Sunday 4th May 2008

Githio is the gateway to area of the Peloponnese known as the Mani and this was our destination. The region is isolated, wild and barren, wind blasts the mountains removing what little soil has formed and in the Summer the land is baked by the fierce sun leaving bare rock, brown vegetation and vicious scrub. Very little grows in the Mani due to the almost total lack of water and even the Olive trees, renown for their resistance to drought, are stunted. Even in living memory the Mani was only accessible by mule and was certainly not a place for casual visitors.
The area was occupied in Neolithic times, as demonstrated by cave paintings in the famous Dirou Caves, and both the Phonecians and Mycenaens had outposts here. Needless to say, being surrounded by sea, it held a strategic position overlooking sea routes. However it is likely that the modern population descended from Dorian and Spartan settlers and the tough Spartans would certainly have been well suited to this harsh environment. The lack of water and arable land meant that living was extremely hard and this lead to the development of a feudal culture with constant inter-clan conflict. These conflicts developed and deepened over many generations and vendettas were very common. The clans built towers within their villages in order to demonstrate their power and defend themselves from their enemies. These were often very close to them and towers were sometimes within metres on each other. Each family wanted to have the highest tower so that they were able to look down on the other towers. The conflicts lead to continuous fighting and guns and even canon were fired at the other towers. Etiquettes were observed during the fighting – women were respected and would not be attacked, to the point that the women would obtain supplies such as ammunition and gunpowder and bring them into the towers without danger of being killed. They were a very religious community but this would not would not stop them blowing up a chapel if they thought that one of their enemies was inside. It was therefore dangerous for men to go to church and the wealthier families would build a wall around their towers and include a chapel within the compound. Unlike the rest of Greece, there are very few large churches in the Mani but small chapels proliferate, some dating back to the 6th Century.
There was simply not enough land to support the population and this not only lead to the internal conflicts but also meant that they sought other ways of making a living. Slave trading and piracy were favourites and the seas in the area were notoriously unsafe. The Mani was also a great source of mercenaries willing to fight for any cause as long as the price was right. Even to this day, a high proportion of the Maniots are in the Greek Armed Forces. It is not surprising that these warlike people, with their leader Petrobey Petros Mavromichalis were amongst the first to rise up against the Turks in 1821 in the War of Independence against the Turks that lead to a free Greece.
When we first visited this area some 15 years ago, the Inner Mani (the southern and less accessible part) was very sparsely populated. The towers in the villages were largely in ruins and only old people lived in the few occupied houses, the younger people having moved away to find jobs. Now the situation has changed dramatically with many of the old towers and houses having been renovated. There are still some villages in ruins but it is only a matter of time before they too become second homes or holiday accommodation. Many new houses have been built but it is encouraging to see that they are being built in keeping, often as low towered buildings with natural stone facing. Now with mains water in the Mani, it is difficult to comprehend how hard life would have been. It becomes clearer when you see the terraced hillsides where the inhabitants desperately tried to keep enough soil to grow some crops. Now the people gather the crop of tourism as the area becomes more and more popular.
We circumnavigated the Inner Mani, lucky to be here in Spring when wild flowers abound and the vegetation is still green. Tower-strewn, grey-stoned villages were huddled against the hillsides or strung along high, seemingly inaccessible ridges and contrasted with the ever-present deep blue sea that surrounds the promontory. We drove out of the Inner Mani through Areopolis to our campsite in the Outer Mani between Stoupa and Kardamili.
Photos: The threshing floor and view from the Inner Mani village of Tsikalia; En-suite facilities in Tsikalia – the bath is concreted in next to the cistern. Pleasant, if a little public in the Summer but a little too cold in the Winter, I suspect!; Vathia from above; One of my favourite tiny Greek chapels, this one is in the Inner Mani and has a lovely carved marble doorway.