Monemvasia, Greece

Monemvasia, Greece

Monemvasia Greece

Monemvasia (Μονεμβασία) is a town and municipality in Laconia, Greece. The town sits on a small island just off the east coast of the Peloponnese, linked to the mainland by a short, 200‑metre causeway. Most of the island is taken up by a broad plateau about 100 metres above sea level, up to 300 metres wide and 1 kilometre long, which was once the site of a powerful medieval fortress. From that period, the town walls and many Byzantine churches are still standing. The municipal seat is the town of Molaoi. The town’s name comes from two Greek words, mone and emvasia, meaning “single entrance”. Its Italian form, Malvasia, gave its name to Malmsey wine. Monemvasia is often nicknamed the “Gibraltar of the East” or simply “The Rock”. Although it was uninhabited in antiquity, the rock may have hosted a Minoan trading post. Pausanias, the famous Greek traveller and geographer, mentioned the site as “Akra Minoa”, meaning “Minoan Promontory”.
Recommended airport
Kithira (KIT)
Nearby destinations
  • Saint Pelagia, Cythera a 40.59 km
  • Kythira Island a 48.87 km
  • Gytheio a 44.09 km