The Guest House is an ideal base for one or two-day excursions in the region whose unique combination of history, culture and the natural environment makes it well worth a visit at any time of the year.
The Guest House is just a five-minute walk from the Hellenistic Bridge at the entrance of Anakolo gorge which was built in the first century AD and has been in constant use ever since. Anakolo gorge is an area of particular natural beauty and is now included in the NATURA 2000 network of places of great natural beauty. The bridge was named by early Christians, who regarded almost all ancient architecture as Greek. To their way of thinking, Greek meant non-Christian, or pagan. The gorge leads to the heart of Taygetos and its peak, which was called TALETON in antiquity, but is called Prophet Ilias today. Visitors can go by car or on foot and use the well sign-posted network of footpaths to explore the Monasteries of Gola (1632), Zerbitsa (1639), Koubari (1602), Katafigiotisa (15th century), Giatrissa (17th century) and discover the hidden beauty of central Taygetos. The country churches of Sitiritsa (1618) and Panagitsa (14th century) to the left and right of the road to Koumousta are notable. The church of St.Vasilis (probably 13th century) is of interest, as plaques written in linear B script were found in the grounds of the church. This discovery points to the existence of a Mycenean palace. It is obviously one of the most significant archaeological sites in Laconia.
*A fifteen-minute drive to the town of Sparti where there are a variety of traditional and cultural events and significant museums such as the Archaeological Museum of Sparti, the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil, the Coumantarios Art Gallery and the Sparti Museum of Sacred Art.
*A twenty-minute drive to the archaeological site and museum of Mystras.
*A forty-minute drive to the port of Gytheio and its beautiful beaches. Visitors may like to extend this trip to take in the Diros Caves and Areopolis in the Mani district.
*1 A one-and-a-half-hour drive to Monemvasia.
