The picturesque town of Pylos.
At the south side of the Bay of Navarino is the main town in the area. Not only because it has the seat of the municipal unit of the newly made municipality Pylos-Nestoras. This has been since 2011. Before that it was the capital of the (former) province Pylia. The town had at the latest counting a bit more than 2.700 inhabitants. The whole municipal of Pylos-Nestoras was accounted for a bit more than 5.200 inhabitants.
The bay of Navarino
The bay is named after this little town. The Venetians named Pylos town by its original name out of the middle ages; Navaríno. A degeneration of the Greek words “των Αβαρίνων” (“ton Avarínon”) what means ‘of the Avaren’. To commemorate the Avaren who entered the area in the 6th century.
Geographically Pylos is situated in the South West point of the Peloponnese in the region of Messinia.
Surrounding villages worth a visit are; Giàlova, Methoni, Finikounda and Koroni to the south and Marathopoli, Gargalianoi and Chora in the north direction.
Important periods in history for Pylos (Navarino):
- significant kingdom in Mycenean Greece mentioned in Homer’s Iliad.
- the Battle of Pylos in 425 BC, during the Peloponnesian War.
- the Frankonian principality of Achaea Pylos is known under the French name: Port-de-Jonc (“Cane Harbour”) the Frankonians built the Navarino castle in 1280, now known as Παλιόκαστρο; old castle.
- the Republic of Venice from 1417 until 1500 who called it again Navarino.
- In the 14th/15th century, it was also known as Château Navarres, and called Spanochori (Σπανοχώρι, “village of the Spaniards”) by the local Greeks.
- the Ottoman Empire which used its bay as a naval base and used the Turkish name; Anavarin(o), and built the New Navarino fortress (Anavarin kalesi – Neokastro (Νεόκαστρο or Νιόκαστρο, “new castle”) in 1572-73.
Under Ottoman rule (1498–1685, 1715–1821), the Turkish name was Anavarin[o]. After the construction of the new Ottoman fortress (Anavarin kalesi) in 1571/2, it became known as Neokastro (Νεόκαστρο or Νιόκαστρο, “new castle”) among the local Greeks, while the old Frankonian castle became known as Palaiokastro (Παλαιόκαστρο or Παλιόκαστρο, “old castle”).[ - brief period of renewed Venetian rule in 1685–1715 and a Russian occupation in 1770–71.
- Greek War of Independence in 1821 with the battle of Navarino to defeat Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt with its Turkish-Egyptian fleet in 1827.
- The Battle of Navarino was the beginning of Greek independence.
Pylos has a natural harbour, but also with the help of the European Community, a harbour for sailing, yachts and fisher boats. It’s not well maintained but ideal if you sail around the Peloponnese and are looking for an ideal place to berth and explore the surrounding, by rental car or bus system.
Main attraction of Pylos is the cosy central square with terraces of a diversity of bars and restaurants.
The above mentioned New Castle can be visited and also the in-closed museum is a visit worth while.
Sites of interest;
Neokastro ‘New Castle’
The castle of Pylos dominates the southern entrance to the bay of Navarino. You can see the upper castle with its hexagonal fortress and bastions, along with the castle’s circular towers and fortifications walls, as well as the Church of the Transfiguration of Christ. The newly founded Museum of Underwater Antiquities is housed in the castle’s ‘Pasha’ building, exhibiting findings from seven different shipwrecks from the Mediterranean Sea.
Archaeological Museum of Pylos.
Exhibits from the wider area of Pylos dating from the Neolithic Age to Roman times. The most impressive findings are those discovered at the Mycenaean chamber tomb at Koukounara in Palaiochora an the Hellenistic tomb of Tragana.
Three sided marble monument on Three Admirals square.
The centre piece on the main square of Pylos commemorates Admirals Codrington, De Rigny and Heyden who defeated the Turkish-Egyptian fleet during the Battle of Navarino.
House of the Olympic champion Kostis Tsiklitiras.
This house is located at the seafront harbour of Pylos, next to the town hall of Pylos. The Kostis Tsiklitiras building has been renovated and presently houses the Collection of René Puaux, the French journalist, who collected engravings, documents and relics of the Greek Revolution and the Battle of Navarino.
Memorials on the different islets in the bay, to be reached by boat.
These memorials to the Greek and Russian dead are located on Sphaktiria island, stretching across the Bay from Pylos, along with a small wooden chapel of St. Nicholas in the Russian Orthodox style, the tomb of Paul Bonaparte, nephew of Napoleon and a memorial to the philhellene Santarosa, who was killed during the battle of Sphaktiria in 1825. Memorials to the French and British dead can be found on the islets of Fanari and Helonaki respectively.