Tuesday, June 17, 2025
The ancient city of Mystras lies just outside of Sparta. Mystras dates from the 14th and 15th centuries and was a center of culture and artistry. It remained occupied throughout the Ottoman occupation of Greece until the 1830’s. Even in the 1950’s there were still some people living here, until they were forced to move by the government so that the site could be excavated. Today is it a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a Byzantine city.
In the picture below, above the building in the forefront, at the top of the hill, sits a “castle” used by the rulers of the area. It is currently under restoration and was not open for us to visit. Besides, we did not feel like climbing the 850 steps to get there.
The city was built on several levels,
taking advantage of the sloping hillside.
There were no wheeled vehicles at the time that could negotiate the
hills, so the “roads” are mostly footpaths of stones set into the soil. And steps, lots of steps.
Water was piped down from above in terra cotta pipes from large cisterns.
We visited two churches in the town. Both were decorated with beautiful frescoes but they had been damaged over the years by moisture and salt air.
The first was the Church of the Virgin Mary.
The second church was the church of St
Dimitrius.
I love the way that our guide held
everyone up so that we could take pictures through the arches. And Lyle appreciated not having to move
everyone out of my pictures!
After Mystras we had lunch at a little family restaurant in Sparta then rode on to the Skouras winery.
Wine has become a growing enterprise in
Greece and this winery was a large-scale business with numerous awards. We did a tasting of two whites and two reds,
with breadsticks and cheese.
Next: Naphlio and the Search for Loukoumades!
<--Back to Home Page