Leonidio

Leonidio sits where the Dafnon gorge meets the sea, backed by a wall of red conglomerate several hundred metres high that turns crimson at sunset. The old town is a dense grid of eighteenth and nineteenth-century houses with stone doorframes and inner courtyards, built by merchants who traded across the Aegean. This is the heart of Tsakonia, where Tsakonian is still spoken by a dwindling number of older residents, a language descended from ancient Doric rather than the Koine that produced modern Greek, and one of Europe's most endangered tongues. Since around 2010 the cliffs have been developed into one of Europe's major sport-climbing destinations, with well over a thousand routes, which fills the town with climbers in spring and autumn. The local aubergine has protected designation status, celebrated with a festival in August.

What to look for

• The red cliffs - conglomerate walls rising directly behind the town.
• The old town - stone merchant houses and narrow lanes.
• The climbing crags - hundreds of bolted routes on the surrounding rock.
• The Tsakonian heritage - signs and cultural events in the old dialect.

When to go

March to May and September to November, which is climbing season and the most comfortable weather. Summer is hot on the rock and the town turns to its beach at Plaka. Sunset light on the cliffs is the daily event.

What to expect

Outside climbing season the town is quiet and some guesthouses close. The beach is at Plaka, four kilometres away, not in town. Tsakonian is genuinely rare now; visitors will see it on signs more often than hear it spoken.

Nearby

Elona Monastery is up the gorge road; Kyparissi and the wild eastern coast lie south.

Key facts