Day Four: Mystras and Nafplion, Greece

In the morning, head over to the abandoned Byzantine city of Mystras, which offers the most complete picture of a town from the late Byzantine period (13-15th century). The village is located on a remote hill of the Taygetos range, and offers a beautiful picture of churches that have been lovingly and delicately restored from that era.

Spend the afternoon at the Frankish castle found on the hill’s summit. The castle was constructed in 1249 by Guillaume II de Villehardouin, and is intriguing in both architecture and view. The view is spectacular with the Taygetos range to the west and the valley of Laconia over to the east. Below the castle, the city of Mystras formed, first the upper and then the lower town. The climb to the top of the castle is fairly steep and rocky and requires about 30 minutes. In the evening continue through Tripoli to the port of Nafplion located on the Gulf of Argos.