28 Mar Kyparissia
Kyparissia is the capital of the municipality Trifylia and the third largest town of Messenia after Kalamata and Messene. It is built at the foot of Mount Egaleo and reaches to the coast of the Ionian Sea.
It is divided into the old Ano Poli, which is a traditional preserved settlement and in Kato Poli, a modern town which reaches the sea. The trademark of Kyparissia is its Byzantine castle, at the top of Ano Poli, which stands magnificent up today and attracts visitors.
The new part of Kyparissia has excellent layout and offers all the facilities of a modern town. It is a commercial and touristic center, with the beach of Ai Lagoudis, awarded with a blue flag, in front of it and offers a range of accommodation, restaurants, cafes and bars that make it a good choice for holidays or trips.
Ano Poli began to expand outside the Castle, the first period of Ottoman rule (1460) and began to create a stunning long road with paved streets carved from stone kept up to date and in some places reaches a width of 10 meters.
Apart from the castle, in Ano Poli the visitors can see the Square of Arcadia with tree and fountains at the entrance of the castle, the traditional houses with their characteristic wooden balconies and the ruins of the Ottoman hamam, in the east of the castle. It is also worthy to visit the magnificent temple of Holy Trinity.
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Route from Ilakia to Kyparissia:
The ride is through the national road Pyrgos-Kyparissia (E55). The distance is 34 km (almost 37’).