Strolling along the promenade
There is no better place in Nafplio to sense the lazy atmosphere of Sunday morning than the promenade. People stroll calm along the promenade lined with lush palm trees, not needing to go anywhere. They are chatting, walking the dog or just lost in thought. On large terraces along the promenade, Greeks enjoy their Sunday breakfast. They watch the shuttle boat take a handful of tourists to Fort Bourtzi, located on an islet just off the coast.
Syntagma Square
Syntagma Square is the beating heart of Nafplio’s old town. From the square, visitors are pumped around the narrow streets of the historic centre, only to return automatically after a while. The square is still quietly dozing in the sun on Sunday morning. Two little boys are looking with interest at the first street vendor, who is displaying his colourful plastic toys. When we return for a drink after an hour of wandering through Nafplio, Syntagma Square is already a lot livelier.
Wandering through the streets
The streets of Nafplio are lovely, with varied facades in soft colours and criss-crossing balconies. Every side street invites an admiring glance. At first glance, the streets are comfortably flat and run orderly straight. Until a side street turns out to be a long steep staircase leading uphill. It runs straight up the slope on which the Akronafplia fortress stands.
Church of Agios Georgios
Right through the crack of an alley, a slender church tower beckons. It is the church of Agios Georgios. The Sunday service has just ended and two Greek Orthodox priests are talking with some churchgoers in front of the church.
Akronafplia
There should be a lift to get to the Akronafplia. But nowhere in the old centre of Nafplio do we find any indication of its existence. With Google Maps on the phone we quickly find the entrance to the lift, at Psaromachala Square. The deserted subterranean corridor with three lift doors at the end looks ominous. One of the lifts works and drops us off safely at the top.
Don’t expect an imposing historical fortress on the Akronafplia. The top of the rock is dominated by the modern 5-star Nafplia Palace hotel. Efforts have been made to give the hotel the appearance of a robust fortress, but it more resembles a clinical mausoleum. The place to be on the Akronafplia is a little further on. There are the scattered remains of the old fortress walls and stands a jaunty bell tower on the edge of the cliff. Unfortunately, the tower is disfigured by graffiti and electricity cables. Most of all you have great views here, over the historic centre and the harbour of Nafplio.
Palamidi
Nafplio does have an impressive old fortress, that is Palamidi. It is a little further from the centre and a lot higher up on the rocks. We drive there by car, but there is hardly any parking space. In places where the verge is wide enough for a car, it is full. It’s not going to happen. We take it as a sign that it’s time to go to the beach.
Practical information
- The Discover Nafplio website provides extensive information on sights and activities in the city. You can find anything from practical information such as opening times to interesting historical backgrounds.
- The quay of the port of Nafplio is a huge asphalt plain. Ugly, but terribly convenient as a parking area for visitors.
