Venetiko

At the southern edge of Messenia – opposite the Cape Akritas –there is the islet of Venetiko. This is a desert island that was formerly called Thiganousa. The coasts of the islet are all precipitous, with sharp rocks. On the northeast side of the island there is a small beach.

A small salt lake ends at the northern edge of Venetiko, which was probably created by the sources of salt production dating already from the Byzantine period. There are preserved some ruins of a complex consisting of a main building, two additions, a tower, a second building on the foreshore and a well, active until today.

The dimensions of the complex are 20 x 7m. For the construction of the buildings, local materials were used, especially a type of rock that exists on the island and has a strong lime mortar. The walls have a thickness of about 0.80 m and the core of the complex dates back to the Byzantine period, while one of its later phases of belong to the 17th-18th century.

The second building at Venetiko is on the foreshore. It has square plan with large arched openings on each side and it is covered with a small dome. It is built by the same local materials. This is probably a lighthouse or a building that had to do with the production of salt and belongs to the post-Byzantine period (17th-18th century).