Areopoli, the capital of Mani
After Sparta and the area around it, we traveled south and in less than an hour we were at Areopoli, the capital of Mani region and one of the most charming small towns in Greece. In an arid and harsh region, it flourished a charming architectural style, using, with the best possible way, the only thing that could be found in abundance, stones!
Of course nowadays no-one builds with the traditional way, they just imitate the style and make concrete buildings with stone cladding but at least that way the new buildings are less disturbing to the eye!
Kapetanakos tower, built in 1865, is an excellent example of that traditional building. I hadn't the chance to get inside but you can see in the pictures above what I am talking about. Now it operates as a hotel as it has been touched by the magic wand of the tourism fairy along with the rest of the town.
As the dusk comes and the first lights of the streets turn on, all the historical centre is transformed into a big, dreamy bar. Every narrow cobblestone street, every alley, every free space between the buildings, is the stage for the night life of the town. After a long day in the nearby beaches or driving around the numerous attractions of the area, all the visitors will make a walk among the stone walls and grab a nightcap before they hit the bed and rest for the next amazing day :)
I took those pictures on 16/07/2011, when I was working as a photographer for a travel magazine. A job that allowed me to travel all over Greece and see all the places I ever wanted to see and some more that I never imagined I would be interested in (but I enjoyed them anyway).
Thank you for reading and if you want to know more about me you can check out my introduction post.
Commenting, upvoting and rebloging are highly appreciated!
Majestic antiquity. Cozy interiors. It's good to spend evenings there.
I am glad you liked it!
Thank you for stopping by @avada :)
It is such a shame that we do not build buildings in this style anymore. There are a few remnants of this style in my country, but most of it is modern and not very pleasing to the eye.
Thank you so much for sharing these stunning photographs!
Thank you, I am glad you liked them!
The truth is that there are so few craftsmen who know how to built a stone house that it is practically impossible to find one, let alone a whole crew. And many people that want a stone house and even pay for one, they end up with a building made of cement and a lot of stones, nothing like the stone built houses of the past!
Everything related to craft that humans spent thousands of years cultivating is slowly being killed off by big corporations, capitalism, and consumerism. It is so sad to see. The art of baking with sourdough, in my field of expertise, a trade passed on to bakers, is lost due to the packets of yeast you can cheaply buy. I worked in a couple of bakeries, and people expect sourdough baking to be the same as "normal baking". Artisans are not merely created they are shaped and moulded from generation to generation. And we are slowly seeing every craft being destroyed.
The same with the builders as you said. Even if people can pay, the art is slowly being lost. Such a shame. Sorry for the depressed nature of the comment!
You are totally right. And what people don't seem to understand is that all those crafts, all that knowledge is freedom and the loss of it, is gradually leading mankind in a new form of slavery.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me and don't worry, sometimes I am having even more depressing thoughts on my own :)
Thank you for stating this! What a wonderful thought. And so true, I do not think people know in how deep a slavery-hole we are in. Our logistic system runs on a paper-thin margin of error, with one hiccup causing a ripple effect people will not cope with. Even skills and knowledge such as what wild foods to eat is long gone with the general public.
I feel like having a cocktail at one of those bars. I'll sit on the stone sofas and order two or three extra cushions.
Beautiful architecture. 😍
I can picture that easily! You would probably fit perfectly in the scenery :)
😁 Haha... some pictures wouldn't be bad. I hate being photographed though.
Ωραία να είσαι φωτογράφος, μπαίνεις όπου θέλεις και φωτογραφίζεις ότι σου αρέσει χωρίς να σου λένε ότι δεν μπορείς 🤭. Πάντα έχω ακούσει τη μαμά μου να λέει ότι οι Μανιάτες είναι λίγο τρελοί και επικίνδυνοι άνθρωποι, δεν ξέρω αν εννοεί αυτή τη Μάνη ή αν υπάρχει άλλη πόλη με το ίδιο όνομα αλλά σε άλλο μέρος της Ελλάδας χαχαχα 🤔🤣🤣
Η Μάνη είναι μια μεγάλη περιοχή της Πελοποννήσου που περιλαμβάνει πολλές πόλεις και χωριά. Οι Μανιάτες μαζί με τους Κρητικούς θεωρούνταν από τους ποιο άγριους Έλληνες. Χαρακτηριστικό της αγριότητάς τους είναι αυτό το επεισόδειο, το 1906. Τωρά πια όμως όλα αυτά έχουν ξεφτίσει και ειδικά στις τουριστικές περιοχές δεν θα δεις καμιά διαφορά στους ανθρώπους.
😲 😬, μακελειό 😳, δεν γνώριζα αυτή την ιστορία, με αυτή την ιστορία δεν αμφιβάλλω ότι οι Μανιάτες και οι Κρητικοί είναι οι πιο άγριοι Έλληνες 😬😂😂😂, πάλι καλά που δεν πέθανε κανένας. Λες εσύ ότι τώρα δεν βλέπεις διαφορά μεταξύ στους Έλληνες, όταν είναι ήρεμοι βέβαια χαχαχα, άμα αγριέψουν όμως ξυπνάει το ADN 🧬 τους 😂😂😂😂, το αίμα δεν γίνεται νερό 😬🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ναι πραγματικό μακελειό και είχε και 3 νεκρούς.
Εντάξει μπορεί ακόμα να ακούσεις ότι κάποιοι τσακωθήκαν στο καφενείο ενός χωριού και πήγε ο ένας σπίτι του να φέρει το όπλο για να σκοτώσει τον άλλον, αλλά πολύ σπάνια, δεν είναι κάτι συνηθισμένο ούτε χαρακτηριστικό των ανθρώπων σήμερα.
Τρομερό 😕
Πάλι καλά που είναι σπάνια να δεις τέτοια πράγματα τώρα στην Ελλάδα, χαίρομαι να ακούω αυτό.
Ναι ρε, μην φοβάσαι!
Μπορείς να έρθεις διακοπές και στην Κρήτη και στη Μάνη και όπου αλλού θες :)
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 μπα, δεν με φοβίζει καθόλου αυτό, εδώ έχουμε συνηθίσει σε χειρότερα πράγματα 🥴😬🤭🤭🤷🏻♀️
Σε ευχαριστώ πολύ για την πρόσκληση χεχεχε 😃😁, δεν γνωρίζω ούτε την Μάνη ούτε την Κρήτη 😕