Ancient Greece is not far away. Take a daytrip to the old town of Pylos (including another Venetian Castle), Nestors Cave and Castle, Ancient Olympia and Ancient Messenia.
The ruins of this ancient old Frankish castle lie 5km west of Pylos on a rugged Hill, a formidable natural defensive position overlooking the northern entrance to the Bay of Navarino. The road to the castle is signposted on the northern edge of the village. It crosses the narrow spit of land that separates Navarino Bay from the Giàlova Lagoon, and finishes at a car park at the southern end of the hill.
The castle was built by the Franks at the end of the 13th century and sits on the site of the acropolis of Ancient Pylos. It was occupied in 1381 by Spanish mercenaries from Navarra, after whom the bay is named. The car park is also the starting point for a track that skirts around the base of Koryphasion Hill along the Divari lagoon through the dunes to Voidokilia Beach. There is also a path up to the castle from the southern side of the beach that passes Nestor’s Cave. According to mythology, this is the cave where Hermes hid the cattle he stole from Apollo. This small cave boasts a few stalactites.
Voidokilia beach lies beneath the Old Frankish castle (Paliokastro) and the cave of King Nestor, the ancient King of Pylos. From Voidokilia beach you can pass onto the lagoon of Giàlova through a natural path to observe the lagoon’s bird life. The sheltered bay is referred to in Homer’s Odyssey and archaeologists believe it was used by King Nestor as a port in ancient times.
