PeloPonneseM
ESSINIAPeloPonneseGETTINGTHErE & ArOuNDPeloPonneseKALAMATA8 Getting There & Around
Kardamyli is on the bus route between Kalamata
(around €4, one hour, four daily) and Stoupa
(€1.50, 15 minutes); one bus daily continues
south to Itilo. The bus stops at the central square
at the northern end of the main thoroughfare,
and at the bookshop at the southern end.
Buses to the villages in the hills above Kardam-
yli are too infrequent and sporadic to be useful.
A taxi to Exochorio costs around €20.
MESSINIA ΜΕΣΣΗΝIΑ
The southwestern corner of the Peloponnese
has many boons, from the peninsula’s love-
liest beaches to old Venetian towns, impres-
sive castles and even an underwater park in
the making.
Messinia’s boundaries were established in
371 BC following the defeat of Sparta by the
Thebans at the Battle of Leuctra. The defeat
ended almost 350 years of Spartan domi-
nation of the Peloponnese – during which
time Messinian exiles founded the city of
Messinia in Sicily – and meant the Messini-
ans were left free to develop their kingdom
in the region stretching west from the Taÿge-
tos Mountains. Their capital was Ancient
Messini, about 25km northwest of Kalamata
on the slopes of Mt Ithomi.
Kalamata Καλαμάτα
Kalamata is the capital of Messinia and the
second-largest city in the Peloponnese. Most
travellers just pass through it, only pausing
to partake of its facilities and its decent
restaurants.
Built on the site of ancient Pharai, the city
takes its modern name from a miracle-work-
ing icon of the Virgin Mary known as kalo
mata (good eye). It was discovered in the
stables of the Ottoman aga (governor), who
converted to Christianity as a result of the
miracles it was believed to have performed.
The icon now resides inside the city’s over-
sized cathedral, the Church of Ypapantis.
Below the kastro is the small but attrac-
tive old town, which was almost totally
destroyed by the Turks during the War of
Independence, rebuilt by French engineers
in the 1830s, then levelled again by an
earthquake in 1986. A lively Saturday food
market just to the west of the old town sells
Kalamata olives and other local produce.1 Sights
Archaeological Museum
of Messenia MuSEuM
(%27210 83485; http://www.archmusmes.gr; Benaki &
Agiou Ioannou; admission €3; h1.30-8pm Mon &
8am-8pm Tue-Sun) This partially interactive,
child-friendly museum focuses on treasures
found in four regions – Kalamata, Pylia,
Messini and Trifylia. A trail snakes through
the maze of exhibits, revealing everything
from sculpture, pottery and funereal ob-
jects found in Mycenaean tholos tombs, to
Roman mosaics, gold jewellery and votive
offerings.Kastro fOrT
(Vilardouinou; €2; h8am-5pm Tue-Sun) Loom-
ing over the town is the 13th-century kastro.
Remarkably, it survived the powerful 1986
earthquake that levelled the city. The entry
gate is its most impressive feature. Inside,
the kastro is a lush haven of tranquillity and
there are good views from the battlements.z Festivals & Events
Kalamata International
Dance Festival MuSIC, DANCE
(www.kalamatadancefestival.gr; hJul) This an-
nual festival draws crowds to its quality per-
formances of traditional music and dance.
Venues include the amphitheatre of the
kastro. See the website for dates and prices.KALAMATA OLIVESKalamata gives its name to the prized Kalamata olive, a plump, purple-black variety
found in delicatessens around the world. The region’s reliable winter rains and hot sum-
mers make for perfect olive-growing conditions.
The Kalamata tree is distinguished from the common olive (grown for oil) by the size
of its leaves. Like its fruit, the leaves of the Kalamata are twice the size of other varieties
and a darker shade of green.
Unlike other varieties, Kalamata olives can’t be picked green. They ripen in late
November and must be hand-picked to avoid bruising. You can buy and sample these
famous olives at the markets in Kalamata.