PeloPonneseM
ESSINIAPeloPonneseIN
fOrMATIONPeloPonneseANCIENT MESSINI8 Information
National Bank of Greece (Aristomenous,
Central Sq, cnr Akrita & Navarinou)
Post office (cnr Olgas & Navarinou; h7. 3 0 a m -
2pm Mon-fri)
Tourist police (%27210 24680; Iroon Poly-
techniou; h8am-9pm Mon-fri)
Tourist support office (%27210 90413; Be-
naki; h9am-2pm & 6-9pm Mon-fri, 9am-2pm
Sat & Sun) This helpful tourist office, in the
same building as the Archaeological Museum,
has a plethora of brochures on Messinia’s
attractions.
8 Getting There & Away
AIR
Kalamata International Airport is served by var-
ious airlines from Nuremburg, Amsterdam and
London Gatwick in summer. Aegean Airlines
(www.aegeanair.com) operates daily flights
between Kalamata and Athens and Thessaloniki
from June through September.
BOAT
Between mid-June and September, a weekly
ferry service operated by LANE Ferries (www.
lane.gr) runs on Sundays from Kalamata to
Kissamos, Crete (€32/84 per person/car, 9¾
hours) via Kythira (€21.50/56 per person/car,
5½ hours). Contact SMAN Travel/Maniatis
(%27210 20704; cnr Likourgou & Psaron 148),
by the port, for the schedule.
BUS
KTEL Messinia bus station (%27210 28581;
http://www.ktelmessinias.gr; Artemidos) has buses to
Athens (€22.20, 4½ hours, 12 daily) via Corinth
Isthmus (€15.80, 2½ hours). It also has buses
to Tripoli (€8.10, 1¼ hours, five daily), Kyparis-
sia (€7, 1¼ hours, four weekdays) and Patra
(€22.80, four hours, two daily) via Pyrgos (€14,
two hours).
Heading west, buses go to Koroni (€5, 1½ hours,
three to six daily), Methoni (€6.10, 1½ hours, five
daily) and Pylos (€5, 1¼ hours, five daily).
Heading east across the Langada Pass, buses
run to Sparta (€5, 1¾ hours, daily at 9.15am)
with a change at Artemisia. four daily buses
head to Kardamyli (€4, one hour) and Stoupa
(€4.40, 1¼ hours), with one continuing to Itilo
(€7.40, 2¼ hours). There are also direct buses to
Thessaloniki (€65, three weekly, 11 hours).
8 Getting Around
TO/FROM THE AIRPORT
Kalamata’s airport is 10.5km west of the city,
near Messini. A taxi costs around €20.
BUS
Local buses leave from the KTEL Messinia bus
station. The most useful service is bus 1, which
goes south to the seafront and then east along
Navarinou as far as the filoxenia Hotel. Buy
tickets (€1.20) from kiosks or the driver.CAR
recommended car rental options:
Avis (%27210 20352; http://www.avis.gr; Kesari 2)
Verga Rent a Car (%27210 95190; http://www.
car-rental-kalamata.gr; faron 202)Ancient Messini
Αρχαία Μεσσήνη
POP 350
The extensive ruins of Ancient Messini lie
scattered across a small valley below the pret-
ty village of Mavromati, 25km northwest of
Kalamata, signposted from the modern town
of Messini. The village takes its name from
the fountain in the central square; the wa-
ter gushes from a hole in the rock that looks
like a black eye (mavro mati, in Greek). The
name Ancient Messini is used to refer to both
the historic site and the village itself.History
Ancient Messini was founded in 371 BC after
the Theban general Epaminondas defeated
Sparta at the Battle of Leuctra, freeing the
Messinians from almost 350 years of Spar-
tan rule. Built on the site of an earlier strong-
hold, the new Messinian capital was one of
a string of defensive positions designed to
keep watch over Sparta. Epaminondas him-
self helped to plan the fortifications, which
were based on a massive wall that stretched
9km around the surrounding ridges and
completely enclosed the town.
Apart from its defensive potential, An-
cient Messini was also favoured by the gods.
According to local myth, Zeus was born
here – not Crete – and raised by the nymphs
Neda and Ithomi, who bathed him in the
same spring that gives the modern village
its name.1 Sights
oAncient Messini HISTOrIC SITE
(%27240 51201; http://www.ancientmessene.gr; adult/
concession €4/2, museum & site €5/3; h8am-
8pm) The remains of this vast ancient city
are at least as extensive as those of Olympia
and Epidavros, yet Ancient Messini receives
only a fraction of their visitors. Picturesque-
ly situated on a hillside below the village of
Mavromati and still undergoing excavation,
the site comprises a large theatre, an agora,
a vast Sanctuary of Asclepius and the most