PLYTRA AND ANCIENT ASOPOS

Text and research by Nikos Aivalis, photo report by Elpida Zografidou, technical support by Paraskeva Aivalis, translation by Eva Trombetas

A new journey begins, and this time we go to the eastern foot of the Peloponnese, in one of the most beautiful parts of Laconia. In a small space we will see Plytra with one of the most beautiful beaches in the country, while a little further we will explore the sunken ancient city of Asopos.

Starting our journey from Sparta we have to travel a distance of 73 kilometers to our destination. We descend through the heart of Laconia in the direction of Monemvasia. We pass through Molai and after 17 kilometers we reach Plytra. Plytra is a seaside settlement, located very close to the village of Papadianika and belongs to the municipality of Monemvasia.

Plytra

Plytra is a beautiful seaside village, with shops, restaurants and hostels, playgrounds and space for automotive vehicles and caravans. One can take a walk by the deep blue sea and enjoy every moment in this place. We start our walk from the most beautiful beach of the area, awarded every year with a blue flag, which is called Pachia Ammos. We leave the car by the coastal area and head to this wonderful beach.

coastal route of Plytra

As we arrive we get to see one of the most beautiful beaches we have ever seen. The sand is really off-white, crystal clear, while the waters are literally transparent, crystal clear and invite you to try them.

Pachia Ammos beach

The beach has a cafe restaurant, there is an organized part, cosmopolitan and extremely attractive to young people and more. We also tried the waters of the beach and it is a fact that we fell in love with them, as we are sure that you will fall in love with them too when you visit this seaside paradise.

the clear blue waters of the beach

Another thing that made a very positive impression on us is the cleanliness of the beach. Along it you find only shells that give a color to the beach.

overlooking the wonderful Laconian sea of Plytra

We climbed a little higher to admire the beach from above. The result was us falling in love with the place even more.

the light blue beach of Plytra

Before exploring the rest of Plytra, we try to capture every side of the beach so that you can taste the aroma and beauty of the sea along with us.

Pachia Ammos beach

Another thing that impressed us is some white flowers that were on small hills above the beach, which are called Sea Lilies (Pancratium maritimum).

Sea Lily

Leaving this beautiful beach, we have the best impressions. We walk along the coast to the ancient Asopos. On our way we meet many beautiful places which enchant us even more.

one of the many beautiful places of Plytra

On our way we meet another attraction. On a small beach called Artanis there is a partially collapsed house which belonged to the Venetsanaki family. According to oral traditions, Theodoros Kolokotronis was hosted in this house, as he had friendly relations with the family.

the house on Artani beach

A little further on the borders of Plytra with the ancient Asopos there is the port of Plytra, where fishing boats give their own color to the area.

port of Plytra

From there we enter the Ancient Asopos. A sign puts us in the archeological site, which we look forward to meeting with great enthusiasm.

Asops archeological site

As we follow the path, to our left there is a large ancient building.

ancient building in Asopos

The archeological site is literally inside and outside the sea. The archaeological finds in the sea are visible from outside. The area is called Kokkines as a large number of ancient pottery give a red color to the coast (kokkino - red).

Kokkines area

In the area there are remains of the ancient city of Asopos, as well as from the roman period. The city sank in 365 AD. after a strong earthquake. Asopos was a member of the Public of the Lacones, had a port and minted his own currency.

ancient ruins in the sea

There are two versions of the name of the area, the first is that it took its name from Asopos, Heraclides hero, while the second version is that the name of the area comes from the river of the same name that crosses the area.

ancient ruins in Asopos

We know from Pausanias that in the area there was a sanctuary of Asclepius, sanctuary of Athena, asclepieion, temple of the roman emperors, while in the area of Finiki there was a sanctuary of Hyperteleatas Apollo.

ancient building on the sea

We went along the coastline, admired as many relics of the ancient city as we could, while in the field of imagination we tried to see what the city once was. Literally everywhere there are ancient buildings, columns, pieces of ceramics, things that show the size of the sunken city.

ancient ruins in Asopos

Somehow we reached the end of the route, a route that impressed us and left us with a bittersweet taste since the archeological site was of incredible beauty and uniqueness, but a bitter note left us thinking that so many finds and ruins are being destroyed day by day by the sea waves. As we were getting back, however, nature gave us a beautiful smile to close our journey to Plytra and Asopos, when a beautiful dragonfly came to us to see us out.

dragonfly in Asopos

Here our journey comes to an end. A beautiful trip to another unique corner of Laconian land. One thing is for sure, we will definitely visit the place again and we suggest you to put it on your list of places to visit. We continue our journeys throughout the Peloponnese and travel with you.