Kyparissia
Kyparissia, the capital of the municipality Trifylia, is the third largest city of Messenia after Kalamata and Messene. It is built at the foot of Mount Egaleo and reaches to the coast of the Ionian Sea.
It is divided in the old Ano Poli, which is a traditional preserved settlement and in Kato Poli, the modern, which reaches to the sea. The trademark of Kyparissia is its Byzantine castle , at the top of Ano Poli, which stands today as a magnificent and attracts visitors.
The new part of Kyparissia has excellent layout and has all the facilities of a modern city. It is a commercial and tourist center with the beach of Ai Lagoudis , honored by blue flag, in front of the city, with a range of accommodation, restaurants, cafes and bars that make it a good choice for holidays or trips. In Kato Poli, you will see little traditional elements, which they are concentrated, and the above, in the preserved settlement of Ano Poli.
Ano Poli began to expand outside the Castle, the first period of Ottoman rule (1460) and began to create a stunning long road with paved streets carved from stone kept up to date and in some places reaches a width of 10 meters.
Apart from the castle, in Ano Poli stand out the Square of Arcadia with tree and fountains at the entrance of the castle, the traditional houses with their characteristic wooden balconies, and the ruins of the Ottoman hamam, in the east of the castle. It is also worth a visit to the magnificent temple of the Holy Trinity.
History
The history of Kyparissia lost in the depths of prehistory. In Homeric times, it was known as “Kyparissientas” and belonged to the kingdom of Pylos, of Nestor. It was a city that flourished, and even in 199 BC minted its own currency. According to archaeological findings, the ancient Kyparissia possessed an important coastal settlement.
In the place of the ancient Acropolis was built in the Byzantine era, the castle with a tower to be called “Tower of Justinian”. Then, the Turks and Franks conquerors rebuilt the fort giving its current form.
During the Ottoman occupation, Arcadia, as it was called in the Middle Ages, Kyparissia was an important commercial center of the region and the castle staffed a garrison of 300 Algerians. In 1828, Kyparissia has been released and immediately begin restoration’s projects of the city after the devastating damage caused during 1825, Ibrahim.
Its name, Kyparissia owes in others in the many cypress trees, which exist in the region and by others in Kyparissos, the son of Minyas, king of a tribe that crossed the region in the prehistoric times.
Around and near to Kiparissia, there are some of the major attractions of the area: 8 km, near the village Raches is the archaeological site of Peristeria , in which have been vaulted tombs of the 2nd millennium BC.
At a distance of 9km is the Monastery of Katsimikada , in a lush landscape at an altitude of 450 meters. Near to Kiparissia, you will also find a huge variety of beautiful beaches in the blue waters of the Ionian Sea.
Kyparissia is 261 km from Athens, 159 km from Patra, 67 km from Kalamata and 52 km from Pylos.
