“Nature is pleased with simplicity and affects not the pomp of superfluous causes.”
Isaac Newton, 1642-1727 English scientist
Welcome to Kardamyli, the capital of the Messinian Mani Greece. Most of the time, words can be misleading, concealing the reality and truth they might desire to reveal. The reality and truth of Kardamyli, lie in its authenticity and simplicity. It would be hard, near impossible to pretend we could possibly give you even a tiny fraction’s insight into the greatness of this place, through a few lines and images. Instead, we invite you to attempt and visit Kardamyli. No one is capable of describing the things they will gain through words.
Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor, (1915-2011) was a writer, scholar and soldier as well as one of the most important British travelers. He lived an adventurous life much of which he spent in Greece which he loved as his second home. The house he built in Kardamili in the 60’s is considered one of the most beautiful houses in the Mediterranean.
“Pandi”, as his friends affectionately called him or Michalis, as he was called in Greece, played an important role in the Battle of Crete during World War II and lived for more than two years in the mountains of Megalonisos where disguised as a shepherd and under the pseudonym Michalis, took part in the Resistance as member of a small group of officers who arrested the German commander, Heinrich Kraepe in 1944.
An impressive defensive Mani complex of modern times in Kardamili, Messinia, which today houses a remarkable museum for Mani. Discovered in written sources from the 17th century, are the Troupakis and Mourtzinos families, two of the most powerful generations in Mani, who for more than 200 years led the captaincy of Andruvista. Their heirs, Maria and Eleni Boukouvalea, granted the complex to the Greek State in 1967 on the condition that it becomes a Museum.
We also find it imperative that you roam the old city of Kardamili or the traditional alleys of the village. There’s nothing more mesmerizing than the feeling of becoming part of that world and its breathing backstory.
In Kardamili, everything is different! Beautifully different! Its beaches could not have been an exception. Their unique beauty and incomparable natural charm will certify the luxury of the uniqueness you will feel upon visiting them. Because choosing among them Is difficult, we provide you with certain guaranteed suggestions: Foneas beach, Delfinia beach, Kalamitsi beach and Ritsa beach.
According to ancient Greek Mythology, a few kilometers after Kardamili, on the rock island of Pefnos in Agios Dimitrios , the Dioscuri, Castor and Polydeuces, were born from an egg. They were demigods, protectors of sailors and brothers of the beautiful Helen.
That egg was the result of Zeus, who had transformed into a swan, making love with the beautiful Leda, daughter of Glafkos who also had transformed herself into a goose in order to avoid him.
Pausanias claims that in Pefnos there was a kingdom with Tyndareus as king, father of the the beautiful Helen who was queen of Sparta, of Clytemnestra and of Mycenae.
According to the description provided by Strabo, the tombs of the Dioscuri, Castor and Polydeuces, the mythical children of Leda and Zeus are carved in a rock in the area of Kardamili and are two rectangular cavities next to each other, carved in a vertical rock.
Once you’ve visited Mani and specifically Kardamili, do not forget to try flavors that will take you to a gastronomic paradise.
Lalagia from Mani, Kagianas with salted pork and Sphela cheese, open Mani cheese pie, Sigklino and Mani sausage, spaghetti with burnt Mizithra cheese and oil, Trachanas with red sauce, traditional Gourounopoula meat, milk pie, Diples and other unique dishes and recipes that display the Greek traditional cuisine and will most certainly remain unforgettable in your memory.
Kardamyli and The Mani Greece is a blessed place. It would be a lie to claim that exploring it is an easy task in terms of the time it takes to tour and experience its beauties. However, it is worth mentioning the Diros cave, one of the finest tour choices. The cave of Diros in Mani, is one of the most important and beautiful lake caves in the world!
The tour is accomplished via boats which traverse the perimeter of the cave so that the visitor can admire each chamber individually and learns their names, attributed to the individuals who discovered the cave in the first place. These names correspond to the form of the stalactites and stalagmite formations and natural colors of each room. In addition to the lake section, there is a second route that covers the land section of the cave.
It is one of the most prominent caves in the world with profound impact abroad, as hundreds of thousands of visitors visit it every year.
Palataki Kardamyli
