Nafplio & Mycenae

Mycenae was inhabited from prehistoric times, but it rose to power from around 1700 BC and reached its height between about 1350 and 1200 BC, when the Mycenaean civilisation spread across the Mediterranean. Its rulers were buried in shaft graves and later in monumental tholos tombs, and around 1250 BC the citadel was entered through the Lion Gate. The site declined around 1100 BC. In 1876 Heinrich Schliemann excavated Grave Circle A here, uncovering the gold death mask he called the Mask of Agamemnon. Mycenae and nearby Tiryns were inscribed together on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999.

Nafplio's story is later and more cosmopolitan. Venetians and Ottomans fought over the town for centuries, leaving fortifications such as Bourtzi, built by the Venetians in the 15th century to guard the harbour, and Palamidi on the hill above. After the War of Independence, Nafplio became the first capital of the modern Greek state from 1827 to 1834, and in 1831 the first governor, Ioannis Kapodistrias, was assassinated on the steps of the church of St Spyridon in the old town.

Nafplio is a favourite weekend escape for Athenians, who come for its seafront walks, cafés and old-town atmosphere. Locals take pride in the town's role in the birth of modern Greece, and historic dates and saints' days are marked with services and processions. The surrounding Argolid plain is a major citrus and olive growing area, and oranges from here are known throughout the country.