gaze at the surrounding hills, which enclose the village. It is built at an altitude of 415 metres, Pepo is built on the edge of a sweet valley, unseen and overgrown with many olive trees, carob trees and flowering almond trees. From the northwest of the village, the mountain range of Faneromeni with steep, rugged slopes already begins.

Pepo is a small settlement, with barely more than ten houses. Most are dilapidated, the roofs and large parts of the walls have collapsed into the courtyards in stone piles. Even in this state, however, they betray the characteristics of their excellent architecture. So even in these wastelands, the old Maniates householders had the care, patience and pride to build for their families houses of unsurpassed beauty. Some, of course, houses have been renovated and show that some days of the year they are inhabited. Unfortunately, we do not meet a single person from the village.

At some point we realize that we are resting in the shade cast by the outer niche of the sanctuary of a large church. It is built with thick stone walls and carved spindles, and the roof is covered with slates. Its dimensions are such that it can be concluded that Pepo was once inhabited by a large population. The interior, however, is completely disappointing. There is not the slightest trace of frescoes, portable icons or ecclesiastical utensils. It is as if someone wanted to deprive the church of any religious insignia.

Within a few minutes we walk around the whole territory of the desert village. A ruined house near the church bears the date 1892 on the wall. There are no roads in the village, only a path that passes by the church. It ends a few dozen metres further on in a grassy clearing with a small tiled cemetery church. Nailed to the clearing is a double iron sign showing directions to Diporo and our new destination, Liontaki or Lionaki.

At 14:30′ we set off for Lionaki. Very quickly a narrow, slightly uphill road begins, sometimes paved with dirt and sometimes with concrete. It’s definitely a rough ride after the cobbled cobbled road, albeit rough at times. As we climb uphill, the very beautiful Pepo looms low overhead.

With a brisk pace we reach in 20 minutes to Lionaki at an altitude of 515 meters. Lionaki is not a big settlement either, but it looks more “cosmopolitan” than Pepo. This is due on the one hand to the dense building and the volume of houses and on the other hand to the asphalt road and the concrete square that is formed in the centre of the village. There is even a car parked here! It belongs to Nikos Gounelas, a descendant of the great Maniati family of Gounalades. After his long service at sea, he settled down on his native land, now a permanent resident of the village.

He welcomes us to his home, above the square, roasts us coffee, talks to us about his beehives, the tranquility of the place, the long march of the family through time. Then he accompanies us on a few minutes’ walk on a path around the village. At the top of the hill, on the southern edge of the neck where Lionaki is built, two impressive family towers tower over the horizon, stretching out to the sea.

The architectural features are no different in Lionaki, sturdy masonry with chipped granite stones, small openings for windows, absolute absence of balconies. There are, of course, some modern houses, which deviate from the residential tradition of the place and surprise us with their architectural choices.

After the central church of Agios Petros we find the familiar iron sign, triple this time, showing the direction to Diporo, Pepo and Mountanistika. This is the large settlement opposite, now connected to Lionaki by an asphalt road, whereas in the past it was only connected by a path.

A stony, rough path passes by the cemeteries and the temple of Agios Ioannis and then, as a cobbled cobblestone path, it descends towards Diporo. The steps and repeated manoeuvres bring to mind the famous cobbled “stairs” of Vradeto and Vitsa in Zagori. Here, however, care is needed because the grass on the stones is slippery.

In 20 minutes we reach the junction to Pepo and then we take the already familiar route. At a fast pace we need no more than 35 minutes to Diporo. We thus complete the Diporo-Pepo-Pepo-Liontaki-Diporo circular trail in a total net walking time of 1 hour and 50 minutes. It is a demanding route in some places and with varied changes, bringing together all the characteristics of Mani landscapes and soils.

IN THE SPECTACULARLY MOUNTANISTIKA

From Upper Boularioi we take the main road and head towards Vathia. Very quickly we reach Alika and from the centre of the village we turn left towards Laya, Kotrona and Gythio. 2.1 km after Alika we take the sharp left turn towards Mountanistika. Across the road, at the neck below the top of Agios Ilias, the silhouettes of the houses can already be seen. They look like someone placed them in a row, one next to the other.

The road is extremely narrow, impossible to fit two cars. Fortunately, some widening has been provided from time to time. A narrow asphalt road briefly enters the settlement. It then leaves the centre and forks. One branch heads to Liontaki while the other one ends at the NE ramparts of the settlement.

