The Mani Peninsula is one of the three major peninsulas at the southern end of the Pelopponese. It has a long and somewhat violent history of inter-family warfare and piracy, among other things, and generally presented its inhabitants with a hardscrabble kind of lifestyle. As you progress south on the Mani, vegetation becomes less prevalent until you end up with a landscape of nearly all rocks, whether in the form of towering tors and cliffs or as boulders scattered along the ground. Those towering cliffs are home to numerous villages—some, like Vathia, heavily fortified against outside foes like the Ottomans and against other rival clans—Byzantine churches, and beautiful seacoast towns and beaches, mostly rocky and not sandy. The best honey in Greece is said to come from the Mani because of the prevalence of mountain thyme and other herbs.
We spent the day exploring the Mani by car and by foot. The first major stop was at the limestone Pyrgos Dirou caves near the town of Areopoli. The caves are accessible by guided boat and are beautiful and fascinating and are highly recommended. Don’t forget to swap your dark glasses for your normal ones…
We stopped for lunch at the small seacoast town of Gerolimenas. Typical of such towns on the Mani, it has a beautiful harbor surrounded by sheer cliffs, a smattering of shops and taverns, and in this case a hotel.
We continued down the peninsula along twisty roads with dramatic views but not much in the way of guard rails or lanes wide enough for two vehicles to pass in opposite directions without someone giving ground. The town of Vathia is particularly impressive due to its many fortified towers and buildings. The fortifications were largely built as a result of a generations-long clan warfare.
The Mani ends rather abruptly at, according to Greek legend, the place at which souls entered the underworld. It is referred to on maps as the Gates of Hell. A small Christian church ruin marks the spot where the Death Oracle of Poseidon once stood. Pretty interesting spot.
We backtracked a bit, crossed over to the east side of the Mani, and made our way along the coast and through the mountains back to Kardamyli for another fine sunset.
