MonemvasiaThe lofty castle town where fairy tales come true

Discover the castle of the flowers, perched on an imposing, steep cliff, the lofty and unique in-the-world castle town with the Medieval veil that seduced Francs, Venetians, Turks, and Byzantines. Paved streets, Byzantine churches, mansions, passages with tall arches, and a castle that braves the time.

By land, there is only one way in, via a causeway, as the origin of its name (one entrance) implies. The “Gibraltar of the East” or a “stone ship” about to set sail, as the famous Greek poet Yannis Ritsos described his birthplace, beckons you for a journey through time, wandering through vaulted alleyways and past churches and aristocratic mansions.

When you enter through the castle’s big Gate, you feel like you have entered a time machine. No cars, motorbikes, or the sounds of the city will agitate this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The paved streets in Monemvasia are superb, with yards in bloom, decorated wooden doors, bougainvilleas that climb up at the most unusual places, abandoned mansions, and incredible houses.

The town was built in the 7th century by the descendants of Leonidas, the legendary king of Sparta, when Sparta stopped being the kingdom that inspired awe and terror in Greece and the rest of the world to prevent pirates from raiding the place. The place has changed rulers at least 15 times, as it was occupied by the Turks, the Venetians, the Francs, the Byzantines, and the Greeks, all rotating their ruling. Thus, this tiny place encapsulates four different cultures!

Plunging into the deep blue of the Myrtoan Sea, with sceneries of extreme wild beauty and Medieval glory, Monemvasia has managed to coexist with unique landscapes between the sky and the sea.