Mani: The gates of Hades takes you to the southern part of Mani, a region related to the underworld. According to the ancient belief, Cape Tainaro (at the end of the Mani peninsula) was the entrance point to Hades. The area’s geophysical topography, the arid landscape and the imposingness of the rocky cliffs contribute to the myth and create the appropriate scenery.

Tigani Castle may or may not be the famous castle of Megali Maini, the famous Frankish fortification that helped the Franks control large parts of the Peloponnese. What really impresses the visitor is the large number of cisterns. According to tradition there were 365 of them, one for each day of the year. Kita is well-known as a village-fortress where the first war towers appeared in an effort to protect the local lords and the population from the marauding Turks. Killing for honor was an integral part of Mani's daily routine, especially in Kιta but there were strict rules about which homicide was acceptable, proving that in this rugged part of Mani even murderers lived by the rules. The settlement of Vathia somehow managed to lose all of its inhabitants as a result of the isolation and the inaccessibility of the place, in addition with the "vendettas" and the assassinations of the male inhabitants.

Τhe tour ends at the temple of Poseidon in Cape Tainaro. According to the ancient tradition, this was the entrance to Hades. Poseidon was worshiped as the god of the underworld and not of the sea, while with the advent of Christianity the temple was rededicated to Archangel Michael, who took over the job of escorting the souls of the Christians to the underworld.  

To take this self-guided tour you will need the app on your iOS or Android device.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Discover the bridles on the rock at the castle of Tigani that seem to confirm the legend of the princess who jumped off the cliff with her horse.
• Search for the elegant laloudes, the white, round and smooth stones of the small beach of the bay of Gerolimenas.
• Visit Porto Cayo, site of a bloody battle between armed locals and the Bavarian soldiers of King Otto who attempted to restore order in Mani.