Mani- one of Greece's wildest landscapes

The Mani is a region located on the middle peninsula of the southern  coast of the Peloponnese, legendary for it's harsh, rocky landscape. The Maniates, as the inhabitants are called, are said to be some of the proudest people of Greece, and also some of the most untamed and fierce.

Greek history tells us that the Maniates were not subjugated by the Ottomans but retained their internal self-government in exchange for an annual tribute, although this was only paid once. Local rulers, called beys, governed Mani on behalf of the Ottomans.

We were lucky to spend a few days traveling around the Mani area. Elies, a hotel set among the olive trees in Kardamyli, was one of the magical places we stayed in.

Every morning we had breakfast on this patio overlooking the olive trees.

Ancient Olive tree

Just across a quiet street from the hotel was a beautiful pebble beach.

A dawn swim

Swimming with cousin Anna

One of the hotel complexes along the Mani Coast.

The view from our terrace in Limenas Geraka

Stone towers or Pyrgospita were the bastions of the beys. Locals would take refuge there during attacks from pirates, Ottomans or Venetians.

A Byzantine church within the stone tower compound.

A view of an ancient stone Mani village.

Traveling to the Mani area is a must if you have time while visiting Greece. It's off he beaten track, with haunting landscapes, rocky beaches, and delicious local food.

We stayed in a renovated mill.

At the end of our Mani trip we stopped in Monemvasia, a medieval fortress with many Byzantine churches. 

Stone pathways in Monemvasia

The road to the fort

View from the fort

Enjoy!

Maria

Archangel -a Novel Deput

I'm so excited I can't contain myself. My efforts of the past ten years are finally coming to fruition with the upcoming publication of my novel, Archangel.

Here's a Preview of my Book Cover

I was inspired to write the story many years before I ever put pen to paper. Thecase of the theft of the mosaic of Panagia Kanakaria from a church in Lythrangomi, Cyprus in the  late 80's was the kernel that grew into today's book.

It is a book of fiction, created by my imagination. It was a lot of fun to write and I hope you will have a lot of fun reading it. It's a story of art theft, international intrigue, archangelic visions and spiritual journeys.

The book will be published shortly on Amazon and it will also be available on Kindle.

It's been such an amazing path and I'm now ready to follow it to the next  chapter.

Enjoy!

Maria

Wild Mushroom Ravioli

In a recent post I wrote about my trip to Raffetto's, a fresh pasta shop in Lower Manhattan. I came home with a prized box of wild mushroom ravioli.
I wasn't sure exactly how to prepare it but Google is such a resource! I got some ideas and put them together with what I had in the fridge and pantry and voila! as I always say. Wonderful ravioli for dinner!

 I had pistachios...

 Raffetto's Ravioli was the best

 Cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling water

Always have a colorful salad ready as a side

Place the cooked and drained ravioli in a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of Greek extra virgin olive oil

Saute for a few minutes until the ravioli becomes coated with the olive oil and sprinkle with the chopped pistachio nuts

 Top with some grated Parmesan cheese and parsley

 Grate some fresh nutmeg over the top

Enjoy!

Maria

Akrocorinth - Greece

I was recently reading Lord Byron's "The Siege of Corinth," and I remembered that I had visited the walled city built at the top of a mountain in the Peloponnese just this past September for the first time.

Akrocorinth blends in with the surrounding landscape

It was a rare overcast day

View of the city of Corinth and the Corinthian bay

I always imagine the people who may have lived in these ancient cities.

I see them riding up on horseback, I hear the clicking of the horseshoes on the cobblestones, I see the guard waving them through the gate. 

Views of the surrounding countryside

The Walls

It's a long walk up to the fort, see the parking lot below.

The highway runs past the ancient ruins that rise majestically as a crown over the mountain. We always meant to detour for a visit but we were always in a hurry. Last September on our way to Saronida from Poulithra (see my Poulithra post)we made a point of stopping at the famed location.

History tells us that AcroCorinth was a city with many lives through the centuries. The one Lord Byron writes of is the Siege of Corinth in 1715, when the Ottomans slaughtered the Venetian garrison during the Ottoman-Venetian war.


History is palpable here and the visitor can see why this was such an important fort. There are 360 degree views of the surrounding area.


Enjoy!
Maria