Mesenia (Μεσσηνία) fue un país del suroeste del Peloponeso. Tenía al este a Laconia; al norte, Élide y Arcadia; y al sur y oeste el mar. De Laconia la separaba el monte Taigeto (Taÿgetus). La costa sur formaba el llamado golfo de Mesenia.
Prefectura de Grecia.
Ciudades . Historia .
Montañas
Una sierra central hoy llamada Tetrazi (puede que su nombre antiguo fuera Eira) ocupa la parte central (con unos 1.400 metros de altura). Al este, las montañas hoy llamadas Makryplai, formaban las antiguas montañas Nomia (Νομία ὄρη), y al oeste la prolongación del Tetrazi hoy llamada Kuvela (en el valle del Neda) se llamaba Elaeos (Elaeum, Ἐλάϊον). los monstes Itome y Evan eran los principales.
Aegaleum o Agalios era una sierra que corría paralela a la costa occidental, de la cual formaban parte las montañas Buphras (Βουφράς) y Tomeos (Τομεύς). Tematia (Temathia, Τημαθία) o Matia (Matia, Μαθία) era una montaña que correspondería al moderno Lykodimo, con casi 1.000 metros, en la parte suroeste.
Ríos
Los ríos eran: Pamiso (Pamisus, Παμισός), Neda, Balira (Balyra, Βαλίρα), ElectraCeos (Coeus Κοῖος), Leucasia (Λευκασία), Amphitus (Ἄμφιτος), Charadrus (Κάραδρος), Aris (Ἄρις), Nedon (Νέδων), Selas (Σέλας) y Cyparissos (Ἠλέκτρα), (Κυπάρισσος).
Cabos
El principal era el cabo Acritas (Ἀκρίτας), o Cabo Gallo, la parte más al sur de Mesenia; al oeste el Corifasion (Coryphasium), que formaba la entrada de la bahía de Pilos, el Platamodes (Πλαταμώδης) o Platanodes y el Ciparision (Cyparissium) el más al norte, en la ciudad de Ciparisia (Cyparissia).
Islas
Teganussa (Theganussa, Θηγανοῦσσα), moderna Venetiko, en frente del cabo Acritas
Islas Oenussae (Οἰνοῦσσαι)
Esfacteria (Sphacteria) en frente de Pilos
Prote (Πρωτή)
How to get By bus from Athens
Information: KTEL Bus Terminal - Athens 100, Kifissou St., tel: 01/5129498
By rail from Athens
Information: Athens terminal Peloponnese Station, tel: 01/5131601
By Air from Athens
For Olympic Airways & Olympic Aviation Timetable and Fares
click here
Municipios
Aetos - Kopanaki
Aipeia . Andania . Androusa . Arfara . Aris . Aristomenis . Avia . Avlona . Chiliochoria . Dorio . Eira . Filiatra . Gargalianoi . Ithomi . Kalamata . Koroni . Kyparissia . Lefktro . Meligalas . Messene . Methoni . Nestoras . Oichalia . Papaflessas . Petalidi . Pylos . Thouria . Voufrades
The prefecture of Messinia, located to the south west of the Peloponnese is a region of magic and beauty.
The capital town and main port of Messinia is Kalamata. Kalamata is a very modern town, with excellent infrastructure and local facilities.
The town of Kalamata is dominated by the 13th century castle which was built above it. From the castle, visitors are offered wonderful views towards the sea and sandy beaches, as well as the green flourishing plains.
The famous Byzantine church of the Virgin Ypapanti is located in the town. This church is famous for the nuns who weave the famous Kalamata silk. There are also several other churches around the town which are nice to visit.
In Kalamata, as well as enjoying the beauty of the region and the hospitality of the locals, there is also the archaeological and folklore museum, and the library which houses over 60,000 volumns of work.
Such attractions are a nice way to experience the history and past of the region, as well as the modern side of it. There are also cultural events and fastivals that take place during the year, to which everyone is invited.
