By Nicolas Bard

About half a kilometer away from the center of the picturesque town of Gythio, on the pine is the island of Krani, the imposing and well -preserved Tower of Tzannetakis Grigorakis, declared as a historical preserved monument.

The tower was built in 1829 and restored relatively recently, while the Historical and Ethnological Museum of Mani is hosted there. It is an excellent example of traditional Maniac architecture and rightly magnetizes the eyes of all visitors to the area.

This stone, three-storey tower belonged to Mani’s chieftain and third bey, Tzannetakis Grigorakis (1785-1868), who took part in the revolution of 1821, pioneered the siege of Monemvasia and designated its first guard. He was the ancestor of former Prime Minister Giannis Tzannetakis, who in turn bequeathed the building in the State in 1977. EOT took the renovation and then hosted the museum there.

Since 1993, the Historical and Ethnological Museum hosted the permanent exhibition entitled “Travelers in Mani: 15th – 19th century”, the Center for Modern Greek Research, of the National Research Foundation. These are the routes of seventy foreign travelers in the area of ​​Mani over a period of five centuries. Among the travelers are the names of Vincenzo Maria Koronelli and Elviya Tselebi, great geographers and travelers of the time.

There, you can see a rich collection of manuscripts, historical relics, visual works, engravings, rare maps and old versions of various forms from the Renaissance to the 19th century. The Museum’s premises also exhibits the work of the French scientific mission in Moria at a very critical time for the newly established Greek state, namely 1829-1832.

Very close to Pyrgos, which is a landmark of the area, there is an old carnival, the Gythio Film Lighthouse and the chapel of Saint Peter and Paul, above the small beach of Halkitsa. All of these places, combined with the neoclassical houses of Gythio and the beautiful harbor, compose an image of unparalleled beauty, fascinating those who are there.

The island of Krani, also known as Marathonissi, is a declared archaeological site and since 1898 it joins the opposite land with a narrow strip of land, 150 meters long. According to mythology, in Krani, who once was four times in size, overnight was overnight. Nice Eleni With Paris, before their trip to Troy. Paris leaving, forgot his helmet there, and the name of the island came from.