Land of Beauty and History
It's easy to be satisfied by Athens' historic sites, but the Peloponnese has many intrinsically Greek attractions.
Land of Beauty and History
It's easy to be satisfied by Athens' historic sites, but the Peloponnese has many intrinsically Greek attractions. And don't be intimidated by student rampages in the capital at the end of last year: Athens has settled down. Corinth, the gateway to the peninsula, is less than an hour's drive away.
CorinthThe modern city pumps along; the ancient city, to the southwest of modern downtown, was leveled by the Romans. Julius Caesar rebuilt Corinth, and the excavations you see are from his time, 2,053 years ago.
Mycenae An ancient town where high-concept architecture (for its time) and gold craftwork ruled almost 4,000 years ago. No one knows for sure why Mycenae became a ghost town around 1100 B.C. The ancient city, where Agamemnon lived in myth, is little more than a mile from its modern sib. It was unearthed in 1874 by Heinrich Schliemann, a German archaeologist.
NafplionThe pretty beach town brims with shops and cafes, hotels and squares, old homes and churches on narrow streets ripe for exploring. Nafplion is a peninsula, and a promenade wraps the portion of town that juts into Argolikos Bay. The redesigned Amphitryon Hotel, a member of Leading Small Hotels of the World, has 42 seaview rooms, from about $380 to $1,250 a night (212-515-5696, www.amphitryon.gr).