Argos was famous in antiquity for its two citadels. The Greek word aspis means "shield," which is what the Argives thought this hill (98m/328 ft. high) looked like. Now topped by a small chapel, the Aspis was Argos's first acropolis, abandoned when the higher (274m/905-ft.) Larissa was fortified in the 5th century B.C. You can still see some of the ancient blocks that were reused in Larissa's medieval battlements. There's an inner and outer system of walls, with several towers and the ruins of a church. The view's the thing here, and you get a bird's-eye view of the Aspis; the convent of Panaghia tou Vrakou (Virgin of the Rocks) on the lower slopes of the Larissa; Argos itself, with its fertile encircling plain; and the blue waters of the Gulf of Nafplion.
The climb from Argos's ancient theater to the Larissa and Aspis is rigorous; allow several hours and take water. If you drive, ask for directions to the kastro, or castle, as the Larissa is called, at the theater, the Archaeological Museum, or the police station, as Argos roads are in a seemingly constant state of flux. Not many visitors come here, and you may have the place to yourself.
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