There are also the coastal resorts of Kiparissia and Methoni which are perfect for lazing away during those hot summer days. On the pine-covered hilltop in Kiparissia there is a small Byzantine castle.
Methoni has some very interesting churches and mosques that are nice to visit. The long sandy beach is an ideal place to enjoy some memorable sunsets here in Messinia.
Another interesting place to visit is the tranquil town of Pylos (Pilos). Pylos is a historical and traditional settlement. There are many beautiful 19th century houses that overlook the bay of Navarino.
The castle built in the late 16th century by the Turks, Neo Kastro (New Castle), was built to control the bay of Navarino.
The castle was recently restored, and includes a small museum with some beautiful prints and lithographs on display as well as fully costumed heroes of the War of Independence. Pylos gives visitors the impression that they are actually on an island, and is well worth visiting if you get the chance.
Messenia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalamata se halla sobre el Mar Jónico, hacia el centro del golfo de MeseniaMessiniakós Kólpos), y hacia el lado oriental esta ciudad se encuentra la poco elevada aunque célebre cordillera del Tavgetos Ōros (Taigetos), que culmina en la península de Mani y que separa a la Mesenia de la Laconia, teniendo Laconia por capital a Esparta. En la provincia de Mesenia, los distritos limítrofes a Kalamata son entonces los de Messíni y Kardamyli.
Ubicándose a unos 60 km al SE de Kyparissia y la GR-9, a aproximadamente 120 km al SSE de Pyrgos, aproximadamente 80 km al SSO de Trípois y 60 km de Esparta y unos 8 km al este de Messíni.
Turismo
Kalamata posee un importante puerto turístico (muy frecuentado por barcos a vela); y es por otra parte el mayor centro comercial del Peloponeso tras Patras.
Aparte de relictos arqueológicos, esta ciudad cuenta con una discreta atracción balnearia que se desarrolla principalmente en los entornos.
Transportes
La estación ferroviaria de Kalamata se encuentra en el conflujo de dos líneas de trocha angosta; una desde Patras, la otra desde Atenas. La vieja estación, sita bien en el centro citadino, ha devenido en un parque de recreo (Parko Stathmou o Parque de la Estación), en el cual han quedado un viejo vagón de pasajeros y una locomotora a vapor.
La principal ruta sobre la que se alínea hoy esta ciudad es la E55, proveniente de Helsingborg (Suecia) y que culmina en esta ciudad pélide.
En las proximidades de Kalamata, vecino al confín con el ejido de Messíni, se ubica el Aeropuerto Internacional de Kalamata (IATA : KLX – ICAO : LGKL), inaugurado en 1959 y receptivo principalmente para vuelos charter. Por otra parte, desde la Antigüedad, Kalamata es un importante puerto marítimo.
Capital and chief port of the prefecture is the muchsung Kalamata, the land of the Kalamatianos dance and the silk kerchief.Every summer cultural events like concerts and plays put on by the Kalamata theatre are held in the amphitheatre of the castle.
In the evening, the town comes alive, especially along the waterfront which is lined with taverns, seafood restaurants and rotisseries serving local dishes and drinks, fresh fish, roast suckling pig and chicken, sausages, cheese, olives, retsina and raki.From neighboring Eleia you can already feel the charm of that most cheerful and bountiful of places, Messinia.Euripides sung its praises, calling it "a land of fair fruit age and watered by innumerable streams, abounding in pasturage for cattle and sheep, being neither very wintry in the blasts of winter, nor yet made too hot by the chariot of Hellos".
And this happy situation has continued into our own day.
Long, cool summers, the sweetest of springs, gentle autumns, and mild winters, many springs and abundant water, fertile soil, verdant mountains.
The first stop is Kiparissia.
The town sits as if wedged into the base of its fortress, its lower districts reaching as far as the sandy shore lapped by the lonian sea.
Round about the castle is a plain planted with olive trees and grapevines.
