8 September 2025 - Pylos

The last big headland at the south of the Peloponnese was on the agenda for today, and in light winds we had to motor most of the way. 

As we left Koroni we had a great view of the castle, which dominates the town. It is hard to appreciate just how big it is, it actually covers an area of 62 acres. The castle was built during the Byzantine period on the site where, according to Pausanias, the ancient Messinian city of Asine was located. It was expanded in the 13th century, during the 1st period of Venetian rule. A large enclosure was then added to the east, and strong walls and a double bastion were built in the north east to provide protection for the sea-facing side of the fortress. You can still see large sections of the walls which originally stretched for 1200m, and on the northeast edge of the fortress there are two imposing round towers facing out to the coast. 

Over the years, the fortress passed from the Venetians, to the Ottomans (1500-1685), back to the Venetians again, marking the beginning of the Second Venetian Empire (1685-1715). With the second period of Ottoman rule, the castle was once more back in Turkish hands by 1715. In 1770 it was besieged, bombarded and heavily damaged by the Russian fleet, but it was retained by the Ottomans until 1828 when it was handed over to general Maison, head of the French expeditionary force in the Peloponnese shortly after the Battle of Navarino. The central entrance to the castle is through a large, square-shaped gate. There were two other gates in the past, one on the east side and one on the south-west, near Panagia Eleistria. Parts of buildings from ancient times were used as building materials for the wall.

The original Byzantine fortress occupied the highest point, the acropolis, where the monastery of Timios  Prodromos, founded in 1920, is located. Along the northern side towards the port and the Messinian Gulf, the wall rises vertically. At the NE end, the two imposing round towers are formed on the coast. According to Kevin Andrews this section is the best example of the plasticity of Venetian fortress architecture in Greece. 

In the eastern precinct of the castle there is an admirable architectural ensemble of religious buildings of different eras and denominations. On the ruins of the temple of Apollo are those of an early Christian basilica, in contact with the dome of the three-aisled basilica of Agia Sophia (8th-9th century). On the side of the complex is the monastery of the Old Calendarists, dedicated to Agios Ioannis, founded at the beginning of the 20th century. Nearby is the 17th-century church of Agios Charalambos, with a bell tower built on the base of a demolished minaret. The church was originally dedicated to St. Rocco, patron saint against epidemics, after the Turkish occupation of Koroni it became a mosque and was converted back to Christianity after 1829.  

Other sights in the eastern precinct are the ruins of a small Ottoman bath, a powder magazine from the Second Venetian occupation and remains of a 19th century French barracks building.

Later we passed the similar, but (slightly) better preserved fortress at Methoni. No time to stop this trip, but we have previously visited it.

In Pylos, we tried a couple of times to get the anchor to set, without success, so resorted to the quay.  After a tricky mooring manoeuvre, we were very nicely secured and relaxing, when a large motor yacht came in.  There was not quite enough room for them to go alongside, which was their preference, and they asked us to move, which we were reluctant to do.  Then then tried to get another boat to move, but again were turned down.  Ultimately they reversed on to the quay and indicated that they would move as soon as we had left the next day.

Distance today -        30 miles

Distance this year - 936 miles 

Steve (and Tricia)