laconic Gulf, to the west by the Messinian Gulf and to the east by the Myrtoan Sea.

The capital of the prefecture is the city of Sparta, which is also extremely important in Greek history and was built exactly where ancient Sparta was located, making it the southernmost prefecture of mainland Greece and the southernmost point of mainland Europe. Thanks to the landscape, such as the combination of mountains and sea, and Laconia's valuable history, which is preserved through prehistoric finds and cultural testimonies dating back to antiquity, this area is rightly considered the ideal vacation destination. Ancient temples and theaters, monasteries, fortresses, caves, biotopes, mountain hikes and breathtakingly beautiful beaches are just some of the many sights that Laconia has to offer and that captivate even skeptical visitors.

Four provinces are subject to the administration of Laconia: Lacedaemonia with the capital Sparta, Gythio with the capital of the same name, Epidavros Limiras with the capital Molai and Itylo (Itilion) with its capital Areopolis.

Day trip - from / to Kardamili by rental car
Kilometers per day: approx. 270,
We drive approx. 1 hour in a southerly direction through the Taygethos Mountains from Kalamata, past Kardamili and Stoupa to Agios Nikolaos.

If the last 13 kilometers of road were mainly on a straight road parallel to the sea, we follow the ascending serpentines for a few kilometers and come to the chamante Thalames where the old stone mill Morea of the olive pioneer Heinz Need invites us to rest on the Platia with award-winning oils. Herbs, honey and pickled fruit are on sale in the village square. A lovingly arranged Mani Museum hides many a treasure and curiosity from the past. Mr. Nikos entertains his visitors in German with anecdotes about his homeland.

The onward journey takes us above Alika through an area with mighty old oak trees. Before the vegetation becomes more stony and barren towards Itilion. About halfway up the long bay of Itilon, the former, wild Mani, also known as the Inner or Lower Mani, begins. If you descend into the bay and look inland again, you will see the canyon on your left, where an attractive hiking trail leads to the old Spiliotissa nunnery (below Kelefa) through a dried-up riverbed.

Kelefa itself is worth a detour. The Agios Vassilies church with its impressive murals on the platia, as well as old tower houses, mighty stone walls decorated with phalluses and, of course, the ruins of the former Turkish castro.

After driving up the steep concrete road in the front part of the bay of Itilon before leaving the Kastro, we now drive out onto Kelefa and turn right at the end of the road towards Areopolis. The center of lower Mani has a beautiful old town and many small, frescoed chapels in the lower part.

In Dirou (Diros), 15 minutes away, the underground water labyrinth of the large caves of the same name is well worth a visit. You can take a boat along small canals through the cave system with its impressive colors, stalagmites and stalactites. This detour down to the sea, including the visit to the Dirou caves, takes around 2 hours.

Continuing south along the well-maintained road, the landscape becomes more stony. Only a few fig trees and clusters of prickly pear cacti remain. We recommend exploring the old fortified villages here on your own, perhaps at Stavri or Kitta. The promenade of Gerolimenas with its tavernas and cafes invites you to linger. A short hike up the rim to the old church takes about 45 minutes and is worth the break for the view alone.

One of our favorite sandy bays is just behind the village near Alika and the old water tower ruins. After a short and refreshing swim, we follow the descent down to Mezapos to photograph the green lagoon and the windswept cliffs.

A tour around the ruined village of Vathia is our next photo stop and gives a good insight into the traditional Mani architecture from ancient times.

We pre-ordered fresh fish from Popen Gregorious in Marmaris. A wonderful place with what is certainly the most beautiful sandy bay in Inner Mani. As always, Gregorious is in a good mood and jokes around the whole time, telling little stories "about life". He is one of the 4 sons of the old couple living in Laghia who run the O'Bes picture cafe. (A wonderfully authentic place with many memorial paintings and photos of the warlike days of Mani.

We are faced with the decision to take a detour via Porto Kaggio and the Hades, lighthouse and Poseidon temple hike and the desire to enjoy the sunset in the obligatory Takis tavern in Lemeni, Itilo.

We then opted for the latter

Our next itinerary could start in legendary Sparta, take us to the medieval ruined city of Mystras, the fortress city of Monemvasia, to "the land of the gods" Gythio, to the beautiful little island of Elafonisos, through the fertile Evrotas river valley, to the picturesque villages of the Taygetos and Parnon mountains, to the fjord of Gerakas and finally to the romantic amphitheater of Kyparissi, but it is far from over.

The tower (Pirgo) is the landmark of Laconic Mani.

The characteristic residential towers, mostly restored in recent years under the auspices of the Greek Tourism Organization, are the hallmark of the Mani peninsula and give Laconia its unmistakable beauty through their authentic architecture.

The towers in Moudanistika, Nomia, Mina and Stavri are particularly eye-catching. The Philippakos Tower in Alika, the Voudiklaris and Lazarogonas Towers in Kita, the towers in Vathia, which have been converted into guesthouses (Exarchakos, Drakoulakos, Giannoukakos and Mitsakos Towers) as well as the Mavromichalis Tower, the Kapetanakos Tower and the Pikoulakis Tower in Areopoli, which can now be visited as a museum, are also among the most beautiful in this region.

Byzantine churches

The beautiful churches give the history of the Mani peninsula a Byzantine and post-Byzantine flavor due to the characteristic architecture of the cross-domed churches and arouse the curiosity of visitors due to their construction on steep slopes.

In Areopolis there are the churches of Agios Ioannis Prodomos, Agios Athanasios in Athanatoi Square, Agios Polykarpos, the church of the Taxiarchen and the Byzantine monastery of Agioi Pantes in Xifakiarika. You can also admire the ruins of the Paleochristian basilica of Agios Petros (5th century AD) in Kyparisso, the church of Agios Stratigos and Agios Panteleimonas in Boularioi, whose murals date back to 991/2 AD, the church of Episkopi in Mezapos, Agia Varvara in the village of Erimos, the church of the Taxarias in Charouda and the church of Agios Ioannis in Keria.

_{Text excerpts: from inlaconia.gr
Link recommendation: www.inlaconia.gr}