Things To Do in Sparta

Mistra

A Look at the Past

In 1204, the Frankish leader William de Villehardouin chose this site as the headquarters for his Greek empire. De Villehardouin crowned Mistra with a fortress and defense walls, built himself a palace on the slopes below, and had 10 good years here until the Byzantine Greeks defeated him at the Battle of Pelagonia in 1259. According to legend, de Villehardouin would have escaped capture if a Greek soldier had not identified him by his famously protruding buckteeth.

Mistra's real heyday came under the Byzantine Greeks, when most of its churches and more than 2,000 houses, as well as the Palace of the Despots, were built. Some 25,000 people lived in Mistra -- twice the population of Sparta today. Among them were the philosophers, writers, architects, and artists who made it an international center of culture.

Mistra was such an important city that many Byzantine emperors sent their heirs here for on-the-job training. After Constantinople and the Byzantine empire fell to the Turks in 1453, Mistra held out; the last emperor of Byzantium was crowned in the cathedral at Mistra, which finally fell to the Turks in 1460.

The Venetians captured Mistra from the Turks in 1687 and ruled here for a half century, during which time Mistra swelled to a city of more than 40,000, largely supported by a flourishing silk industry. When the Turks regained power, Mistra began its long decline into what it is today: Greece's most picturesque ghost town.

Mistra's Earthly Delights -- If you are lucky enough to visit Mistra in the spring or early summer, you'll find it carpeted with fragrant wildflowers and echoing with sheep bells from the flocks that are enjoying the fresh spring vegetation. This is the perfect place to take a break, smell the flowers, and enjoy the view down over the green plain of Sparta and up to the snow-clad peaks of Mount Taygetos.

The Archaeological Site of Mistra

Be sure to bring water and wear a hat and sturdy shoes when you visit Mistra. If you start your tour at the top, you can orient yourself by taking in the fine view over the entire site from de Villehardouin's Castle (kastro). The Palace of the Despots, which has been undergoing restoration for some years, stands out clearly, surrounded by the roofs of Mistra's magnificent churches. Despite what one scholar described as Mistra's "picturesque incoherence," you should be able to make out the tall walls of the once-handsome townhouses of Mistra's nobility on the upper slopes; on the lower slopes are the remains of the more modest homes of laborers and shopkeepers. Here, and throughout the site, there are excellent information signs in Greek and English beside many monuments. As you head down, you'll begin to pass some of the churches, most of which have elaborate brickwork decoration, a multiplicity of domes, and superb frescoes. Give your eyes time to adjust to the poor light inside the churches. Once they do, you'll be able to pick out vivid scenes, such as the Raising of Lazarus and the Ascension in the 15th-century frescoes in the Pantannasa Monastery; the Marriage of Cana in the 14th-century Panayia Hodegetria; and the Birth of Christ in the 14th-century Peribleptos Monastery. The frescoes that decorated Greek churches have been described as the "Books of the Illiterate"; any devout Byzantine Greek could have "read" these frescoes and identified every New and Old Testament scene, just as their descendants can today. Try also to sit for a quiet moment or two in the garden courtyard of the Metropolis (cathedral) of St. Dimitrios, with its small museum, with exhibits on Mistra as a link between East and West. The site (tel. 27310/83-377) is open most days from 8am to 3pm and sometimes later in summer. Admission is 5€.

Tip: If you're heading west from Sparta and Mistra, take the Langada Pass, which is signposted for Kalamata as you leave Mistra and the village of Trypi. The 70km (40-mile) pass winds (lots of hairpin bends) and climbs some 1,500m (5,000 ft.) through the heavily wooded Parnon range and then winds back down to the outskirts of Kalamata. From there, you can head north to the Mani or continue west to Pylos and Olympia. The mountain scenery is spectacular and there are plenty of places to pull over en route and listen to the silence. If you're lucky, you may even see an eagle circling overhead.