Inside the Mani 2015 | Page 80

5 Areopolis the museum I n recent years a network of Mani museums has developed to help preserve the area’s unique history. In 2005 Kardamyli’s Troupakis tower was finally transformed into a museum. Following this trend of using the Mani’s renowned tower houses to house local exhibits, Areopolis has since followed suit by completing the renovation of the Pikoulakis tower, now home to the permanent exhibition entitled “Tales of Religious Faith in Mani”. Just as with its Kardamyli cousin, the EU heavily subsidised the work and entrance is 2 euros. There are only two rooms which carry displays, one upstairs and one down, but it is well worth a INSIDE the MANI78 visit if only to wander around a fully restored tower house. Yet there is much more inside to warrant a visit, especially to those who are intrepid enough to have first visited one of the sites from which a large percentage of the exhibits came from, for example Tigani and Kiparissos. The museum is open daily from 8.30am- 3.00pm, EXCEPT Mondays when it is closed. An excellent book accompanies the exhibition (in English and Greek) at a cost of 20 euros along with a DVD and on the ground floor there is small room where you can watch a DVD giving a history of the Mani’s turbulent history.