Kochuli

Kochuli of Messinia is a hilly village, built at an altitude of 340 meters and belongs to the municipality of Messini. About 40 residents live Kochuli, which is 39 km away from Kalamata.

The small settlement is located to the west of the archaeological site of Ancient Messeni and near the village Zermpisia. Τhere is a small medieval castle above Kochuli and the locals call it Kastraki.

On the south side of the settlement of Kochuli, you will see the remains of the ancient quarries, formed by fragments of boulders that were carved by artisans in order to construct the walls of Ancient Messini.

The younger Kastraki was built during the Venetian rule and this is proved by the name of a place called “Bourkounezi”. The Venetians used to build such small castles for commercial purpose. The name “bourkounezi ” that has Kastraki of Kochuli, derives from the words “burkos” and “Nezis.” During the Frankish period, Burkos was the place of trade for import and supply of the castle. The word bourgiseos derives from the word burkos and means bourgeois. The second word “Nezis” is the surname of the owner of this burkos, called Nezis.