The main tourist area is the Syntagma or Constitution Square, which is an arena that is closed off to cars. It is paved in marble and surrounded by historical buildings. I saw a building that looked like a mosque there, and upon asking, found out is was a mosque left over from the times of the Ottomans. Some very popular cafes, and shops are in the area. The streets are colorful and well lit, filled with people casually strolling. We also had some glorious food.

Hands down, Greek food is one of my favorites (better than Korean, Cambodian, Pakistani/Indian or Turkish). The only thing that comes close to Greek food is Sri Lankan food, which I found to be a delightfully fresh cuisine, and not as oily as its South Asian counterparts.  And food was not complete without Greek desserts. I wasn't a big fan as these are too oily and sweet. They were a lot like Turkish desserts like baklava.

Our next stop was the Palamidi Forestes, one of the two fortresses in the city. The Venetians and the Franks had transformed this part into one of the town fortifications. One of the fortifications of the city include the Palamidi, which is located in the middle of the harbour. To reach the top of the fortress there are over one thousand steps. Locals in the town of Nafplion will say there are 999 steps to the top of the castle, and specials can be found on menus that incorporate this number to catch a tourist's eye. An advice is to bring some extra water bottles as getting up some 900 or so steps is no easy task. Take breaks and enjoy the view.

The hill of Palamidi takes its name from the Homeric hero Palamidis and it was only later that it be came a part of Nafplio. In fact, ​​Nafplio was first captured by the Venetians in 1470. During this period, the Venetians strengthened  the castle of Akronafplia without Palamidi. Then, in 1540, Nafplion was captured by the Turks. It was then that for the first time, Palamidi was strategically exploited, although still inadvertent, by the Vizier Kasim Pasha, who during the three-year siege of Nafplion devised the city from there. The Venetians returned in 1686 and under Morozini they regained the area, and after a fierce battle to occupy the Palamidi Hill.  The Venetians then realized the strategic importance of many Greek ports, including Nafplion, and valued the location of the Palamidi rock, which naturally protected the entrance of the Argolic Gulf. 

The fortress commands an impressive view over the Argolic Gulf, the city of Náfplio and the surrounding country. 

The view on top of the fortress is amazing and the weather was divine. Imagine that Greek kings and queens lived here!

From there, we had to ascend on the mountain called Parnassus. Nestled amidst the pine forested slopes were the well-preserved ruins of Delphi. Delphi was best known as the supreme oracle site of the ancient Mediterranean world. There, we visited the Temple of Apollo, situated at the foot of Mount Parnassos, the highest peak in Greece after Mount Olympos. This Temple of Apollo which is at Delphi dates from the 4th century BC. This temple was also of the Doric order and had 6 columns at the front, and 15 columns at the flanks.

Another site at Delphi was the omphalos which is a religious stone artifact, or baetylus. It literally means center or navel of the world. According to Greek lore, Zeus sent two eagles across the world to meet at its center, the "navel" of the world. The Omphalos stones marking the centre were erected in several places about the Mediterranean Sea; the most famous of those was at Delphi.

We also visited a spot which is where it is said that Aesop was thrown to his death. Aesop had journeyed to Delphi, where he angered the citizens by telling insulting fables, and was sentenced to death

In the afternoon, we also visited the 11th century Monastery of Ossios Loukas, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and saw the exquisite mosaics. The monastery is situated at a scenic site on the slopes of Mount Helicon and was founded in the early 10th century AD by the hermit, Venerable St. Luke, whose relics are kept in the monastery to this day. The hermit was famous for having predicted the conquest of Crete by Emperor Romanos. It is a greek orthodox chiurch and has a lot of eastern vibes.

Within this same area was the theater of Corinth which dates back to the late 5th c. B.C. It included fixed seats and a wooden stage. In the early 1st c. A.D., the gradient of the seats became steeper and a covered stoa (a walkway) was added to its upper part. During late Antiquity, theatrical aesthetics changed and the theater orchestra became a gladiators’ area.

We also saw the remains of the Roman temple attributed to Octavia, who was the sister of Augustus (1st century BCE). The temple was enclosed with Corinthian columns and built on a podium surrounded by stoas.


The ancient ruins of Corinth also include the Fountain of Peirene. The fountain is named for Peirene, a woman who wept so hard when she lost her son that she finally dissolved into the spring that still flows here. The first indications alluding to its use date back to the Neolithic period, while the first spatial configuration dates to the geometric and archaic period.

Peirene Fountain was an elaborate structure that served as a meeting place for Corinthians. The
arched openings led to bowls carved in the rock where water was collected.


Within the ruins was the Lechaion Road that once stretched from Corinth to the port Lechaion, hence its name. This ancient avenue devised out of 8 yards slabs of limestone made an effective means of transportation for all the citizens of Corinth.


Along the road is also the Bema of Saint Pail, who is also known as the Apostle of the Nations because of his missionary journeys throughout the eastern Mediterranean for the dissemination of Christianity. In this context he visited several Greek cities, including the island of Samothrace, Philippi, Thessalonica and Veroia in Macedonia, Athens and, most importantly, Corinth. Corinth, a Roman imperial colony and capital of the province of Achaea (Peloponnese and Central Greece), experienced a period of great prosperity during the Roman era. Saint Paul arrived in the city in the mid-1st c. A.D. and took up lodging and work with the Jewish tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla. At the same time, he reasoned and preached the Gospel to the Jews of the city, being confronted, however, with strong opposition from several members of the city’s large Jewish community. During Paul's stay in Corinth, he was brought for judgment before the proconsul Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus, also known as Gallio, on the accusation of conducting illegal teachings. Gallio, however, refused to judge what he considered to be a mere religious dispute among the Jews. According to tradition, the site of Paul's trial was the Bema, a large elevated rostrum standing prominently in the centre of the Roman Forum of ancient Corinth and from where the city's officials addressed the public. Probably because of the monument's connection to Saint Paul, the Bema was transformed into a Christian church during the Byzantine period.

Finally, after visiting the main site, we went to the Archaeological Museum of Corinth, which was small but where we saw this famous Sphinx from a funerary monument. Traces of painted decoration are preserved on the torso and the wings. Corinthian product, dated to the middle of the 6th century B.C.

Below the Acropolis is the theater of Herod Atticus built by Herodes Atticus in 161 AD in memory of his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla. It was originally a steep-sloped theater with a three-story stone front wall and a wooden roof made of expensive, cedar of Lebanon timber. It was used as a venue for music concerts with a capacity of 5,000. It lasted intact until it was destroyed and left in ruins by the Heruli in 267 AD.

At the western end of the Acropolis is the Propylaea. In 437 BC, Mnesicles started building the Propylaea as a monumental gate of the Acropolis with Doric columns of Pentelic marble, partly built upon the old propylaea of Peisistratos. They were built under the general direction of the Athenian leader Pericles.They are on the west side of the hill, where the gate of the Mycenaean fortification once stood.

At the top of the acropolis, from the back side, you can also see the temple of Thission or Hephaistos. This temple is Doric, peripteral, with a pronaos and opisthodomos. The temple was dedicated to two gods, Hephaistos and Athena The temple is infact known as the Thission and was supposedly named for Theseus because his exploits were shown on the frieze. It is now believed that it was actually a temple to Hephaestos and Athena. Unfortunately they realized their mistake too late and the entire neighborhood is called Thission. The temple was used as a Church, dedicated to Saint George, known as Saint George the Lazy because it was only open one day of the year.