Akronafplia
Akronafplia is the smaller of the two rocky hills that tower over Nafplio. From Old Town, and from the coastal path, we could see an old clock tower and stone walls.
After two straight weeks of hot, sunny days, we had a cool, cloudy day. We decided it would be a good time to take a closer look.
Akronafplia was once a walled city, dating back to the Mycenaean period, around 2000 BCE. Through the centuries, an impressive castle and fortifications were built there by a succession of empires - Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian (twice), and Ottoman (twice). Much of Akronafplia was destroyed in the 19th century. Today, anyone can climb the hill and explore the ruins.
From our apartment, we walked up the paved road between the Akronafplia and Palamidi hills. We looked down at the Venetian Land Gate, the official entrance to the city of Nafplio. Here it was easy to see the different layers in the lower walls of Akronafplia - each empire built on top of the previous one. As the road wound its way up the hill, there were wonderful views of Arvanitia Beach and the 999* steps to the Palamidi Fortress. (* More about those steps later.)
The first structure we reached was a 20th century building - the Xenia Hotel, built in 1961, one of many high end hotels constructed on historic sites under a national program. Now it was abandoned, and the building was covered with grafitti and overgrown vegetation. A 15th century Venetian castle had once stood on this site, with its sweeping views of the city. It was a waste of a prime location, and a sad part of Akronafplia’s layered history.
After the Xenia was a succession of stone structures from different eras - Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian, Greek. There were some information boards in Greek and English, with too much information in a tiny font size. The time line jumped back and forth, and it wasn't clear which sections had been reconstructed. I decided to stop trying to understand the complex history and just enjoy wandering among the ruins.
At the far end of the hill was Nafplia Palace Hotel & Villas. The main hotel building looked closed, but the villas on the hillside below us were open. Other than one employee at the entrance, we didn’t see a soul. It’s billed as a five star hotel, but TripAdvisor reviewers panned it for being outdated and in disrepair….while raving about the views.
Speaking of views, the views from the top of Akronafplia (about 700 feet high) were awesome, even on a cloudy day! (Photos by Steve)
We descended Akronafplia on a long flight of old stone steps, and walked home through the charming streets of Old Town Nafplio.
Thoughts
Akronafplia is historically significant, and the views from the top are spectacular. And it’s free to the public. But it is sadly neglected, overshadowed by its more glamorous neighbor Palamidi. There was grafitti on many of those old walls, which bothered me. What do the locals think? I’d like to learn more.
When I started writing this post, I vacillated on which spelling to use. The Greek name is “Ακροναυπλία.” Does that transcribe to Akronafplia, Acronauplia, or Acronafplia? All three spellings are widely used. Both ChatGPT and Gemini gave me conflicting (and sometimes outright wrong) information. I decided to stop worrying and just use the spelling I like best.
