Navarino Castle: the fortress above Voidokilia

Navarino Castle stands on top of the rocky headland that closes off Voidokilia to the north, about ten kilometres from the house. It is a medieval fortress, and the way you reach it is part of what makes it memorable: no road leads to the walls; you climb on foot along a path that starts at sea level.

The climb

The path is not long, but it is steep in places and runs almost entirely over limestone, polished by countless feet and slippery where it is most worn. You need closed shoes with soles that grip: flip-flops, here, are the quickest way to ruin your day. You also need water, as there is almost no shade along the trail.

On the plus side, the climb is short enough to be within reach of anyone with a basic level of fitness, children included as long as they have the right shoes, and every bend reveals a little more of the view.

What you see from the top

Once you reach the walls, you immediately understand why a fortress was built exactly here. On one side lies Navarino Bay, the great sheltered expanse of water that shaped the naval history of this coast. On the other is Gialova Lagoon with its shallow waters, and in between the perfect arc of Voidokilia, which from up here you can see in its entirety. In the background, the open blue of the Ionian Sea.

It is one of those places where geography explains history better than any information panel: whoever controlled this headland controlled access to one of the safest natural harbours in the eastern Mediterranean.

The walls

What remains is a medieval fortification, with circuit walls and towers in varying states of preservation. It is not a castle restored and set up for visitors: it is a ruin in an extraordinary natural setting, and it should be approached with the caution that implies, staying on the accessible paths and not venturing near the edges.

How to plan the morning

The best way to enjoy it is to combine it with the sea. Leave the house early, climb while the air is still cool, stay at the top as long as you like and head down towards Voidokilia as the sun climbs higher. By then you have earned your swim, and the beach is right below.

The cave at the foot of the walls

On the slope facing Voidokilia, just below the fortress, there is a large natural cavern known as Nestor's Cave. Local tradition links it to the Homeric story, and that is the name it still bears in guidebooks and on signs. It is a wide cave, with an opening that frames the bay below: anyone climbing to the castle passes close by, and it adds just a few minutes to the walk.

As on the rest of the headland, caution is the rule: the ground is uneven and there are no barriers, so this is not the place to let children run around.

Why two castles on the same bay

What usually comes as a surprise is discovering that Navarino Bay has two castles, one at each end. This one, the medieval castle to the north, is the older, and the Greeks call it Palaiokastro, the “old castle”. At the southern end, above the town of Pylos, stands Niokastro, the “new castle”, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century.

The reason lies in geography: the bay has two entrances, and anyone who wanted to control its traffic had to guard both. Visiting both castles, perhaps on two different days, is the best way to understand why this stretch of water was fought over for centuries.

Of all the outings within ten kilometres, this is the one that best captures the essence of this corner of Messinia: sea, lagoon, stone and a very long history, all visible from a single spot.