Voidokilia beach
Voidokilia Beach is a popular beach in Messinia in the Mediterranean area. In the shape of the Greek letter omega (Ω), its sand forms a semicircular strip of dunes. The land facing side of the strip of dunes is Gialova Lagoon an important bird habitat. The beach has been named “A Place of Particular Natural Beauty” and is part of a Natura 2000 protected area. The beaches was voted one of the top ten beaches in the world by the New York Times in 2010.
Above the beach is Nestor’s Cave and above this are the ruins of thirteenth-century Frankish castle (Old Navarino or Palaiokastro). The beach is presumed to be Homer’s “sandy Pylos” where Telemachus was welcomed by King Nestor when searching for his father, Odysseus. According to myth, Nestor’s Cave is where Hermes hid the cattle stolen from Apollo.
