Pylos

Pylos is a graceful coastal town in the south-western Peloponnese, in the region of Messenia, built in tiers around the southern edge of the Bay of Navarino. The bay is one of the finest natural harbours in the Mediterranean, a deep basin almost sealed off from the open sea by the long island of Sphacteria, and that sheltered water has shaped the town's history for thousands of years.

The town itself is compact and pleasant, arranged around a plane-shaded central square that opens onto the waterfront. Above it stands Niokastro, the "new castle" built by the Ottomans in 1573 at the southern mouth of the bay; it is well preserved, enjoyable to walk and houses a museum of underwater antiquities. Pylos is best known for the Battle of Navarino of 1827, when the combined fleets of Britain, France and Russia destroyed the Ottoman and Egyptian navy in the bay, a turning point in the Greek War of Independence commemorated by a monument in the square.

The surroundings are exceptional. A short drive north lies the Palace of Nestor, one of the best-preserved Mycenaean palaces in Greece and the legendary home of the wise king of Homer's Odyssey. Just beyond, the beach of Voidokilia forms an almost perfect circle of pale sand between the sea and the Gialova lagoon, a protected wetland rich in birdlife, with the ruined Palaiokastro (old castle) on the headland above.

Pylos rewards a stay of a couple of days. It is far quieter and more refined than the big resorts, good for swimming, walking the castles and lagoon, and eating fresh fish on the harbour. Combined with nearby Methoni and its sea-girt fortress, and with Kalamata less than an hour away, it makes an excellent base for the western Messenian coast. The harbour tavernas serve the day's catch, the pace is gentle, and the surrounding country of olive groves and quiet coves rewards those who linger a little longer than they had planned.