Beyond the ordinary
City tour Information for Nafplio
What locals do in Nafplio
Read before Visiting Nafplio about
The city center
The old town
Walking tour
Uphill & Downtown
On winter nights, Nafplio transforms into a woman weeping with grievance. The charm of its isolation, wrapped in night lights, seeks a fatal encounter with Holy Eros within the mist of the air. Through the mental cracks of time, one city emerges from within another. Aged notes spring up all around. As if escaping from the opening of an old bottle, well-guarded for years in a sunless cellar…
I prefer old cities. Probably because they help me recreate memories. Anapli (Napoli de Romania) appears as a unified whole, yet it is demarcated into the old and the new town. As an urban fabric, it began in the second half of the 15th century, and its walls were built in 1502. Remnants of the wall now encircle the peninsula, while its elaborate composition of Frankish, Venetian, and Ottoman elements is clearly visible. They look like mosaic tiles of a unified coastal fortification with circular towers, bastions, and cannons, completing the alphabet of some architectural encyclopedia.
It was raining, and the sea had created laced bays, channels, alluvial deposits, and small fjords. Since the residential development relied on land reclamation as created by the Venetians, some road arteries were once waterways! Knowing the canals of Venice, they knew how to stabilize a city on stilts and expand it from the mainland. Small hanging balconies, verandas, friezes under the roof eaves, kiosks, figureheads, and tiled roofs look like snake skin, while the stone joints captivate the eye. Clothes hanging on lines clearly declare that domesticity rules this microcosm. Bougainvilleas struggle to cling to walls, cats inhabit every narrow alley, a constellation of small things embroidery-stitched on a frame. Every fallen piece of plaster is like a second skin, a snake's shed skin that renews itself with the season, yet semiotically preserves the "body" of this worn-out city.
Historic Nafplio is residentially embraced by the old town with its listed buildings, the neoclassical architecture of the 19th and 20th centuries, and representative examples of modernism and Western style. These stand in contrast to the low adobe or stone-built houses, and even the ruins established by the city's first settlers. Their remnants are exemplarily preserved in the old town, and the few (fortunately) apartment buildings within the tourist zone are not enough to spoil the pattern, which from afar looks like a painted canvas
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Το Ναύπλιο, τις χειμωνιάτικες νύχτες, μεταμορφώνεται σε γυναίκα που κλαίει με παράπονο. Η γοητεία της ερημιάς της, τυλιγμένη στα νυχτερινά φώτα, επιζητά στην αχλή του αέρα το μοιραίο συναπάντημα με τον Άγιο Έρωτα. Μέσα από τις νοερές χαραμάδες του χρόνου ξεπροβάλλει μια πόλη μέσα από μια άλλη. Νότες παλαίωσης ξεπηδούν τριγύρω. Σα να διέφυγαν με το άνοιγμα παλιάς φιάλης, καλά φυλαγμένης για χρόνια σε ανήλιαγο κελάρι…
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Προτιμώ τις παλιές πόλεις. Μάλλον γιατί με βοηθούν να αναδημιουργώ μνήμες. Το Ανάπλι (Napoli de Romania) φανερώνεται ενιαίο, ωστόσο οριοθετείται μεταξύ παλιάς και νέας πόλης. Ως πολεοδομικός ιστός, ξεκίνησε στο δεύτερο μισό του 15ου αι. και στα 1502 χτίζονται τα τείχη του. Απομεινάρια του τείχους κυκλώνουν σήμερα τη χερσόνησο ενώ ορατή είναι η περίτεχνη σύνθεσή του από φράγκικα, ενετικά, οθωμανικά στοιχεία. Μοιάζουν με ψηφίδες μιας ενιαίας επιθαλάσσιας τείχισης με κυκλικούς πύργους, ντάπιες και κανόνια συμπληρώνοντας το αλφαβητάρι κάποιας αρχιτεκτονικής εγκυκλοπαίδειας.
