Monemvasia ...more on Monemvasia and its surroundings

At the far end of Peloponnese, on the south eastern coast of the peninsula looking onto the Mirtoon Sea, at a distance of 95 km form the town of Sparta, stands Monemvasia. Today a causeway bridges the gap that separates the former peninsula from the mainland and leads us behind the fortification walls into a unique, intact medieval city - state, a refuge for many artists in our own day.

Apart from old mansions, it possesses a wealth of Byzantine churches - around forty of them. Among the most outstanding are Ayia Anna, a 14th century basilica, Ayios Nikolaos (18th century), the Panayia Kritikia, Ayios Stephanos in Italian - Byzantine style (16th century), and Ayios Pavlos (10th century). The most important of all is the church of Christ Elkomenos (13th century), Monemvasia's cathedral, with its four Byzantine icons and its two marble imperial thrones. The architecture of the houses betrays a strong Venetian influence, with the chimneys facing east and the balconies overlooking the sea. On the top of the rock stands the Castle itself, while the church of Ayia Sophia (13th century) stands at its steepest point. This is a rare example of an octagonal church with a dome. There are also a few frescoes preserved within.
The new village of Nea Monemvassia lies just a thousand meters from the jetty on the mainland. It is a modern tourist resort with fine beaches. Northwest of Monemvassia, on the road to Sparta, is the farming town of Molai, where there are the remains of a medieval fortress and an early Christian church. At Halasmata it's worth stopping to see the mosaic floors in the three ruined 6th century churches there. One of the prettiest sandy beaches in the Peloponnese, Elias, is just 9 km from Molai.
Neapolis, a seaside resort much favored by Greeks because of its beautiful, long beaches, lies to the south of Monemvasia. From Neapolis it is easy to cross over to Elafonisos, a small island blessed with beaches worthy of a tropical paradise, backed with sand dunes and pinewoods. Fresh fish is found in abundance in this part of Peloponnese.
Kiparissi, to the north of Monemvasia and southeast of Sparta, is a charming coastal village which has recently developed into a resort attracting those who like "to get away from it all". It has three marvelous stretches of beach lining three successive coves. If you have time, patience and a love for the Greek landscape, Laconia in the southern portion of the Peloponnese has countless more delightful spots to reward the explorer.
A distinctly shaped, huge rock rising from the sea, is in the shape of a "capsized ship", is only a few meters from the coast, and is often referred to as the "Gibraltar of Greece". A thin strip of land links it with the Gefyra, a fishing village on the main land. It takes 15 to 20 minutes walking from Gefyra to Monemvasia. On the north side of the bay there are a few houses that make up the small village of Palea (old) Monemvasia. Walking along the road one would find the cemetery, where in 1989 the famous Greek poet Ioannis Ritsos was buried, as it was his birthplace. After the cemetery one would reach the lower town of Monemvasia, which is called "the Fortress". A wall protects the lower town from three sides east, south and west.