Travel time 15 minutes

Kardamyli is one the prettiest and best kept traditional settlements in the Messinian Mani. There are bars, tavernas and restaurants overlooking the sea and many shops in the main street. The village also has a beautiful square. It is the starting point for the finest walks in the area.

The Vyros Gorge, which emerges just north of the Town, runs straight to the foot of Mount Profitis Ilias, the highest peak in the range of the Taygetos Mountains at an amazing 2,407 metres high. The gorge is very popular with walkers and trekkers alike.

Old Kardamili town can today be reached on foot by leaving the village main street just next to the bridge and following the path that leads up to a main gateway.

The walled compound was built in the 17th century. You arrive at the 18th century church of Agios Spiridon whose lean 17 metre-tall bell tower bears ornamental designs showing the sun and moon, the stars, concentric circles and a double eagle.

Further along, there are more fortified houses and the small chapel of Agios Theodoros. As you walk back down towards modern Kardamyli, you pass through enchanting olive groves and fruit orchards and see the last tower-houses. The fortified enclave has been recently converted into a museum.

Kardamyli is not just historical; it also has beaches and crystal clear waters for swimming. A beautiful location.

Entrance to the museum is 2 euros.

Travel time 1.5 hours - A site to rival Olympia

Ancient Messini or Ithomi is not to be missed. Compared to the sites of Olympia it has excellent reviews from the people who have visited. It is a very large archaeological that is still being discovered. The settlement was built at the foot of the mountain of Ithomi in 369 B.C. Protected by a surrounding wall, it was interrupted at intervals by massive gates reinforced with two-storey towers and battlements, which look their name from the direction of the roads that started from them.

Four of the gates have been preserved, of which the main one is the Arcadian Gate to the north, where the road to the village of Lerbissia originated. It is paved with large slabs, which bear the traces of chariot wheels.

Among its public buildings Ancient Messini had temples, theatre, stadium, gymnasium and a cemetery, not to mention houses. The most outstanding feature is probably the stadium, which is magnificent; it is shaped like a horseshoe with white marble seats. Originally used as a real stadium for athletic events, it was later used as a Roman stadium where gladiators fought

Most of the ruins are spread out across a small valley that is right under the village of Mavromati.

Travel time 3.5 hours

In 1875, a German archaeologist named Ernst Curtius set off to attempt one of his life long dreams: to excavate at the Greek site of Olympia, home of the ancient festival of Zeus. What he found there finally led to the re-institution of the Olympic Games.

Olympia was the main sanctuary of Zeus in Greece, in the state of Elis near the west coast of the Peloponnese on the north bank of the river Alpheus. The location is quite separate from Mount Olympus, which is some 275 kilometres to the north.

In about the 7th century BC permanent buildings began to be erected, first the famous temple of Hera, which was built mid-century in the precinct. The temple of Zeus himself was built in approximately 470 BC on an enormous scale. Pheidias sculpted the ivory and gold statue of Zeus, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Its appearance is now known only through small reproductions on coins and gems, but a good deal of the outstanding sculptural decoration of the temple survives and can be seen in the Olympia Museum.

As well as the temples, the precinct contained very many statues of athletes and racehorse owners who had been successful at the famous Olympian (or Olympic) games. Because of their universal prestige the Olympian programme and rules were accepted for games everywhere. The four-year period between festivals was actually used by the Greeks as a dating system. The games were held without a break from 776 BC until at least AD 261, and finally suppressed as a pagan cult by the Christian Roman emperor Theodosius II in 391 AD or soon after.

After an earthquake in the sixth century the whole site was covered with debris, an event that caused the burial and preservation of many objects.

The stadium itself is entered through an archway and the games usually began around the time of the first full moon in August and the athletic festivals usually lasted around five days. They included wrestling, pentathlon, chariot racing, horse racing, and pacratium (a vicious from of boxing).

Only Greek born males were allowed to enter the games but later on Romans were also allowed. Slaves and women were not allowed to enter the sanctuary as participants or observers; women trying to sneak in were thrown from a nearby rock and slaves did not get on any better. They had to settle for watching the games from the nearby Hill of Cronos.

The start and finish lines of the 120 metre sprint track and the judges' seats survive, and there are normally plenty of athletic types weaving through the tourists as they time themselves over the distance. The stadium itself could seat at least 30,000 spectators. Olympia is one of those places that when visiting Greece you really must see. First of all, unlike other parts of this country, Olympia is easily accessible due to wide paths, as well as a highway that is in good condition.

The museum is a must displaying artefacts dedicated to the Gods and includes the famous statues of Apollo and Hermes.

The experience of visiting this place connects us with the past of Olympia, and allows us to enjoy the ancient roots of a worldwide event, as the Olympic Games are.

The modern town is bustling with many restaurants and small hotels and shopping in the new village is an ideal way to finish off the day.