Last post on the Mani peninsula, more sea, a visit to Areopoli, the most important city of the peninsula and a couple of stopover points ideal for an overnight stay … ah, there is also a castle! 🙂
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The tour of the peninsula is about to end, we come to the caves of Diro, but there’s a lot of people and all in all I do not care that much to see them. To stay in the line and paying 12 € per person for a ‘so and so’ visit just did not inspire me. Let me be clear, the caves are beautiful and the boat trip inside them is fascinating, I had done it years ago, but it is known that the staff is rude and accompanying persons explain little or nothing seeming to be just in a hurry to finish…
So I prefer to go to relax on the magnificent beach after the caves, which turns out to be a great stopover point and in fact we meet other motorhomes there [N 36.641565, E 22.383318]
The special feature of this beach are the white large stones that make it difficult to get into the sea, for this they have been made corridors to facilitate the access. Once you pass the huge cobblestones you find yourself walking on the sand …
Next stop Areopoli, historic town of great importance for the Greeks. From here it began the uprising against the Turks in 1821 led by Petrobeis Mavromichalis. The town is very well kept and in fact even shops are in a perfect Maniatiko style. At the entrance of the village there are a couple of fairly well-stocked supermarkets to get supplies.
We go down to the sea in search for a place to sleep and we pass from Limeni, the port of Areopolis. The village is truly a gem, but with the motorhome there is no hope of finding a place to stop. The main street is so narrow that they had to make it one-way.
We continue straight and we stop at Neo Oitilo, signs indicate that there is free parking for motorhomes. I drive up and down the village and finally I decide to stop by the sea, at the edge of the road [N 36.693741, E 22.388800] a bit later another Italian RV stops by and tell us that it is the second time they come to this village and that there are some excellent fish tavernas on the waterfront 😉
Next morning, before taking the road back to Gythion, we decide to go take a look at Karavostassis, the village in front of Neo Oitilo. So we discover there another free parking [N 36.696085, E 22.378252], which however is in a much worse position than where we spent the night. It is still a valid option, should Neo Oitilo be crowded 😉
And to close this trip in the best way, we take the road that leads to Ghytion passing by the castle of Kelefas [N 36.700838, E 22.396476]. After having discovered my passion for castles, no way I would not miss this one! 🙂 For those who have an hour to spend, is a pleasant walk with stunning views.
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