The sea opens into an infinite expanse of azure.
They say that the view of the sunset from the castle is one of the most splendid in the world.
Everything here is imbued with history and a fascinating light.
Everywhere you look see ancient, Byzantine and Frankish monuments.
Peristera is a place a little beyond the village of Raches (5 km. from Kiparissia), where three beehive tombs have been excavated.
Filiatra is not far off. The whole district is dotted with churches, Byzantine and Frankish, of a venerable age.
Gargaliani sits on a lush hillside. It's worth going up to the town to see the view below: a magical carpet of olive trees and vines that stretches to the sea with Marathoupoli and the islet of Proti, the site of a ruined Mycenaean acropolis, in the background. Hora is built on a hilltop.
This village has preserved its old-fashioned appearance -- stone houses with tiled roofs and narrow lanes.
Pilos is a pretty little town built up a hill on the south coast of the bay of Navarino.Snow-white two-storey houses with courtyards drenched in flowers. The arcaded streets make you think you've been transported to an island.The main square ringed with pastry shops is sheltered by humongous, centuries-old plane trees. The TurkoVenetian fortress, known as Neokastro, dominates the west side of town.
One of the most attractive in the Peloponnese, it is called that to distinguish it from the ancient fortress to the southwest, named Paliokastro or Palionavarino. The bay of Voidokilia extends from the base of the old castle. A tranquil, carefree sanctuary, the floor of the bay is covered with a thick layer of sand.
A the southernmost tip of the west coast of the Peloponnese lies Methoni. In the town are some enormous Venetian wells whose marble rims are furrowed by the pressure of huge ropes over the centuries.
Homer called Methoni "rich in vines" and tradition maintains that the town is so called because the donkeys (onoi) carrying its wine used to get drunk (methoun), from the heady aroma.
You enter the castle by crossing a massive bridge, impressed by the gigantic walls, imposing bastions and monumental gates.
To the south another bridge unites the citadel with the Bourtzi, a fortified islet with case mates and towers.
But there's much more to see in Messinia.
Finikounda is a picturesque fishing village at the back of a bay.
Caiques and fishing boats are drawn up all along its sandy shore, while its taverns serve their fresh catch to little tables at the water's edge.
The road winds like a vast serpent slowly amidst lush fields to arrive at Koroni. Its medieval atmosphere is imprinted in its old mansions, its churches and its castle.Still, diaphanous water, sandy beaches and opposite the little island of Venetiko with its enchanting beach.
From its hilltop site the Venetian citadel crowns the town.
A proper eagle's nest, with thick walls and massive gates, it cuts a powerful and magnificent figure.
Below the fortress in a little palm grove is a small building housing Koroni's collection of historical and archaeological artefacts.
The beauty of the area, unchecked, unbroken, is a constant surprise.
Petalidi juts out from the head of a little bay.
The sandy or pebbly beaches round about are shallow and sheltered from the wind. And surrounded by banana trees.
What would you remember first about this place?
Here, there, everywhere are souvenirs and expensive gifts.
Central Messinia
Cutting through central Messinia you meet villages - mini natural paradises harbouring ruins of prehistoric settlements, ancient temples, medieval castles and Byzantine churches. And every so often friendly cafes for a cup of coffee and a "kalimera" (good morning).
Mavromati-lthomi
Mavromati (32 km. from Kalamata) is a small village built like an amphitheatre up the foothills of the sacred mountain of Ithomi, today called Voulkano, where the sanctuary of Zeus Ithomatos was located.
One legend maintained that Zeus was born not in Crete or on Olympos but here at Ithomi, where he was brought up by two nymphs, Ithomi and Neda. Water flows from the heart of the mountain to splash out in the centre of the village.
Messinian Mani
Opposite Kalamata lies Almiro, above it Mt. Taigetos, the "masculine mountain" and next to it the sea, the Gulf of Messinia.
Almiro is a small settlement by the sea with a clean pebbly beach and translucent waters.
