2 Best Sights in The Peloponnese, Greece

Above the harbor at the western edge of town are the ruins of a fortification known as the Five Brothers, the only remaining part of the lower wall built around Nafplion in 1502. The name comes from the five guns placed here by the Venetians around 1690; they remain in place, all bearing the winged lion of St. Mark.

Whether in harsh sunlight or under floodlights at night, this mighty fortress is a beautiful sight, with red-stone bastions and flights of steps that zigzag down the 700-foot-tall cliff face. You can drive up the less-precipitous eastern slope, but if you are in reasonable shape and it isn't too hot, try climbing the stairs. Most guidebooks will tell you there are 999 of them, but 892 is closer to the mark. From the top you can look down on the Old Town, the Gulf of Argolis, and the entire Argive plain.

Built in 1711–14, the Palamidi comprises three forts and a series of freestanding and connecting defensive walls. Little good did it do them. The Palamidi fell to the Turks in 1715 after only eight days, allegedly because the Venetians assumed the fortress was impregnable and saw no need to garrison a large number of troops within the walls. In 1840, following the declaration of Greek independence, the Palamidi's Miltiadis bastion was converted by the Greeks into a fearsome prison that was used well into the 20th century. Its inmates included the revolutionary war hero Theodore Kolokotronis, on a charge of high treason that was later rescinded. His cell is indicated by a sign.