GREECE PELOPONNESE ARGOLIS NAFPLION TOWN

Picturesquely grouped around a hill rising above the northern end of the Argolic Gulf and towered by the castle of Palamidi lies the town of Nafplion (or: Nauplion, Nafplio, Navplio) with some 11.000 inhabitants. In spite of some tourists in the summer months it preserves a unique atmosphere where Byzantine, Venetian and Turkish traditions meet. Next to Monemvasia, Methoni and Koroni, Nafplion is the town that found the best preserved expression of Venetian architecture. Shops with artisan craftwork, well-assorted bookstores, cozy taverns, bars and elegant restaurants meet the wishes of any visitor.

Settled already in the Stone Age, Nafplion with its then unfortified harbour became dependant from Argos in the third century BC. Under the Roman reign of the first century AD the town was abandoned, but the Byzantines newly discovered the strategic impact of the site. The Venetians then conquered the castle in 1246 AD, but only in 1377 AD the whole of the municipal region was consigned.

In 1540 Nafplion fell into the hands of the Turkish, who had to hand it over to the Venetian commander Morosini in 1686. In 1750 again Turkish, Nafplion was from 1828 until 1834 the first capital of modern Greece. In 1828 Nafplion became the seat of the Greek government under the chairmanship of gouvernor Kapodistrias. In 1833 the new king of Greece, Otto of Bavaria, arrived in Nafplion, and one year later transferred the capital to Athens. - Meanwhile Nafplion is to me one of the most charming towns in Greece (in fact my number one), full of placid beauty, even if in the high season cruise liners stop there for a day.