Larissa Castle of Argos

The Larissa hill rises 289 metres over the Argive plain and has been fortified continuously for close to three thousand years. The lowest courses of the walls are ancient polygonal masonry from the archaic acropolis of Argos; above them sit Byzantine repairs, a Frankish inner keep from the thirteenth century, Venetian bastions with gun ports, and Ottoman additions, so a single stretch of wall can show four periods in ten metres. Inside the enceinte are cisterns, a small chapel and vaulted chambers, mostly unlabelled and open to wander. The view takes in Argos and Nafplio, the whole plain, the Argolic Gulf and the mountains behind Mycenae. Below the hill lie the ancient theatre of Argos, one of the largest in Greece, and the Roman baths.

History

In Mycenaean times the main settlement and temple of Argos lay on the Aspis hill north of Larisa, with its cemetery on the saddle of Deiras between them, later the site of the Deiras Gate. Long walls to Nauplion were begun around 421 BC by Athenian masons, and at some point before 272 BC the city was walled again, the new walls joining twin citadels on Larisa and Aspis and running round their eastern slopes to enclose the classical city, with gates at each of the cardinal points (Wikipedia, Larisa (Argos)).

What to look for

• The layered walls - ancient, Byzantine, Frankish and Venetian masonry together.
• The inner keep - the Frankish tower and vaulted rooms at the summit.
• The cisterns - deep rock-cut water stores inside the fortress.
• The plain view - Argos, Nafplio and the gulf from the ramparts.

When to go

Spring and autumn; the hill is bare and there is no shade. Late afternoon light is excellent for the walls and the plain. The site is unlit, so leave before dark.

What to expect

There is no ticket office, no signage and no facilities, and parts of the walls are unfenced with real drops. The road up is narrow. Walking from Argos takes about an hour and is steep.

Nearby

The ancient theatre of Argos is at the foot of the hill; Tiryns, Nafplio and Mycenae are all within twenty minutes.

Key facts