The Land of Patrick Leigh Fermor

Travel with ancient historian Jeremy Paterson to the rugged lands of the Mani in southern Greece with its distinctive tower houses, the land made famous in Mani, one of the travel books by Paddy Leigh Fermor, the famous traveller, soldier, and lover of Greece.  Our tour encompasses aspects of the whole rich history of Greece from the Mycenaean palace of the legendary king Nestor at Pylos, to the remains of the Classical cities of Nemea and Messene, the deserted Byzantine city of Mystras, to the fortresses of Monemvasia and Methone, and key sites in the Greek war of independence at Nafplio and Navarino Bay.

Paddy Leigh Fermor (1915-2011), traveller, soldier, and writer, in 1933 at the age of eighteen set out to walk from the Hook of Holland to Istanbul.   He then continued to travel through Greece.  In the war he was sent to provide support for the resistance fighters in German-occupied Crete.   Among his exploits was the kidnap of the German general Heinrich Kreipe.  After the war he became a writer of fine and idiosyncratic travel books. One of the best is Mani, about the rugged and remote region around Mt Taygetus in southern Greece, which is at the heart of this tour.   Here Paddy and his wife, Joan, had a beautiful house built, which we will visit.

ITINERARY 

Day 1: Fly from London Heathrow to Athens, then Nafplio
Transfer to Nafplio. Welcome dinner at the hotel.

Day 2: Nemea and Nafplio
We visit the beautiful Classical site of Nemea, with the remains of the fine 4^th century BC Temple of Zeus.  We will also go to the nearby ancient stadium, where the Nemean Games, one of the principal games of Greece, were held. We will enter the stadium exactly as the athletes did, through a long tunnel.  We then head to the lovely town of Nafplio with it many reminders of the Greek War of Independence, when for a brief time it became the capital of free Greece. We will have a short tour of the town before free time for lunch and personal exploring. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 3: Tiryns and Mystras
Our day starts with a visit one of the great Mycenaean fortresses, Tiryns, with its immense and impressive cyclopean walls. We then transfer across the Nafplio hills and down to Sparta to visit Mystras, the extraordinary, ruined Byzantine city that lies on the side of Mount Taygetos.

Day 4: Monemvasia and Gythio
Today we travel down the valley of ‘Hollow Lacedaemon’ to visit the breathtaking fortified town of Monemvasia, set on its rocky island off the south-east coast of the Peloponnese. Founded by the Byzantines in the 6th century AD, it was occupied at various times by Crusaders, Venetians, and Ottomans, all of whom left some influence on this attractive walled town. Later in the day we will visit the charming seafront of Gythio, once the seaport of Ancient Sparta, and today the port for the region.

Day 5: A daytrip to the Mani
We travel south again heading this time to the rugged land of the Mani, the subject of one of Patrick Leigh Fermor’s famous travel books. This is the land of distinctive stone-built tower houses, a reminder of a turbulent past. We will visit the capital of the region, Areopolis, and villages to the south such as the deserted Vathia. Along the way, if conditions allow, we will visit the startling rock formations of the Diros Caves. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 6: Messene
We cross Mt Taygetos via the dramatic Langada Pass and enter the land of Messenia.  The ancient Messenians were subjects of Sparta for centuries until in 371 BC when the Theban general Epaminondas defeated Sparta and freed them.  In 369 BC he had the city of Messene built for them and we will visit the substantial remnants found here at the archaeological site of Messene.

Day 7: The Southwest coast
We travel to the southwest coast to visit Homer’s ‘Sandy Pylos’, the home of the legendary wise king, Nestor. We visit ‘the Palace of Nestor’, the best preserved Mycenean palace on the Greek mainland. Just to the South is the Bay of Navarino, the site of two significant military engagements: the Battle of Sphacteria between Athens and Sparta in 425 BC, and the defeat, by the fleet of the Great Powers, of the Ottoman fleet, in 1827, a decisive moment in the Greek War of Independence.  We will visit the charming town of Pylos, and its archaeological museum housed in the castle.  Later we travel on and visit the seaside Castle of Methone, one of the most important and most beautiful of the castles built by the Venetians after 1209. It sits on a rock penetrating the sea, separated from the land by an artificial moat.

Day 8: Kardamyli
Our final day takes us into the Mani once again, travelling down to the village of Kardamyli to visit the beautiful house which Leigh Fermor and his wife Joan had built for them and where they lived for nearly 50 years. After our visit we will enjoy lunch altogether in a seaside taverna, just as the Leigh Fermor’s would have enjoyed on many an occasion in this beautiful and simplistic location.

Day 9: Return to London
Transfer to Kalamata Airport for flight to London Gatwick.

NB: Exact order of excursions may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion.

Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 25 passengers.

INCLUDED

• Return flights: London Heathrow to Athens, and Kalamata to London Gatwick. 
• Two nights’ half board at the four-star Amalia Hotel, Nafplio, based on shared occupancy of a twin/double room
• Two nights' bed and breakfast, and one night half board at the five-star Mystras Palace Hotel, based on shared occupancy of a twin/double room
• Three nights’ bed and breakfast at the four-star Pharae Hotel, Kalamata, based on shared occupancy of a twin/double room
• Transfers, tours and entrance fees
• Four lectures by Jeremy Paterson 
• Local guide and tour manager throughout

NOT INCLUDED

• Double room for sole use supplement - £450
• Holiday insurance 
• Meals other than those stated 
• Items of a personal nature such as drinks, laundry, telephone calls 
• Porterage and gratuities

HOTELS

Amalia Hotel, Nafplio
The Amalia Nafplio is a very comfortable four-star hotel which has been designed in a neoclassical style surrounded by pretty gardens, with public areas elegantly and comfortably furnished. Hotel facilities include a restaurant, café lounge bar, pool (seasonal opening) and gardens. Kettles are provided in the rooms at the Amalia Hotel.

Hotel Website

Mystras Palace, Mystras
Stay in your own stone-built village at the 5-star Mystras Palace Hotel, nestled on a hillside and surrounded by beautiful lush gardens and scenery near to to ruins of Mystras. The hotel offers a relaxing stay including a spa, seasonal outdoor pool, fitness centre, tennis courts, and gourmet dining venues. The bedrooms are spacious, with modern amenities. 

Hotel Website 

Pharae Hotel, Kalamata
The four-star Pharae Hotel has a seafront position, which ensures all rooms of sea views but also provides easy access for enjoying the good choice of nearby local tavernas and also the seafront promenade.  Facilities at the hotel include a restaurant with views to the Messinian Gulf, and a terrace bar.

Hotel Website

MORE INFO

Your Lecturer 

Jeremy Paterson
Jeremy taught Greek and Roman history for over forty years at Newcastle University. He has travelled widely in Greece and the Mediterranean. His enthusiasm for the ancient world was first inspired by reading Homer and then by his fascination with the archaeological discoveries at Mycenae and Knossos. He is much in demand as a speaker at home and in many of the classical countries of the Mediterranean, where he has accompanied many groups to sites and museums.