Best Old Towns And Villages In Greece

 

Between Karpathos and the shores of Asia Minor, Rhodes shows evidence of Western European influence from the days of the Knights and Italian domination.

Corfu is considered the closest to Western Europe, both geographically and culturally. It was the first area of the country to be conquered by the Romans and then eventually passed through the hands of the Venetians, the French, and the British. The Corfiots have a long tradition in music, theatre, and intellectual pursuits.

Considered the Gibraltar of the Peloponnese, Monemvasia was fortified during the Middle Ages to protect the inhabitants from raids by the Avars, Slavs, and pirates. The town took its name from the Greek words meaning single approach, the point at which the rock is connected with the mainland. This medieval fortress-state is built on a rock 300 meters above the sea.

The villages here seem to have been discovered around 912, but the area was really developed during the Ottoman occupation because of the privileges awarded to its inhabitants by the conquerors. There is a chain of 46 traditional villages in the mountains north of Ioannina, whose natural boundaries are Mts Mitsikelli, Gamila, and the Aoos River. Thick pine and fir forests, crystalline streams and stunning scenery, this area never fails to awe its visitors with majestic natural beauty.

The chaos of Mani’s past history and the severity of its bizarre customs forced almost every family to have its own defensive town to live in, its own chapel, and their own cemetery. In Mani, there are 250 villages and hamlets, 800 towers, and six castles!

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