We leave the car and continue on foot, on a nice paved pedestrian street that runs along the length of the long village. Built at an altitude of about 600 metres, Mountanistika exudes a nobility that is visible from the first steps. Houses of imposing proportions and stunning architecture stand in a dense arrangement along the main road, giving the place the character of a small urban community rather than a remote mountain village. We can see a variety of dates on the walls, from 1890, 1900 and a much more recent one, 1927. At about the center is the fine stone church of 1875. In an adjoining yard a healthy-looking deer stands its 5m tall stump.

The paved path narrows, descends slightly and then becomes a path. In a minute it ends at the E-NE end of the village. Here we are greeted by ruined houses and a simple, stone bench. The view is simply unique, of Cape Tenaro and the entire land and pelagic horizon. We sit on the bench and don’t want to leave. We haven’t come across many places with the picturesqueness, the views and the beauty of the village and the overall landscape of Muntanisti. It is unthinkable that such a place should remain unused and almost uninhabited.

We are about to return to the car when we suddenly become aware of a human presence. It is a black-clad lady, cleaning grass on the lawn of her house. We approach her and greet her. She greets us hesitantly.

–Very nice herbs, I tell her.

-There is a lot around the village.

-Why so many dilapidated houses?

-A lot of heirs, my child, some want to build, others want to sell, they don’t get along, the houses are left unkempt and fall down. This time of year, I’m the only one left. Now and then my son comes along. In the summer many people come back, over 50 houses open in the village.

Mrs. Antonia Rigioulia, talks about the hardships of her life, about the 5 children she gave birth to and raised here, about her deaf and dumb husband who lost him 2 years ago. A tormented woman, only 70 years old, but she looks older.

Mrs. Antonia finishes her greens, finds a bag, fills it and gives it to us.

-They will make a good salad for the evening.

Before we can say goodbye to her, another woman appears a little further up, this one much younger. She holds large grass in her hands, which she deposits in the trunk of her car.

–What kind of greens are these?, Anna asks her.

–I don’t know what they are called, he replies in a foreign accent. My husband and I boil them and eat them with oil and lemon.

She is Veronika, a Ukrainian journalist, who has been living in Alika for 3 years, married to a local.

–They look like wild celery, I say to Anna.

–They are “svernogoulias“, notes Mrs. Anthonia, very nice greens, besides being a salad they make a delicious snack with any meat you want. It’s a full place.

–Here’s what raw material I’ll use to make my fricassee, says Anna, and she and the two women lie down in search of the grass.

Ten minutes later they return with full hugs. They strip off the stems, discard the leaves, and the savoy cabbage is ready for the pot.

The next evening in Thessaloniki we taste an excellent fricassee with egg lemon and some anethaki. Maniantiko wild grass with its unique taste makes us forget any previous fricassee with any known grass, lettuce or endive. Because Mani’s savnogoulias are simply irresistible.

If you find yourself in Mesa Mani, look for them in the hills and mountains. You will remember me!

TRAIL OF BOULARIOI

ASCENT (DIPORO-PEPO-LIONTAKI)

Starting point: Diporo

Alt.: 215 m.

1st DESTINATION: PEPO, altitude: 415 m.

Altitude difference: 200 m.

Time: +- 1 HOUR

Slope: Mild to moderate

Type/condition of route: Paved cobbled road, in places a rough path

Path: Generally easy, difficult in places

Marking: Visible but in some places unclear

2^th Destination: LIONAKI, altitude: 515 m.

Altitude difference (from the ground): 100 m.

Time: +- 20′

Slope: Moderate

Path: Easy

Type of route: Cement, soil

DESCENT (LIONAKI-DIPORO)

Altitude difference: 300 m.

Slope: Moderate to quite intense

Route type: Paved cobblestone path, steps

Path: Easy, moderately difficult

Time: +- 40′

Sightseeing: old cobbled street, authentic Manian landscape, traditional settlements of Diporo, Pepo, Liontaki

Best time: Spring or Autumn

DISTANCES of GEROLIMENAS from:

-Athens: 320 km

-Sparta: 87 km

-Thessaloniki: 840 km

-Kalamata: 112 km

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The most complete bibliography on Mani is found in Areopolis, in the Editions of the Eco-Bookstore ADULOTI MANI, by George Dimakogiannis.

We highly recommend:

-The Travel and Cultural Guide “MANI”, by George Venizeleas (2nd edition, improved 2006)

-The Monopaties of Mesa Mani, by Antonis Kalogeros.

SOURCE

(1) Giannis L. Mantuvalos, “The BOULARIANS’ CODE, DIPORO MESA MANI”, ATHENS 1984.