Nafpaktos, with its impressive Venetian Castle

Leaving Anemokampi beach we followed the coastal road 64kms to Nafpaktos.   Fish farming is big business along this coastline and Galaxidi Marine Farm is the oldest producing mostly Sea bream, Sea Bass and Red Porgy.  For the past 25 years 95% of its production has been exported to EU countries, mainly Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Austria.

Fish Farms

Arriving at Nafpaktos, we parked up along the seafront along with 5 other motorhomes (a mix of French and German). (N38.38699 E21.82090).  From where we have parked you can just make out the Rio-Antirrio Bridge that crosses the Corinthian Gulf, linking the Peloponnese to the mainland.  Opened in 2004, it is one of the world’s longest multi-span cable-stayed bridges – 2,880 metres.  Before it was built the only way across was by ferry or driving via Athens.

Rio-Antirrio Bridge

The pretty town and sea front is lined with restaurants, bars and cafes and dominated by the Venetian Castle on the hill.  The impressive castle has 5 defensive walls, 2 of which run all the way down to the fortified harbour below.

Medieval preserved harbour walls – 2 towers flank the entrance

The first defences were designed by the Venetians, and then reinforced during the Ottoman era.  Fethiye Mosque was built immediately after the capture of the city from the Venetians in 1499 and was the city’s main mosque throughout the Ottoman period.  It is now used as an exhibition hall

Fethiye Mosque (look for the domed roof on the left of the harbour walls!)

Down at the harbour sits the statue of Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes (author of Don Quixote) who lost his left arm during the Nafpaktos’ Battle of Lepanto 1571 to defeat the Ottoman navy.  Despite this defeat, the Ottomans kept control until the Greek War of Independence.

Statue of Miguel de Cervantes

A Statue of Giorgos Anemogiannis, who took part in the Greek war of independence to liberate Nafpaktos from the Turks sits high on the harbour walls.  He is considered a national hero. Lord Byron also had links to this place.  He joined the Greek War of Independence and spent quite a bit of his life helping the Greeks break away from the Ottoman Empire and died not far from Nafpaktos, in Missolonghi.  The Greeks loved him and he too become a national hero.

Statue of Giorgos Anemogiannis

Harbour walls

It's a steep walk up to the castle and takes about 30 minutes. On the way up you see various remains of the Turkish occupation.  There are a few random stones outlining what used to be the Ottoman Baths and Turkish fountains that unfortunately no longer work.

Sideroporta – gate between the fortified district and the harbour

Bell Tower

Unfortunately, being a Monday the Castle was closed but we just fancied the walk to the top so we could admire the views.

15th century Botsaris Tower - now a museum exhibiting info about the battle of Lepanto

We got back down from the castle just as the rain storms came, so the afternoon was spent playing scrabble and reading inside Sonny (the motorhome).  The rain continued right through the night and unfortunately, the sound is amplified as it hits Sonny's roof. Despite having ear plugs in it resulted in a rough sleep for me.  Mel, on the other hand hears nothing once his ear plugs are in!

So, we are going to have a lazy morning before taking a slow drive across the bridge into the Peloponnese.

Sally x