Explore Stoupa

A place made of dreams

The municipal of West Mani is located at the foot of Taygetos and at the middle foot of Peloponnese.

The location’s natural landscape combined with its history and tradition, described the region and its people through the difficult adventure of our nation over the centuries. Indeed, it is placed next to other areas which were symbols of Greece such as Crete, Epirus, Macedonia and elsewhere in Greece.

Another beauty of our local area is its crystal clear beaches, which are combine sand and pebble. Some of them are: the Ritsa, the Kalamitsi, the Foneas, the Kalogria, the Stoupa, the Delphinia, the Pantazi etc.

Each visitor is pleasantly surprised and impressed by the fast rotation of the landscape such as cliffs, caves and gorges, on the other hand, the Olive Grove, the beaches, the bays and the small islands. Something special in the local area is the castle of Stoupa, the mines of Kazantzaki at Prastova, the towers of the old Kardamilis, the port of St. Nikolas, the cobbled roads, the bridges and Byzantine churches that can be found in every corner of the area.

EXPLORE STOUPA

ABOUT STOUPA

Stoupa is a village near the sea, which combine the mountains and sea. It is built under the shadow of Taygetou, just 45km east from the city of Kalamata. It is a proper destination for both winter and summer vacations.

It is named by the stoupia which are the fibers of flax that the locals collects and put them inside the sea in order to soften them to process them more easily.

The changing landscape will enchant you. The towering Taygetos, the traditional architecture of Mani, the bays, the Byzantine churches, the caves, the traditional villages with cobbled streets and beautifully stunning sandy beaches make a beautiful scene that charms every visitor. Of course the stunning scenery of Stoupa and the region is not devoid of history.

In 1917, the famous writer Kazantzakis lived in this area and this is where he met George Zorbas who worked in a nearby mine. Inspired by him, the novelist wrote the masterpiece “Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas’ which then became a famous movie, a ballet, and left the legacy of the most well known Greek music Syrtaki written by Theodorakis.

HOW TO REACH STOUPA

Stoupa is located 45klm from the city of Kalamata.

You can reach Kalamata either directly by plane in the summer months (KLX) or via Athens (Athens International Airport Eleutherius Venizelos)

Daily bus routes run from Athens, Patras and Thessaloniki to Kalamata

By car, the fastest way is through the new National Road Athens A8 E94 – Kalamata (around 2hrs and 15 minutes)

REGION'S HISTORY

Homer is the one who makes the first mention in particular Kardamili as one of the cities that would give dowry Agamemnon to Achilles.

On the other hand Pausanias refers to the castle of Lefktro and says that he saw there a statue of Asklepios and Ino, but also Cassandra. It also says that he saw the temple of Athena and her statue.

Beside the above, in Byzantine times the area as it was under the dominion of Mystras, led to a declaration of revolution for the release of his country, and other regions of Greece. It states that on March 21, 1821 Petrobeis Mavromichalis reached Kardamili, having sworn an oath on the holy at Areopolis to start the race, joining forces with Kolokotronis, Mourtzinos and Mani. In Kalamata came on 23 March, released and continued the fight for “Resurrection of the Nation’.