Hello steem people :D!!!

Today I will take you on a beautiful trip with me to a place of magnificent beauty and of great historical importance!  

Where are we going?

Nafplio a place of, as I just said, divine beauty but also a big, all year arround touristical destination!!! 

Not only for the Peloponnese residents but the Athenians as well!!! 

Especially in the 60's, it was a touristical magnet for the wealthy Athenians that found in Nafplio - a couple of hours drive from their residence - a luxurious holiday destination!

Some of the best films of the time were located in Nafplio. One of them, with the very famous Greek actress Elena Nathanael and German Tomas Frits that had remarkable world success!

 "Apollo Goes on Holiday" 

The decade of the 60's, when Greece, thanks mostly, to Aristotle Onassis, had become a very popular destination and a must, for the elite of the world travelleres! Stars, tycoons, you name it, they were all visiting Greece because it was The Hot Spot!!!  

So that created a wave of foreign tourism as well, that especially during spring and summer months, was bringing thousands and thousands of people - mostly Germans and Scandinavians  😚  ❤   - in the whole area of Nauplia!! 

A little history lesson

The seaport town of the Argolic gulf or the Acronauplia as it was called back then, at the pre-Classical times and Classical times, has walls that date back then. 

From Byzantine to Frankish times was always playing a very important part, it has been conquered and taken as well. Like in 1212 by the French crusaders and later, in 1388 was sold to the Republic of Venice.

Later surrendered to the Ottomans in 1540 but the Venetians retook the beautiful city and crowned it in 1685  the capital Morea.

Later in The 19th century was made the capital of the newly independant Greece, in 1829 by  Count Ioannis Kapodistrias. By many is considered the best politician and patriot of Greece, since the liberation of 1821. 

That was for many the reason, that he was murdered, in 9 October of 1831!!!

Nafplio nowdays, why should you visit?

The combination of so many different rulers gave a specatcular result to the architecture of Nafplio!  

The pictures will convince you I think ;)!!

The railway station in Nafplio, is one of the first in Greece and eventhough still stands, it is not in use anymore! 

Thanks to the financial crisis, it has been suspended since 2011, but still remains a big touristical attraction :)!!!

Other fortifications of the city include:  

Palamidi, a fortress that is situated at the top of a 216-metre high hill that you can see at the top of the photo bellow.

That is where Karl von Abel kept as a prisoner Theodoro Kolokotroni -shameful even to mention- the Greek general and my favourite hero of the pre-eminent leader of our war of Independance against the Ottomans (1821-1829)! 

Later he was released by Otto Kaiser himself and named General!

Bourtzi, a fortification which is located in the middle of the harbour, protection for the pirates initially and later, transformed into residence of the executioners of convicts from the castle of Palamidi.

When is the best time to go?

Well Nafplio is one of the very few places I have been that any time is a good time to visit!!! I have been there everysingle time of a calendar year and can confirm that this place can offer the best at any given time :)!!!

Here you have the best shopping places but also bars, restaurants and clubs. And after all that, if you are hungry, here, you can have some of the best dishes I have ever had (and I mean not just here in Greece but worldwide)!!!

In the picture below, you can see the famous square of  "Πλατεία Τριών Ναυάρχων" that it is named in honor of the three admirals the British Edward Codrington, the French Marie Henri Daniel Gauthier, comte de Rigny and the Russian Lodewijk Sigismund Vincent Gustaaf van Heiden. They defeated Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt at the Navarino Naval Battleship!

Why do I love it?

That love affair has started years ago :)!!!

When I used to visit with my family from a very young age! Later on, my best friend at Uni, she was from Nafplio, so one more reason to come stay here ;)!!

The last few years one of my best friends has moved here and so on ...

I do hope you really enjoyed reading my post today, since I love this place 😚!!

Until next time, stay tuned, be lovable and keep shining with a big smile on your face  ❤ ❤ ❤  !!! 

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