Monemvasia

Monemvasia, a gigantic rock that rockets improbably up from the blue-green deep just a few hundred yards offshore, is a time-warp to the medieval Peloponnese. Its little Lower Town hamlet hides on the seaward side of the giant rock, tethered to the mainland only by a skinny spit of land. This remarkably romantic walled town — with the remains of an even bigger Upper Town scattered along the peak high above — is a stony museum of Byzantine, Ottoman, and Venetian history dating back to the 13th century. Summiting Monemvasia is a key experience on any Peloponnesian visit.