OFF THE BEATEN PATH: Authentic Greece

By Chris Robinson

In Peloponnese, the unhurried, leisurely pace of Greek life allows one writer the time to slow down and savour the sights, sounds and culture of this off-the-radar region.

I love Greece. I love the land, the people and the history. I have been visiting Athens, the mainland and the islands for many years. It’s deliciously different from anywhere else on Earth. Some special magic emerges from the quality of the light, the aromas, the food, the warmth of the people and the complex interweaving of civilizations that have laid such a rich patina over the land.

So where to go to get off the beaten path, soak up the atmosphere and best enjoy the authentic Greek experience? My last two trips to the country have provided an answer. Go to Kalamata, where the famed dark purple olives come from.

YOGURT DIP, PITA BREAD, OLIVE OIL AND KALAMATA OLIVES

Kalamata is a modest-sized town located in the far south of mainland Greece, where the peninsula of the Peloponnese slides into the Mediterranean in three long fingers. Since Homeric times, Spartan, Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian and Ottoman rule have rolled over Kalamata before it became the first Greek city liberated in the Greek War of Independence. Here, and in the immediate countryside roundabout, it is possible to enjoy the true Greek experience without the throngs.

LOCAL SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS IN A SMALL PELOPONNESE TOWN

I stayed at a modest inn fronting the fishing harbour, in a room overlooking the Messenian Gulf. The sounds of seabirds blended with the surrounding local bustle. Warm Aegean breezes wafted through rustling palm trees all around. Leaving transatlantic travel schedules behind, my days quickly adopted the more sedate, almost soporific, pace of local life. Beside the fishing boats, I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of Greek yogurt, honey and fresh fruit. Strolls along the waterfront promenade followed, punctuated by leisurely stops for coffee and local pastries. The local markets overflowed with fresh produce, colour and loud neighbourly greetings. Everyone knows everyone else here, and after a couple of visits, I felt like I was part of the community, too.

As the sun sinks lower across the bay, locals emerge from afternoon naps and the streets become vibrant. Greeks must be among the most sociable people on the planet. It is a delight to mingle with the evening seafront promenade. Each generation has its own style and the human currents ebb and flow throughout the warm, scented evening. Dinner is taken late – very late – and often stretches into the midnight hour as bright stars augment the harbour lights, and the local wines flow freely.

THE STADIUM IN WHAT REMAINS OF ANCIENT MESSENE

There are more day trips and wanderings within easy reach of Kalamata. The magnificent Crusader Age castles of Pylos and Methoni to the west of the town are dramatic and imposing.

FORTIFIED METHONI CASTLE IN MESSENIA

It would be easy to sink gently into this seductive way of life as the days melt into weeks. But there are wondrous sights nearby, and I was persuaded by some close Greek- Canadian friends to rent a car and explore. The vivid history of Ancient Messene is just 25 kilometres to the north. I wandered amongst ruins of civic buildings, marketplaces, temples, theatre and the impressive stadium – all scattered about a green hillside studded with olive trees. The echoes of Bronze Age warriors, Spartans, Macedonians and Messenians permeated the stones and I was free to roam as I pleased. Best of all, there were only half a dozen other visitors during my visit, so I was able to lose myself in time and space.

RUINS OF OLD TOWN IN MYSTRAS

Over the mountains to the east of Kalamata lies Mystras – another little-known treasure of the currents of history. This evocative collection of medieval buildings, overlooking Sparta on the flanks of Mount Taygetos, was the unlikely site of a last great artistic flowering of the Byzantine Empire. I started atop the great walled citadel of the Upper City with its views of snow-capped mountains. Walking down from there, cobbled streets led to an exquisite mix of churches, convents and palaces scattered across the slopes below. Inside the churches, colourful icons and dramatic frescoes evoked the creative pulse of the final days of the empire – vivid reminders of the reign of the last Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos, who was killed as Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453. Again, I was often able to soak up the ambience of this UNESCO World Heritage Site virtually alone, save for the chirruping of the omnipresent cicadas.

WILDFLOWERS, METHONI CASTLE

© CHRIS ROBINSON

There are more day trips and wanderings within easy reach of Kalamata. The magnificent Crusader Age castles of Pylos and Methoni to the west of the town are dramatic and imposing. Rambling around the ramparts and turrets, I often found myself staring down precipitous walls to the thunderous surf below with no barriers to impede me or my imagination. Inside the vast curtain walls, waving fields of wildflowers added natural beauty to my visit.

URESQUE COASTAL TOWN OF PYLOS, PELOPONNESE

I followed narrow, switchback roads and trails to tiny stone villages perched on the mountainsides above Kalamata. The scents of the mountain herbs and wildflowers were all-pervasive in the summer haze. Sitting under a vinedraped pergola, a final unplanned lunch at a tiny taverna provided a wonderful exclamation point to my visit. My wife and I were the only guests. Over a long and leisurely meal of abundant village produce, we met the owner and his wife and played with their three young children. We were greeted by every passing villager. We took in a view that encompassed the turquoise Messenian Gulf as well as Kalamata far below. We sipped the local red wine. We took deep breaths. We were content to the verge of tears. And yes, we savoured a few more of those plump black olives from Kalamata.