Of the tree peninsulas that jut southward from the mass of the Peloponnese the central one is the Mania. The landscape becomes much more barren and rugged in the Lower Mania, where you will start to see the distinctive tone tower houses that hint at the violence of life here in the past.

The remoteness of the Mania meant it was always a place of escape or refuge, and the families who settled here in the fifteenth century became very clan-like, fighting bitterly for the best areas of land.

The main town of the Inner Mania, the more southerly half of the peninsula, is Areopolis. This town provides all the facilities you might want, including a few hotels, but it is not the best place to be based for any length of time.