Έβρεχε και η θάλασσα δημιούργησε δαντελωτούς ορμίσκους, κανάλια και προσχώσεις, μικρά φιόρδ. Καθώς η οικιστική ανάπτυξη στηρίχτηκε στην επίχωση έτσι όπως τη δημιούργησαν Βενετοί, κάποιες οδικές αρτηρίες υπήρξαν κάποτε υδάτινοι δρόμοι! Έχοντας γνώση από τα κανάλια της Βενετίας ήξεραν πώς να στεριώσουν μια πόλη σε πασσαλώσεις και να την εξαπλώσουν εντεύθεν της ξηράς. Μικρά κρεμαστά μπαλκόνια, εξώστες, ζωφόρες κάτω από το γείσο στις στέγες, κιόσκια, ακρόπρωρα, κεραμοσκεπές μοιάζουν με φιδίσιο δέρμα και οι αρμοί της πέτρας μαγνητίζουν το βλέμμα. Απλωμένα ρούχα στο σύρμα δηλώνουν απαράμιλλα πως η νοικοκυροσύνη διαφεντεύει τον μικρόκοσμο. Βουκαμβίλιες αγωνίζονται να γαντζωθούν πάνω σε τείχους, γάτες σε κάθε στενό σοκάκι, μια συστοιχία μικρών πραγμάτων κεντούν διάστικτα σε τελάρο. Κάθε πεσμένος σοφάς και μια δεύτερη επιδερμίδα, ένα ρούχο φιδιού που ανανεώνεται ανά εποχή αλλά σημειολογικά διασώζει το «σώμα» αυτής της καταπονημένης πόλης.
Το ιστορικό Ναύπλιο εγκολπώνεται οικιστικά στην παλιά πόλη με τα διατηρητέα, τα νεοκλασικά αρχιτεκτονικής 19ου και 20ου αι., αντιπροσωπευτικά δείγματα μοντερνισμού και δυτικής τεχνοτροπίας όπως αντιπαραβάλλονται στα χαμηλά πλίθινα ή πετρόκτιστα σπίτια, ακόμη και στα ερείπια που στέριωσαν οι πρώτοι οικιστές της πόλης. Απομεινάρια τους σώζονται υποδειγματικά στην παλιά πόλη και οι λιγοστές (ευτυχώς) πολυκατοικίες εντός τουριστικής ζώνης δεν αρκούν για να χαλάσουν το μοτίβο που από μακριά φαντάζει με ζωγραφιστό καμβά.
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Wander through history
One thing a visitor must do when coming to Nafplio is to walk through the old historic city. With Orange Guides, you'll experience the best of Nafplio's heritage.
Experience the city through local eyes
What makes exploring the city with Orange Guides special is my experience and my life in it. Discover the city’s secrets with a local expert who knows Nafplio inside and out.
Embrace the heroic spirit
To immerse themselves in the heroic city, it's architecture and it's evolution into a well-known destination duo to it's hospitality. Let Orange Guides lead you through the city’s transformation and unveil its welcoming atmosphere.
Night Cruises
We are a dedicated team committed to crafting exceptional experiences. Our focus lies in providing reliable and innovative solutions, driven by a deep respect for quality and a genuine desire to exceed expectations.
Bourtzi by boat
From modest beginnings, we've grown through unwavering dedication and a commitment to continuous improvement. Each step has reinforced our core belief in the power of collaboration and the importance of integrity. We're passionate about what we do, and we're excited to share our story with you.
carriage ride
Old town on foot
We are a dedicated team committed to crafting exceptional experiences. Our focus lies in providing reliable and innovative solutions, driven by a deep respect for quality and a genuine desire to exceed expectations.
Sightseeing
From modest beginnings, we've grown through unwavering dedication and a commitment to continuous improvement. Each step has reinforced our core belief in the power of collaboration and the importance of integrity. We're passionate about what we do, and we're excited to share our story with you.
Take a refreshing swim at Nafplio's beautiful beach "Arvanitia".
Culture l||| Art l||| Meseum
From modest beginnings, we've grown through unwavering dedication and a commitment to continuous improvement. Each step has reinforced our core belief in the power of collaboration and the importance of integrity. We're passionate about what we do, and we're excited to share our story with you.
The gastronomy of Nafplio
- What's Included in this trip?
- Guided walking tour through the historic town.
- Discover hidden gems: indulge in wine tasting, cheese sampling, olive oil tastings, and explore sweet and savory delights. Participate in engaging workshops for a hands-on experience.
- Please note: Museum tickets, art gallery entries, access to smaller museums, and guided tours inside these venues are not included.
- Tour duration: Approximately 3 hours.
- Swiming at the beach alone. I am a license life-gurd only for the pool.
Practical information
all you need to know about
How to get here
how to get around
where to stay
best place to eat
cash & Card
etc.
we can give you under request
Exclusive downtown tour offer
Book your downtown Nafplio tour with Orange Guides today and receive a complimentary local treat! Experience the best of Nafplio with a trusted local expert.
Uncover the true essence of Nafplio and so much more!
Countryside experience/Εμπειρία στην ύπαιθρο
Rural life/Αγροτική ζωή
Village people
Religion destination
Ancient paths
Wine roads
Vineyards
Cultivation
Mythologycal Familiation