NAVARINE BAY
You can board a small boat to admire the monuments and landscapes that adorn the Bay of Navarin. You will see the small island of Sphacteria, which closes and protects the bay from unwelcome visits. Then, the remains of an ancient fort will remind you of a bloody episode in the history of the Peloponnesus: the siege of the fortress supported for two months by 420 Spartans against the Athenians. At the end of this siege, the 292 surviving Spartans surrendered to the Athenians. You will also certainly be shown the remains of the Acropolis of Pylos and the old Frankish castle. You still have to get off the boat and climb up to the castle and its towers, which are still well preserved. Nearby, you will explore the Nestor Cave, whose many stalactites are reminiscent of animals or suspended animal skins. According to legend, this is where Nélée and Nestor kept their herds. According to other sources, this is where Hermes hid Apollo's herds of cattle after stealing them.
The bay was above all the scene of the naval battle that preceded Greece's independence. On October 20, 1827, 26 English, French and Russian ships took up position in Pylos Bay, with the objective of intimidating the Turkish Egyptian fleet that was anchored there, not attacking it. But the Ottomans fired a few cannonballs, which triggered the battle. They lost 82 ships and 6,000 men. Every year, on October 20, in Pylos, a ceremony commemorates the event.
En allant tout au bout, assez loin de Pylos, il n'y a pas grand monde.