Nafpaktos or Naupactus
Nafpaktos or Naupactus
Nafpaktos, a beautiful city, built on two hills at piney hillside, with 18,231 residents, located 42 km from Missolonghi and 10 km from Antirrio, has for many years, the traditional style.
The old circular harbor with two watchtowers guarding the entrance, fascinate even the most demanding guests.
The well-preserved Venetian castle, with successive rows of walls on the hill, is one of the most beautiful in Greece and real gem for the city. Visitors will find taverns, restaurants, ouzo, coffee shops downtown, the beaches or the castle on the hill overlooking the sea.
In the western arm of the harbor there are two statues of heroes that remind us of maritime incidents in the long history of this small town. The first is the famous Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), who at the age of 23 years took part in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 AD, where he lost an arm. The second, high on the ramparts of the harbor is Anemogiannis George (1796-1821), who in May 1821 a naval operation against Turkish occupation Lepanto unsuccessfully tried burning the Turkish corvette, which cost him a martyr's death.
Walking up the cobblestone streets of the square north of the harbor there is the "Tower of Botsaris." This building, built in two phases in the 15th and 16th century.
After the release of Lepanto, in 1829, came in possession of General Notis Botsaris of Souli. Today the tower houses permanent exhibition of copies of paintings, maps and sketches related to the Battle of Lepanto (1571 AD).
Just above the clock, in Souli Street, is the mansion of the family Tzavela which houses the 22nd Ephorate Byzantine Archaeology. Plateau in the neighborhood of Tzami, today John Vlachogiannis Square with its plane and the stone fountain, the ruins of the Turkish mosque and Turkish bath complex in relatively good condition.
Near to the port, is Stenopazaro, the old market town, where formerly flourished traditional tavern.
At the end of Stenopazaro is the Cathedral of St. Demetrius and a little beyond the town hall.
Opposite is the mansion of the novelist George Athanasiadis-Novas with impressive flower gardens.
Just above the town hall is the Government House, which houses the city's financial services.
Next to the governor is the Papacharalambios Library and the County Court of Nafpaktos. The Library is housed in a neoclassical building, built in 1955 by the benefactor of the city Papacharalambous Demetrius. It is one of the best organized public libraries in Greece with 50,000 volumes of books and two mobile libraries. It has a rich collection of publications of local interest and part of the collection of John Vlachogiannis.
Next to the City Square Farmakis, downtown, is a private museum, "Museum relics 1821-Farmaki" with precious exhibits of the liberation struggle of the family of Farmakis.
More over, in the neighborhood Evraiolaka, the ruins of a great Christian basilica probably of the 5-th AD century.
East and west of the town has two beaches, the beach Psani one kilometers long, with large trees, luxury shops and the beautiful municipal beach and Gribovo, with huge plane trees, with modern hotels, cafes and restaurants.
In the small hill that is created across the square Kefalovriso, stone steps lead to a small plateau, where the sanctuary of Asclepius, deserted since ancient times, as Pausanias recorded when passed from Nafpaktos.