This is Palamidi Fortress, supposedly the best-preserved Venetian castle in Greece. It was built in just three years in the early 1700s, then captured by the Ottomans less than a year later. I guess looks aren't everything. Nafplio was a battleground for centuries and there are three different fortresses in this little town dating all the way back to 300 B.C. This is also where the hero of Greek independence defeated the Ottomans for good in 1822.This massive structure sits atop the mountain just behind town and gives a rather striking impression. Even more impressive and literally breath-taking are the steps leading up to the fortress. There are somewhere around a thousand of them- no one seems to know for sure. Aaron wanted to run up them for exercise one morning and I (reluctantly) agreed to go. We found that just walking 1,000 stairs was quite an aerobic workout! The next day we climbed them again but spent some time exploring the vast ruins and taking in the fabulous views. There are 650-foot cliffs facing the sea and you can see mountains and islands in the distance. The climb was definitely worth the views!
2 comments:
It took us abut 12 minutes to "run" the stairs to the fortress. However, it was a lot more fun to walk the stairs and take pictures along the way!
-Aaron
Looks like a good time! :)
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