MOUNTAINOUS NAFPAKTIA

Orini Nafpaktia is situated in

Aitoloakarnania perfecture. There

are about 50 villages in almost 9

mountains. Most villages are very traditional and

picturesque and people are very

hospitable. A lot of people travel to

Orini Nafpaktia for winter tourism.

*orini means mountainous

ANO HORA Ano Hora is one of the

most known and popular villages in Orini Nafpaktia and a lot of people visit it at all seasons, but especially in winter because there is a lot of snow. It is a very beautiful village that has kept its traditional colour. There are a lot of cultural events; the most popular one is the “Chestnuts Festival” in October where people eat chestnuts, pies and drink tsipouro in the central square.

AMPELAKIOTISSA Ampelakiotissa is another

village of Orini Nafpaktia with many colourful flowers and high trees. In Ampelakiotissa there is also a very high peak, the peak of Ai-Leas. A lot of people used to live there in the past but a few people live there now. Near Ampelakiotissa there is the beautiful creek “Kotsalos”where everybody can go fishing.

ELATOU Elatou means the

“fir tree place” and until 1928 it had a Slavic name.

It is built like an amphitheatre.

It is built near the mountain “Kerasovouni”.

A lot of people used to live in Elatou in the past but a few live there nowadays.

Elatou is famous for its wonderful view.

KRYONERIA

The village Kryoneria has rare natural beauty. There are high fir trees and chestnuts everywhere.

If you are lucky you can see one of the 9 species of wild orchids, a rare type of tulip and a variety of mushrooms.

There are also golden eagles, vultures and a rare species of woodpecker.

There are packs of wolves , wild boars, deer and a couple of brown bears as well.

Nafpaktos is a town with long history and a great fortification which starts from the port and continues with four more lines of defence walls.Nafpaktos is said to have its name from the words “nafs” (the ancient greek word for ship) and “pignymi” (an ancient greek verb that means “to make ships”) .Its history appears in 1104 BC with the Dorians (an ancient greek tribe) who used to make rafts to sail from Middle Greece to the Peloponnese.

THE HISTORY OF NAFPAKTOS

Nafpaktos was an important city of Byzantium, as it was the most important port for trade and travellers to Italy and Constantinople. The fort was repaired plenty of times during the years and the city suffered a lot of natural disasters such as earthquakes, diseases and attacks. At the time of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus it became the capital of the fifth issue of Europe (Greece). Nafpaktos was under the Venetian rule for many years. Venetians called the town “Lepanto”, a name that a few people still use. The Ottomans conquered Nafpaktos in 1499. 

BYZANTIUM AND MEDIEVAL TIMES

The battle of Lepanto was one of the most important battles. The battle took place in 7 October 1571. The fleet of the Holy League (Spain,Venice, Genoa, etc) managed to win and destroy the main fleet of the Ottoman Empire. This meant that the Ottomans couldn’t go farther and conquer more European countries.The famous writer Miguel de Thervades took part in the Battle of Lepanto, where he lost his left hand.The great victory of the Christians against the Turks was a landmark in the history of Europe.  

THE BATTLE OF LEPANTO.

In 1821 people of Nafpaktos took part in the Greek Revolution against the Turks. On 18 April 1829 Nafpaktos was free from the Turks, when Andreas Miaoulis excluded the port city and forced the Turks to give up the fort. A few Greeks families continued living in Nafpaktos.

LATEST YEARS

The most important sights of Nafpaktos is the medieval castle and its beautiful medieval port which is the basic landmark of the town. You can also visit the old family mansion “Botsari” which has turned into a private museum .Other things you may admire are the traditional houses in the city center and the small stone paths in Stenopazaro and uphill to the castle. Of course you can always see the nearby Rion-Antirrion Bridge.

THE SIGHTS OF NAFPAKTOS

RIO-ANTIRIO BRIDGE

The construction of the Rion – Antirrion Bridge started in July 1998 and finished on 21 May 2004. The opening day was 7 August 2004, a week before the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

The Bridge is 2880m long and 28m wide. It has four huge pylons 25 to 45m above the sea. On the bridge there are two vehicle lanes on each direction and a walkway. It has the world’s second longest cable-supported deck (2252m).

Rion – Antirrion Bridge is considered to be a masterpiece, because of the difficulties in the construction. The water is deep (it reaches 65m) and the seismic activity is intense in this area. For these reasons, special construction techniques were applied.The bridge improves considerably the access to and from the Peloponnese. Walking the bridge is a great experience. 

RIO-ANTIRIO BRIDGE