Poros 2007 - Historic Sites and Attractions

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Great Theatre of Asklepieios at Epidauros

Poros History -
History of Poros & Trizina Area and
Historic Sites in Central Greece

~ Index ~ Site Sources ~ Links ~
~ Mycenae and Tiryns ~ Ancient Troezene ~ Ancient Kalaureia ~
~ Epidauros - Theatre and Asklepieion ~ Aegina ~ Athens ~ Nauplion ~
~ Naos Poseidon ~ Poros Minor Sites ~ Zoodochos Pighi Monastery ~
~ Bourtzi Island & Fortress ~ Battle of Poros ~ Russian Bay Naval Station

~ Poros Index : Businesses, Tavernas and Useful Information ~
~ Poros 2006 Blog ~ Poros 2007 Blog ~ 2006 & 2007 Blog Updates ~
~ Saga Hotel, Poros ~

Historic Sites and Attractions in Poros and Central Greece :
The writer discovered that the almost 16,000 years of ancient and recorded history in Greece is best understood and enjoyed by visiting sites that illustrate that history. The big glamour sites like the Acropolis in Athens and the Palace at Knossos in Crete are world famous, but ironically may not be the most enjoyable. There is little fun in being one in a crowd of shuffling tourists. A lot more fun and knowledge can be gained by looking at the less-glamorous sites in the peace and companionship of a few people.

Whilst staying at Poros we visited most of the key historic sites in the area, including the startling Epidauros, Troezene (Trizina), Mycenae and Nauplion. A day trip to Athens gave us a rather overwhelming visit to the Parthenon and the Areopagus at the Acropolis, but time and the recent fires did not encourage us to go and visit Olympia. What we did get was a really surprising illumination of Greek history, by looking at the smaller sites and learning what they meant.

This site list is organised by areas, with links to pages and sites that can provide more information. PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME LINKS AND PAGES ARE STILL BEING FINALISED. ADEQUATE RESEARCH TAKES TIME.

Feel free to contact the webmaster Richard Edkins on webmaster@dalbeattie.com to give a link or details of the attractions you feel might be worth adding to this list.

Historic Attractions List -

Poros, Galatas, Trizina and Methana Areas :

Museum, Poros : : On the Paralia (seafront) east of the Heroes' Square. Telephone : 22980 23276.
Local history and archaeology. A 2 Euro charge to enter this museum. Good exhibits on Prehistoric and Classical Greece with English captions. Particularly good for Troezene, Modi and Methana finds. More details >>>>

Island of Modi : Also called 'Lion Island', off the east side of Kalavria. Reputedly the site of a Minoan naval base and certainly there are signs of a Minoan settlement.More details >>>>

Methana Town and Volcano : Settlements in this area since Mycenaean and Minoan times. Thermal springs and spa. Bus or taxi or ferry to Methana, taxi ride or walk up to the crater of Greece's only mainland volcano. Last eruption in 325 AD, but possibly not extinct. More details >>>>.

Troezene / Trizina : Small town a short bus or taxi ride from Poros. Legendary birthplace of Theseus. Various attractions within a kilometer of the town square. Mediaeval castle, churches and monastery, Classical temple and Asklepeion (ancient hospital) sites. All set in groves of olives, fruit trees and flowers. More details >>>>

Ancient City of Kalaureia

Underwater ruins of the ancient Classical city and port of Kalaureia in Vagionis Bay, downhill from the Naos Poseidon. More details >>>>

Temple of Poseidon (Naos Poseidon) : At the top of Kalavria island on Poros. Ruins of temple and its associated buildings. Views north to Aegina remarkable. Good English language information boards. More details >>>>

Minor Sites in Poros : Lesser known, but worth a look :-
St.George's Church and Poros Old Town. Megalo Neorio Shipyard Site. Memorials and monuments to Poriotes and others who established modern Greece. Also the old poets' and writers' favorite,rthe Villa Galini.More details >>>>.

Zoodochos Pighi Monastery (Monastery of the Sacred Source) : In the east of Kalavria island, overlooking the beach at Monastery Bay. Very beautiful 17th-Century monastery with connections with the liberation and founding of modern Greece. No charge, but donations are welcome. More details >>>>.

Bourtzi Island Fortress : Bourtzi (Snake) Island is dominated by the fortress built by an Austrian General. Cannon on this island controlled access to Poros Harbour from the windward (south east) approach. Possibly a key position during the Battle of Poros. More details >>>>.

TE Poros Naval Academy/Naval Base : First home of the Greek Navy and Summer Palace of King Otto 1 of Greece. Now the TE Poros Naval College. External viewing only, except in Open Days. Reputedly beautiful Chapel and some interesting monuments. Official TE Poros Website >>>>.

Russian Bay Naval Base and Trading Post : Constructed in 1830s as a warm-water port and trading post by Imperial Russian Navy and Greek convict labour. Abandoned 1917 by last two ships on station during Bolshevik Revolution. More details >>>>.

Major Historic Sites elsewhere in Argolis :

Ancient Epidavros : Huge site of the first European hospital (Asklepeion), its museum and the world famous Theatre of Asklepeius. The home of modern medicine and drama. Unforgettable and (in the writer's opinion) a better visit than the Parthenon. We hired a car to get there, but tours are available in the summer. More details >>>>.

Mycenea and Tiryns : The heart of Mycenaean culture and two key locations in Homer's 'Illiad'. Mycenea was the home of Agamemnon and his murderous wife Klytemnestra, Tiryns the home of his brother Menelaus and erring wife Helen. These dramatic locations were a couple of palatial hill-forts, both well worth visiting. Car, taxi or bus to Nauplio and so to Tiryns, car or taxi only to Mycenea. More details >>>>.

Nauplion Town and Palamides Castle : Nauplio (or Nauplion) was the first capital of the Greek nation following the liberation. Its earlier history as a Byzantine, Frankish and Venetian town, survives in fragments. The most important sites are the castle in the harbour and the massive Palamide fortress on the ridge south of the town. Reach it by twice-daily bus from Galatas, by car or by taxi. More details >>>>.

Mycenaean Bridge : This small but remarkable feature is on a bend in the road between ancient Epidauros and Nauplio. Although signposted, the best view is from the roadside. The writer took a picture of the bridge. It is supposed to be the oldest surviving bridge in mainland Greece and certainly recalls the portal structure of the underground well entry at Mycenae.

Port of Hydra, Island of Hydra : Remarkably beautiful town on the side of a very dry island. The port was the home of Admiral Miaoulis, whose statue overlooks the port. Guns from Poros harbour decorate the harbour walls and the coastal path southeast of the town. The Town Hall, a former monastery, was built with stone from the Naos Poseidon (Temple of Poseidon) on Poros's Kalavria Island. Regular fast ferries from Poros. More details >>>>.

Port of Spetses, Isle of Spetses : A somewhat less mountainous island than the adjacent Hydra, home to the woman admiral Laskaria Boubolina, whose ship 'Agamemnon' helped in the capture of Nauplion and the blockade of Messalonghi. Old home of Boubolina is now a museum to her memory. Restricted service of fast ferries from Poros. More details >>>>.

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