The
Peloponnese:
Heart
and Soul of Greece
When most people think of holidays in Greece they think of the Greek islands. The idea of all these islands, each different from the next, the whitewashed houses and beautiful beaches is an enticement to anyone. But lost in the commotion over Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes and Corfu is the fact that some of the most beautiful and interesting areas in Greece are not on the islands, but on the mainland in places like the Peloponessos. (or Peloponnese, Peloponnisos, or any number of spellings...)
Name the first Capital of modern Greece. Give up? It wasn't Athens or Thessaloniki. It was Naphlio. At the time the Peloponessos was all there was of Greece since it was the first part of the country to be liberated from the Turks in 1821 and in fact nearly went back to the Turks when the heroes of the revolution began fighting amongst themselves. But such is life in Greece. For many, the Peloponnesos is the true Greece and to them the narrow isthmus of Corinth is all that separates them from a world of Albanians, Vlachs, Bulgarians and Macedonians, who are all Greeks to us. But the Peloponessos can be said to be the heart and soul of Greece and though it has been left off the tourist map that was especially painted for Americans, it is as worth a place to visit as any ten islands combined.
From Myceneae to Sparta to Mistra to the guns of Navarone, the Peloponessos has seen its share of history. This is where Paris stole Helen from King Menelaous and where Agamemnon set forth with his ships to Troy, only to be murdered in his bathtub by his wife when he returned. It is a land of rugged mountains, green valleys, the ancient games of Olympia, and a coastline with some of the best beaches in Greece. What follows is a description of the different regions of the Peloponessos.
