Beautiful places in Greece

Bourtzi, Nafplion, Greece

Nafplion, the romantic medieval city

Nafplion or Nauplia is situated in the Northeast Peloponnese and it is the capital of the prefecture of Argolis. Its name comes from the name of the legendary king Nauplios, who was son of the god Poseidon.

The delightful situation o Nafplion near the Argolic Gulf makes it one of the most attractive towns of Greece.

The city was inhabited during the prehistorical period and owed its importance to its position. This is one of the reasons that after the liberation from the Turks on 1828, it became  the capital of the newly formed  Greek state until 1834 when Athens became the capital.

The city is built along the northern slopes of a rocky peninsula, crowned by a Venetian citadel, the Palamidi. During the War of Independence this was the most important fortress at Peloponnese. You can reach the top of Palamidi fortress by car or by climbing the 999 steps carved in the rock. Palamidi took its name from the hero Palamides, the son of King Nauplios, who took part at the Trojan War.

In the castle of Palamidi in 1833 the greatest hero of the War of Independence Theodoros Kolokotronis was emprisoned. The statue of the great hero riding his horse can be seeing in one of the squares of the town. It is work of the famous Greek sculptor Sochos.

The Palamidi, Nafplion, Greece

It is really a beautiful experience to take a walk in the old town of Nafplion, with its neoclassical houses, its nice restaurants and cafes and its narrow cobbled streets. 

In the Constitution Square stands the Parliament, housed in an ex-mosque, as well as the Archaeological Museum which is housed in the venetian warehouse of the Fleet and in which are exhibited findings from Mycenae, Ancient Tyrins and Assini. 

The Parliament Building, Nafplion, Greece

In the Philellinon Square, in front of the Customs House is the monuments to the French, a marble obelisk erected in 1903 in memory of General Fabvier and others philhellenes who fell in the War of Independence. 

Philellinon Square, Nafplion. Greece

In the old city stands also the church of Agios Spiridon, built in 1702, where Ioannis Kapodistrias the first governor of Greece, was murdered in 1831. The mark of the bullet is still shown near the entrance. 

Along the port there are many excellent restaurants where one can taste fresh fish as well as pastry shops and cafeterias with a magnificent view to the Bourtzi, the most photographed spot of Nafplion.

Bourtzi, the fortress islet that stands in the middle of the harbor has become Nafplion's trademark. It was active as a fort till 1865, then it became the residence for the executioners who carried out the death sentences on the prisoners in the Palamidi. In 1935 it was transformed into a hotel. Today one can visit it by boat. 

writen by: Sophia kokkinou archaeologist, guide, writer