Experience the irresistible charm of Greece’s first capital
afplio is a city in the Peloponnese that brims with life, preserving its legends and enticing you into its mystical ambience. It was the Venetians’ ‘Naples of the East’ and the first capital of Greece. Viewed from above, Nafplio oozes romance: tile roofs, grand homes and a blue-green sea. The famous Bourtzi, Akronafplia and Palamidi castles add a sense of drama to this stunning seaport town, consisting of fortresses, neoclassical buildings, old neighbourhoods, wide sidewalks and large squares.
The enticing Museum of Worry Beads
The owner of this museum committed more than 40 years to his project (the first and only museum of its kind in the world), collecting and learning everything there is to know about worry beads. About 700 different types of ‘rosaries’ – Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, Greek and Turkish are all represented in the collection.
Visit the Venetian Gate of Nafplio
The Pyli of Xiras constituted the only entrance to the lower town from land. Indeed, if you were on the outside when it closed, that’s where you remained. Today, the outside of the gate has been restored to its original form.
The replica of Da Vinci’s Last Supper
The metropolitan church of Agios Georgios is one of the oldest churches in the city. The funerals of Palaiaon Patron Germanon, Dimitrios Ipsiliantis and Capodistrias all took place here. This is also where Otto, the first king of Greece, was crowned in the city of Nafplio. In the church’s interior, you’ll see an incredible replica of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper, painted by one of his pupils.
Admire the architecture of Nafplio’s neoclassical buildings
At the epicentre of the old town is Syntagma Square, surrounded by historic buildings – Trianon, the Archaeological Museum and the National Bank of Greece, built in the 1930s. On the nearby streets, you’ll witness the modern history of Greece starting with the Hellenic Parliament (Vouli ton Ellinon).
Further along, witness the church of Agios Spyridonas (outside of which Ioannis Capodistrias, Greece’s first prime minister, was murdered in 1831) and across from that, the only Turkish bath in town. Two other squares, Agios Georgios and Trion Navarhon, also have several interesting monuments and grand mansions worth seeing.
