Ithaka Bound

Blood Feud

If you’re familiar with the map of Greece, you’ve probably guessed that I’m back on the mainland and making my way east across the Peloponnese.  I’ll be spending a week or so exploring Messinia and Lakonia, and although I’ve been to the Peloponnese before, I’ve added it to my list of places to come back to. It seems I never have enough time to see all the sites with historically important names: Arkadia, Ancient Corinth, the Theatre of Epidaurus.

(If you’ve never been to the Peloponnese, start with Ancient Olympia and you won’t be sorry.  Don’t forget to test your sprinting time on the ancient track, where a groove has been worn in the stones for you to place your heel.  Some tourists actually don’t run down the track, or place a crown of laurel leaves on their head when they finish.  I don’t understand them.)

I rented a car for a few days and drove around the rugged and remote Mani peninsula in the south.  As soon as I entered the area and began to see villages like those pictured below, I knew I was somewhere special.

The villages are made up of distinctive tower houses, built as far back as the 15th century.

But this isn’t San Gimignano, this is Greece where houses are usually built low to the ground as protection against the sun.

Why would Greeks build homes like this, so far from Tuscany?

I thought you’d never ask.

Mr. Nyklian builds his dream house:

The remoteness of the Mani made it a place of escape or refuge.  The families who settled here became very clan-like, fighting bitterly for the best and most fertile areas of land.  The Nyklian clan was dominant and initially they alone had the right to build tower houses on their property.  Eventually other families began to build towers, each trying to outdo the others in height.

The tower houses were used for both defense and attack.  The taller the tower, the easier it was to fire down on enemies through narrow slits in the windows.  Blood feuds were a way of life so the towers were constructed as high as possible to serve as a refuge.

Menfolk be so crazy sometimes:

For centuries the Maniots were a law unto themselves. If one family offended another or killed someone, a blood feud began, heralded by the ringing of church bells and a retreat by the respective families into their towers.  I have to confess that there is a part of me that would really love to see something like this.

Capulets and Montagues ain’t got nothin’ on the Maniots.

The sense of honor was so great, feuds often lasted for years and were passed down to younger generations.  The towers were kept stocked by Maniot women, who were protected, and could continue to bring food into the towers for the men.

There was a hiatus at harvest time, when a truce was called.  I guess there was no point in fighting over land if you couldn’t reap the benefits.

The people of the Mani regard themselves as direct descendants of the Spartans. After the fall of Sparta to the Thebans in 371BC,  citizens loyal to Sparta’s constitution withdrew to the mountains rather than serve under foreign masters.  Other refugees eventually joined these people and they became known as Maniots, from the Greek word mania.

The reputation of the people of the inner Mani was so fierce, many would-be occupiers opted to leave them alone rather than risk a battle.

Kita: the name sounds so cute.

The last great blood feud took place in 1870 in  the town of Kita and was stopped only by the intervention of the Greek Army.

The army had to use artillery.

A truce was forced upon the Maniots.

I want to write a post about why I am so fascinated by the warrior spirit.  The story of the Mani is the most awesome thing I’ve learned on this trip thus far, and now I need to know everything about them.  I kept asking for English language books on the Mani in bookstores but everyone seemed to be out.  Luckily the Library of Congress is just a metro ride away from my home in DC.

Wild at heart, kept in cages:

Today, many of the tower houses have been turned into boutique hotels and the Maniots occupy themselves with selling really fragrant honey and serving frothy coffee frappes.  Many Mani towers still dot the countryside in a derelict state, just waiting for one of my friends to begin a renovation project.

I wonder though, somewhere deep inside, do the Maniots yearn for church bells to start madly ringing again?

I almost forgot about the beaches:

P.S.  I have the perfect itinerary for anyone interested in exploring the Mani, complete with tower hotels.  Just send me an e-mail.

P.S.S.  You know where I’m going next, don’t you?  How could I come so close and not stop by?

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