Sunday 10th April 2022 - Kalamata, Greece

We are off to the big city today, Kalamata, famous for its olives and olive oil. If you have been reading this blog, you won't be surprised to know that we are going via an ancient site.

Messene (or Messini) is a major site north of Kalamata and we set off from campsite, climbing steadily as we turned inland. As we approached the site we followed two coaches as they slowly negotiated the windy roads and the narrow streets of the villages. We all turned down into the site to find the too small parking area seething with coaches - we weren't going to have this site to ourselves. We gave up trying to find a parking space and backtracked a few metres to a small parking area next to the museum. We decided to visit the museum first on the theory that, as lunchtime approached, most of the coaches would leave to take their customers to tavernas.

The museum is very small, three rooms, but we managed to avoid a small guided group who were the only other people there. The star exhibits are the beautifully carved statues and it is well worth visiting it to see them.

We grabbed a bite of lunch in the van and walked down to the site, aware of the 15:30 closing time. It was still very busy but it is a very large site and most of the visitors head for the sweet spots. We looked at the less popular areas first, moving to the other when, as predicted, the coach parties left.

The area was occupied from the old stone age through to Byzantine times but the most important time for Messene was from 800 BC to its decline in the 3rd and 4th century AD. Most of the extant remains date to the Hellenistic and Roman eras.

We were able to have a relaxed walk around the site and left just as the site was about to close. We drove a short distance further up the hill to view the ancient city walls and went through the Arcadian Gate to take a minor road down to Kalamata, giving way to a tortoise on the way. We drove down to Kalamata through beautiful scenery and round the city to the east side and Camping Fare. A fairly basic site but friendly staff and clean bathroom block and, most importantly, convenient for the city centre.

Photos: Messene museum statue of a girl named Mego (1st century BC) - wonderful carving of the folds of her dress; A herm with the head of Heracles from the Messene Gymnasium; The palaestra (wrestling area); An unusual tomb with a conical roof - it held 12 burials; Cara coming through the Arcadian Gate of Messene.