Mani Developments - Stephan Kaske - Houses for Sale in the Mani, Peloponnese, Greece

We live in the Outer Mani in Peloponnese, on the middle finger of the three that thrust south into the Mediterranean towards Crete. It is an area of extraordinary beauty. Majestic mountains, dotted with remote villages, sweep down through olives groves to a crystal-clear sea.

There is no industry and you can drive towards the north or the south through an unspoiled landscape with old stone-built villages, goats and sheep grazing beneath the olive trees and dramatic views in every direction.

Underground streams of fresh water pour into the sea from the mountains, thousands of gallons every day all year round. The Messinian peninsula to the west protects the rugged coastline and beaches from the tar, plastic bags and bottles and other garbage one so often finds elsewhere on Mediterranean beaches, such as those in the Adriatic further west.

Satellite Photo of the Peloponnese. The black line points to Our Area

The area is famous in Greece and abroad for a history of resistance to the Ottoman Empire and its frequent attempts to subjugate the Maniats and for the numerous tower houses and tower villages that dot the landscape. The towers were an indication of the power of various families and clans and of their determination to safeguard what was theirs against all comers - be they the Turks or their neighbours.

As I mentioned, there is no industry but olives, small farms and tourism. People take care of the beautiful landscape and legislation prevents the building of high-rising hotels. It is forbidden to build higher than 2 and 1/2 floors -10.5 metres maximum and nowadays all buildings must have tiled roofs without exception. The result is that buildings do not dominate the natural beauty of the landscape.

The Outer Mani is a jewel and quite famous in Greece. Starting south of Kalamata (the nearest town with an airport) and extending to Areopolis, it is embraced by the clear waters of the Messinian Bay and the mountain range of the Taygetos. Right in the middle lies our beautiful area, quite difficult not to fall in love with. It stretches from Kardamyli (1st mentioned by Homer) past Stoupa with its wonderful sandy beaches, through Agios Nikolaos - a most attractive fishing village - to Trachilla in the south; all in all 10 miles.

The area is secluded but not isolated. From May to end of October there are Charter flights into Kalamata and new highways were recently built connecting Kalamata with Athens and bypassing the city on a direct route to the new airport. Lately the infrastructure has been improved impressively due to funding from the E.U. and to accommodate the Olympic Games in 2004.

By the way, we are on the same latitude as Tunis on the North-African coast so our winters are very different to those of more northern climes. We have snow in the mountains and bouts of torrential rain, which is just as well as we need the water for the long, hot summer days. Recent global climate changes have brought us a few surprises but generally the winters are mild. Spring brings a burst of colour as wild flowers and orchids carpet the olive groves and mountain slopes in a stunningly beautiful display of nature's glory.