Githio, Peloponnesian poem in pastel shades

Gitio- Paw traveller

Pastel houses that looks as if someone needled them into the hill of Koumaros, a love scandal that sparked the Trojan War, beautiful beaches where Caretta Caretta turtles find refuge, great food, and even better wines... This is Gitio!

Peloponnese is perfection of nature and its settlements have that special, natural, and almost boring Mediterranean everyday lifestyle.

But, its part called Mani, covered with picturesque villages and some of the most beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean, is truly something extraordinary.

Gitio- Paw traveller

Gitio is a small port town hidden in this region, but also the largest city on the Mani peninsula, and in ancient times it was the main port of Sparta.

This small town still keeps the old charm and is not overly visited by tourists, so it is the perfect place if you want to experience real Greece and everyday life.

The first thing you will see when you come here is a long promenade along which are amphitheatrically crammed houses in pastel colors, bars, taverns, and shops... So, if you want you can immediately start tasting local specialties, as well as Mavrodaphne or Moscofilero and other wines characteristic for the region of Peloponnese.

This promenade is actually the liveliest part of Gitio, and when you go deeper into the alleys between neoclassical houses in pastel colors, you will discover blossoming courtyards and small chapels.

Explore Gitio on the trail of the legend

Cranae- Paw traveller

The special seal of this small town is given by the miniature island of Cranae, which was mentioned by Homer at the end of the eighth century BC in the Iliad and the Odyssey.

According to the legend, Paris from Troy and Helen, the beautiful wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, spent the night together on this island and runaway off to Troy.

Whether it was a kidnapping or an escape remains a mystery, but it is believed that Paris lost his helmet while fleeing from the Spartans on this island, and this love scandal was certainly the reason why the Trojan War began.

Today, this small island is connected to Gitio by a causeway, so you can take a pleasant walk and visit the lighthouse on the island built of marble, the enchanting white chapel dedicated to Saint Peter, or visit the Tzenetakis tower built in 1829, which now houses a museum. From this island you can see the entire Mani up to its peak.

Let it be that Gitio is just the beginning of this adventure

Mavrovouni- Paw traveller

Gitio is a good starting point for exploring Mani peninsula.

Very close to this small town there are a large number of excellent beaches such as Mavrovouni beach, which with its length of about seven kilometers is the longest beach on Mani. At the very end of this beach in the direction of Gitio there is the village of the same name.

The beach is covered with coarse sand and small pebbles, it is very wide, and in its background there are alleys of trees, summer houses, cafe gardens, and accommodation for rent of all sizes. You can choose between simple rooms, apartments, and campsites.

The beach is equipped with umbrellas and sunbeds, but also with a lot of space where you can put your towel. And since the beach is huge, there are almost no crowds.

And that's not all that makes this beach interesting!

Caretta Caretta loggerhead turtles also visit Mavrovouni beach

Nest- Paw traveller

On this beach, the protected species Caretta Caretta turtles make their nests and lay their eggs, and visitors are advised to stay away and not touch them.

The nests are marked by the non-profit organization Archelon, whose young volunteers from all over the world monitor every moment of this natural occurrence, from the moment the mother turtle comes out of the sea and lays her eggs, until the young hatch.

Everyday they visit the beaches in the area and record the number of hatched turtles, as well as those that unfortunately did not manage to reach the sea.

Small turtles usually come to this world at night, and follow the moonlight and the sound of waves on their way to the sea. The luckiest ones, of which there is only one percent, live to reach out the old age of around 60, 65 years, and gain weight of over one hundred kilograms.

It is interesting that they spend their whole lives in the seas and oceans, and when they become sexually mature they return to the beach of their birth and come out of the water to lay their eggs...

Archelon- Paw traveller

The Peloponnese is truly the perfection of nature. Different from the rest of Greece, but also different from itself. Each of its regions has a special charm, so Messinia is beautiful and green, covered with vineyards and olive groves, wetlands full of birds, hidden waterfalls, and beautiful villages. Argolis, a fertile land covered with endless citrus orchards, surrounded by mountains and surrounded by the sea, while rugged Mani hides landscapes like you are on the moon, and villages with stone towers that hide the secrets of the Maniots, scions of the Spartans... We've seen a lot on our Peloponnese tour, and yet there's still so much more to see! If you decide to explore Peloponnese, you will be delighted by the different variations of this landscape, and that adventure will surely be an experience without parallel! 

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