This is where the Messinian Mani begins.
It's like entering another country.
The landscape is precipitous, plunging headlong towards the sea. Wooded slopes and rugged peaks.
Brooks and torrents.
Deep gorges and high ridges.
Only by the sea is it peaceful.
Mikri and Megali Mantinia, Avia, Ano and Kato Verga Akrogiali, Kitries are some of the villages.
Sand and pebbles and little coves but also pine and fir woods and crystalline springs, solitary chapels and caves once the dwelling place of nymphs and lined with stalagmites.
Hamlets hidden in the mountainsides and hamlets on the water's edge. Stone houses.
Sitting rooms with fireplaces. Flower-filled courtyards. Cobbled lanes.
Byzantine churches and castles.
Smudged frescoes and tall towers. Painted archangels and slits in the walls for shooting.
As you penetrate further into this astonishing land, you want to get to the heart of it, to have fun with it, to fight for its sake.
You breathe the perfumed breeze that wafts down from Taigetos or you forget yourself swimming alone in a delightful cove.
Then more towers and churches (Kardamili) and more wild gorges (Diros) and after a while Maniot towers yet again and charming fishing villages and another irresistible cove (Stoupa).
On to shiny rocks and fabulous caves (Katafighi), more churches and bell towers (Thalames Platsa) as you keep walking, a bit bewildered by so much to contemplate but proud, and happy to be alive in such surroundings.
What else can you say about this place, about this wealth!
Explore our site to find travel information and hotels in other cities in Peloponnese :
Trikorfo . Tripyla
Islas
Venetiko . Sapientza . Schiza . Sphagia
Provincias
Kalamon . Messene . Pylia . Tryphilia
Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status in Greece.
Natural Beauty
Messinia is a place that you can very easily call natural world heritage. Dominant mountain in Messinia is mountain Taygetus, the natural frontier between Messinia and Laconia. 115 Klm long, having twelve peaks (Profitis Helias is the greatest one in altitude 2.407m), a number of myths go around the name of Taygetus (“Tays” in ancient Greek means “great”or “a lot”). It has four climatic zones: in its low slopes, Mediterranean climate.
Moving upwards, mountainous climate (rain and snow for four months a year), subalpine zone and finally apline zone. Rich in all altitude, there are 700 plant species in mount Taygetus, 32 of which grow only in the highest peaks.
On the slopes of this mountain, Pamisos, Messinia’s greatest river has its source and reaches throughout the Messenean Gulf.
In the forest of Vassiliki (one of the most important forests in Greece and Europe) you will find many rare trees. Olive grows in lowland, proof of the fertility of the Messenean ground. You will find cereal fields and raisin vines all over the country.
On the 145 km long coastline, apart from the white sand, the big pebbles and the steepy rocks on the beaches, you will also account with bays, covers, creeks and capes and rocky islets. The waters of the place known as Well of Ennoussae, offshore Pylos, hold the greatest depth in Mediterranean(5000m).
You will find palm-trees, cactuses, tamarisks, yellow-green reeds by the sea. Bushes and underbushes, pine- trees and tall eucalyptus trees.
Diving, surfing, sea-skiing and all kinds of activities can be engaged in full safety.
Pay visit to the gorges of Vyrou, Neda and Ridomus, to the caves of mountain Taygetus and the waterfalls.
Admire the long living trees (17 trees, 200-250 years old) on the roof of the church Aghia Theodora, a 10th century monastery.
Take alpine climbing, hiking, mountain cycling and other sports in a verdurous landscape.
Visit the islands across the mainland(Proti, Sfaktiria, Sapienza, Sxiza, Venetikoand other smaller islets)
The long sunny periods in dry-warm climate awaits you in Messinia.
Have a taste of Sfela, a special kind of cheese and an exlusive Messenean product and try the olive-oil, the Kalamata table olives, the honey and of course the varieties of wine( vineyard areas exist ever since antiquity).