in Stoupa
hardouin in 1252 following the
conquest of the Peloponnese by
the Franks. It was called Beaufort
but very little remains to be seen
except for a few walls and the
remains of a tower on the summit. The castle or Castro, was also
called ‘Yisterna’ which means
cistern and there is a large cistern
on the summit. The museum in
Kalamata displays a small, carved
marble head of Athena that was
found here, probably a relic from
a shrine dedicated to the goddess
referred to by Pausanias, writing
in the 2nd century AD.
The beginning of the path up is
clearly signed- again, refer to the
map of Stoupa.
3
fancy a
stroll??
O
nce a narrow dirt track, the
coastal path from Stoupa to
neighbouring Agios Nikolaos is
now a wide cycle path, complete
with protective railings. It’s only
around 45 minutes on foot and
obviously a lot quicker by bicycle.
The path follows the cliff edge
above the sea and emerges very
close to the harbour in Agios
Nikolaos.
Refer to both maps for the beginning
and end points.
9 INSIDE the MANI