The imposing fortress built by the Venetians at an elevation of 216 meters, is one of Nafplios most popular attractions.
The Peloponnese is dotted with impressivecastles, many of which are preserved in very good condition. ThePalamidiinNafpliois one of the most beautiful and best-preserved in all of Greece. You simply can’t be in thecapital of Argolis and not climb up to Palamidi to admire the city from above.
An example of Venetian fortification architecture, Palamidiis one of Nafplio’s most popular attractions. The hill on which it stands is 216 meters high and took its name from the Homeric hero Palamedes.
The fortification works appear to have begun under Francesco Morosini immediately after the Venetians’ return, but the construction of the fortress was essentially carried out during the tenure of the Venetian General Superintendent of the Fleet, Augustinos Sagredo (Agostino Sagredo), from 1711 to 1714. In 1715 it was seized by the Turks, who held it until 1822, when it passedinto Greek hands.
The engineers Giaxich and Lasalle designed a fortress based on a system of mutually supporting bastions, which are arranged in tiers along a West-East axis and are connected to each other by walls. The castle’s eight bastions in total are self-contained, so that if one of them is captured, the defense continues from the rest.
The central bastion of St. Andrew served as the command post and was the best equipped. Here stands the small chapel of St. Andrew, originally dedicated to Saint Gerard, the patron saint of the Sagredo family.
From 1962 to this day, Palamidi has been designated an archaeological site and welcomes large numbers of visitors. There is the easy way (by car) and the hard way (the infamous 999 steps) to go up to Palamidi. However you arrive, the view from there over the town and the sea is unique.
TheKolokotronis and the 999 steps
After the Revolution, Palamidi served as a prison, where in 1833 Theodoros Kolokotronis was incarcerated. Kolokotronis is linked to Palamidi even through the legend of the castle’s 999 steps. It is said that the steps were 1000, but the last one was knocked down by the horse of theOld Man of the Morea. In reality, thesteps of Palamidi are not 999, but 857.
