The Bourtzi
An octagonal tower alone in the sea at the fortress's tip.
**A vast Venetian fortress occupying an entire peninsula, with a detached octagonal tower standing in the sea** โ at the southwestern tip of the Peloponnese. Methoni was one of the **"eyes of the Republic"** โ with neighbouring Koroni: two stations controlling the shipping route between Venice and the East, and for centuries the Republic's most important holdings in Greece. The castle is **enormous**: walls enclosing the whole peninsula, a **moat cut into the rock** crossed by a long **stone bridge**, successive gates, and inside the remains of a complete town โ churches, baths, cisterns and an Ottoman mosque. โ Its most famous feature is the **Bourtzi**: an **octagonal tower** standing alone in the sea at the fortress's tip, reached by a narrow causeway โ and the most photographed sight in Messinia. โ The castle is **largely open and unrailed**: genuine ruins rather than a managed site.
An octagonal tower alone in the sea at the fortress's tip.
A rock-cut moat crossed by a stone bridge to the gate.
Churches, baths, cisterns and an Ottoman mosque among the ruins.
Methoni, 24006 Messinia, Greece
**A Venetian name for Methoni and Koroni โ two stations that were the key to the Republic's entire trade.** โ **The logic**: **Venice** was a trading republic whose survival depended on a **sea route** linking the Adriatic to the East โ Beirut, Alexandria, Constantinople. **And sailing ships need stations** for water, provisions, repair and protection from pirates. โ **Methoni and Koroni sit perfectly**: at the **southwestern tip of the Peloponnese** โ the **corner** every ship coming from Italy towards the East must round. **Control them and you control the route.** โ **Hence they were called the eyes of the Republic** (*oculi capitales communis*): from there approaching ships were watched, news was sent and convoys protected. โ **The investment was enormous**: walls, towers, harbours and warehouses โ **which is what you see today**. โ **They fell to the Ottomans in 1500** after a siege, and their loss was a severe blow to Venice.
**Methoni for the castle, Koroni for the town โ and at 35 km apart you can do both.** โ **Methoni**: **the castle is far larger and more dramatic** โ walls enclosing a whole peninsula, a moat and bridge, and the **Bourtzi** tower in the sea, which is the image you know. โ **And it has an excellent sandy beach** right beside it. โ But **the town itself is ordinary** and small. โ **Koroni**: **its castle is smaller and less dramatic** โ and part of it is occupied by a **working convent** with gardens (lovely, and quite different), โ with no sea tower. โ **But the town is far prettier**: climbing paved lanes, Venetian houses and a lively seafront, **and long Zaga beach** to its south is excellent. โ **The rule**: time for one โ **Methoni** (the castle is the reason). โ **A full day โ both**: Methoni in the morning for the castle, lunch and a swim, then Koroni in the afternoon for the town and the sunset.
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