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).
All the pictures and the words are mine.
Thank you for reading and if you want to know more about me you can check out my introduction post.
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