Kyparissia

Kyparissia climbs a hillside above the Ionian, and the old quarter, Ano Poli, is the reason to stop: stone lanes under a Byzantine and Frankish castle, restored houses, a handful of tavernas on small terraces, and a view down the coast toward Zacharo. Below, the lower town is ordinary and functional, with a long sandy beach and a small marina. The town anchors the northern end of the Kyparissia Bay coast, one of the most important loggerhead turtle nesting stretches in the Mediterranean after Zakynthos, monitored through the summer with marked nests along the sand. Inland lie the Neda gorge and the temple of Bassae; the coastal plain grows olives, tomatoes and watermelon.

History

The ancient town of Cyparissia is already mentioned by Homer in the Iliad, and ancient writers noted its fine position on a spur of the Messenian mountains, with its acropolis on the narrow rock later crowned by a medieval castle. Stephanus calls it a city of Triphylia, and at a later stage it was a bishopric, now a titular see of the Catholic Church (Wikipedia, Kyparissia).

What's there

• The castle quarter - stone lanes and restored houses under the fortress.
• The Byzantine castle - walls and towers on the hilltop above town.
• The long beach - sand running north along Kyparissia Bay.
• The turtle nesting sand - marked loggerhead nests in the summer months.

When to go

Late spring and September for warm sea and quiet; July and August bring Greek holidaymakers. Turtle nesting runs roughly June to August, with hatchlings into September.

Good to know

The lower town is plain and the seafront unremarkable, so the appeal is concentrated in a small upper quarter. Nesting beaches are protected, meaning restrictions on lights, umbrellas and night access in season. Public transport connections are slow.

Nearby

Ancient Messene lies inland; the Bassae temple and Neda gorge are in the mountains east.

Key facts