Wednesday 5th June 2019
Ancient Messene was the target of our interest today to visit the archaeological ruins of the large classical city-state founded around 370BC.
The route took us 62km north on some of the roads we intend to use when we leave Camping Koroni so it was nice to be able to check their suitability.
Although there is seldom a straight piece of road there should be no problem towing the caravan.
The final twelve or so kilometres were almost all uphill on hairpin bended roads and the views became better and better.
On arrival at the site we parked up in a nice shady spot as the temperatures under the hot sun were increasing rapidly.
Armed with our cameras we made our way to the ticket office at the entry gate. Admittance €12 each for under 65s.
Bugger, three weeks too soon. 🙂
We checked out the layout and started our own self-guided tour.
The first place we stumbled upon was the Theatre of Messene, one of the largest in antiquity.
The remains of the Theatre Quarters behind have well preserved mosaic floors.
Continuing our wander around we studied the information boards and the remains of ancient structures and I glanced many more complete remains further down. The Gymnasium & Stadium
The remains of these structures do give a hint of the grandeur the place once had.
The entrance to the Gymnasium is a good example.
Walking around the stadium seating Kim naturally found herself in the correct seat 🙂
Walking back up toward the entrance we came across the Ekklesiasterion which was used for cult performances and political gatherings. It is a small theatre of 11 rows of stone seats and well preserved.
All the money was hidden here in The Treasury House. This was a subterranean chamber made of rectangular stones fastened together with iron dowels and lead.
The are many more structures to see that I haven’t included and the site was a far more pleasurable place to visit than I found Olympia to be.
We concluded our visit by driving back up the road to the small Museum.
Our archaeology all topped up, we retired to a nearby restaurant for lunch.
A beer each, and a surprisingly meat free choice of dishes to share. Oh, and a fantastic view!:)
