The towers of Vathia

70 tower houses, 4 churches and 2 battle towers; the entire settlement of Vathia is a study in Maniot architecture. And on top of that, the sunset from the village is breath-taking!

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When you arrive in Mani, Vathia and its towers are the first thing you encounter. It's an awe-inspiring site. There’s no need to exhaust yourself going up to the top of the village to get the best view; the best place for photos is on the plateau, on the third bend in the road after you leave the village heading south. People say that the sunset from here is one of the most beautiful sights in Greece!

70 tower houses, 4 churches and 2 battle towers. Most of them belonged to the Michalakis, Lagoudis, Kallidonis and Karabatis families and were built between 1840-1900. After then they were gradually abandoned because of an ongoing feud that lasted for 40 years and left 100 people dead, something that the English colonel William Leake commented on when describing his travels in the Mani.

They say that in the 19th century, when Vathia was at its most prosperous, around 300 people lived here. How did they make a living, you might ask? Officially, by keeping livestock and growing olives. Unofficially, they earned their living from piracy.

In 1975, on the initiative of the then Minister of Culture Tzanis Tzanetakis, Vathia was recognized as a Listed Settlement. The Greek Tourist Board renovated some of the tower houses by creating 6 hostels with a capacity of 40 beds. Those who were lucky enough to stay there remember a special atmosphere: Definitely unique and a little... scary - especially if you decided to leave your tower at night to walk around the surrounding ruins in the moonlight.

Unfortunately, the EOT plan did not develop as expected. Gradually the hostels passed to their original owners, or were abandoned. Today, some of them operate as accommodation facilities.

Vathia is 2 km from the sea, 30 km from Areopoli and about 100 km from Sparta.

Walks around Vathia
The landscape around Vathia is barren but fascinating with rocky outcrops and wonderful sea views.  You can walk to Kyparissos and ancient Kainipolis. Further south, near Tainaro and the settlements of Marmari, Porto Kayio and Agriokambi, grassy paths lead to small villages which remain untouched by development. Undoubtedly the most interesting route will take you to Cape Matapan (Αkrotainaro) where you can see the famous stone lighthouse. 

Location

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