Historical trips in the Peloponnese

The route takes us into the heart of the Peloponnese, to places associated with the exploits of Theodoros Kolokotronis and his family. 1st stop, the so-called ‘Seat of Kolokotronis’, a chair-like rock where the Old Man of the Morea is said to have set up his lookout post as Greek forces besieged Tripoli. 2^nd stop, Libovisi, the home village of the Kolokotronis clan. 3^rd stop, Dimitsana, center of learning of the pre-revolutionary Morea, and also the center of gunpowder production.

This route passes through three historic locations in Arcadia which are primarily associated with key events of the first Spring of the Revolution, the Spring of 1821: the victory of the Greeks at the Battle of Valtetsi (12-13 May), the Assembly of Kaltezes 20-26 May), at which the Peloponnesian Senate was constituted, and the siege and liberation of Karytaina (27 March).  

This time we head west, to visit two historic monasteries that played an important role during the Revolution. The abbot of the Holy Monastery of Loukou at the time, Neophytos Tzaferis, was a member of the Filiki Eteria and a key figure in efforts to supply to Greek forces. Another member of the Filiki Eteria, Kallinikos Tsiamouris, was abbot of the Holy Monastery of the Dormition, widely known as the Monastery of Malevi.

23 March 1821. Kalamata is liberated without bloodshed. In the afternoon, the inhabitants gathered outside the Church of the Holy Apostles, beside the banks of the river Nedonas, where, deeply moved, they attended the first celebratory service held in the  newly liberated town. Also present were their liberators – chieftains, clerics and elders – including Theodoros Kolokotronis, Anagnostaras, Nikitaras, Papaflessas, Petrobey Mavromichalis, along with 2,000 battle-ready Maniots. The Revolution had just begun…  

The route takes us to villages, forts, battlefields and monuments associated with the military operations of the Egyptian-Ottoman expeditionary force of Ibrahim Pasha during the period he spent in the Peloponnese (February 1825 – October 1828).

We visit birthplaces, secret meeting places, hideouts, bases of operation and fields of battle associated with the lives and exploits of prominent Greek freedom fighters, including Grigorios Dikaios (Papaflessas), Christos “Anagnostis” Papageorgiou (Anagnostaras), Theodoros Kolokotronis , Nikitas Stamatelopoulos (Nikitaras) and Konstantia Zacharia.

30 November 1822. Nafplio is liberated after a months-long siege, not by storming, but by stealth. One rainy, moonless night, the besiegers learned that the besieged, in a wretched state because of the extreme deprivations and hardships, had left one side of the fortress unguarded. So, 350 Greek fighters, spearheaded by 30 German philhellenes, led by Staikos Staikopoulos, placed ladders against the walls and entered the Palamidi fortress, capturing one bastion after the other without much resistance…

We now head to monuments that commemorate significant events during the first two years of the Revolution: the First National Assembly at Epidaurus (20 December 1821 – 15 January 1822), the surrender of Acrocorinth to Greek forces and the presence of the provi provisional Greek government in Corinth (January – May 1821), the Expedition of Dramali in the Peloponnese and the crushing defeat of his great army at Dervenakia (July 1822).  

Day 1: The Rock of Monemvasia 
Day 2: Monasteries of the Revolution: Monasteries of the Transfiguration of the Savior and of Vrontamas
Day 3: In the lands of the Mavromichalis clan: Monemvasia – Gytheio
Day 4: In the mountains of Mani: Areopoli – Stone bridge at Stara – Kastania – Monastery of Our Lady of Healing 
Day 5: Tales of Old Kardamyli 
Day 6: In the footsteps of the fighters: Kalamata – Eva – Monastery of Voulkanos – Ramovouni –Kyparissia
Day 7: Monasteries of the Revolution in Velanidia & Mardaki

23 July 1821. Monemvasia becomes the first major fortress in the Peloponnese to fall to the Greeks. Completely without hope and having run out of food, the remaining Ottoman defenders – 756 out of some 4,000 when the siege had begun four months earlier –  surrendered to Alexandros Kantakouzenos, agreeing to hand over the fortress on the condition that they would be allowed safe passage by sea to the shores of Asia Minor. 

We visit historic monasteries that played a key role during the Revolution. The Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior at Molaoi was a center for the Greek revolutionaries. The monastery escaped the devastation wreaked by Ibrahim Pasha, but shows signs of deterioration since then. Built at the opening of a large cave, the Old Monastery of Vrontamas was providing refuge to about 300 non-combatants when Ibrahim Pasha invaded the region in the summer of 1825.

After a brief stop at historic Gytheio, a harbor of great importance during the Revolution, we head to Areopoli, the hometown and administrative center of the powerful Mavromichalis family of Mani, which played a decisive role in the struggle for independence.

The Mani had long been a center of sustained resistance against Ottoman rule even before the outbreak of the Revolution. The rugged mountainous terrain and hardened inhabitants of the region had kept the peninsula virtually autonomous, despite the repeated attempts of Ibrahim Pasha to conquer it. The route passes through areas of East Mani, places of outstanding natural beauty, associated with significant historical events and figures who were active both before and during the Revolution. 

Returning in secret from Zakynthos, where he had lived for many years, Theodoros Kolokotronis landed at Kardamyli in early January, 1821. There, he stayed at the fortified tower of his family friend, Panagiotis Mourtzinos. It was here that Kolokotronis began planning in earnest for the start of the Revolution in the Morea.

We now head to places associated with prominent fighters of the Revolution. Ramovouni, birthplace of Theodoros Kolokotronis (1770-1843), Eva, the village where Dimitrios Papatsonis was born (circa 1798-1825), Kyparissia, liberated without bloodshed on 26 March1821 with the decisive contribution of Dimitris Papatsoris (1770-1835) and the Dredes.