A Stroll in the Old Port
One of the prettiest and most popular walks on the island is the path from Agios Mamas to the Old Port and from there to the lighthouse of Spetses. The distance to the Old Port is two kilometers. The route is idyllic, next to the sea , and passing some of the nicest and largest mansions of Spetses. At night the road is illuminated as needed; no motorized vehicles travel there, and you see traditional carriages coming and going, carrying people to and from the Old Port.
Agios Mamas is the main beach of the city of Spetses. It is frequented mostly by locals and children. The beach is quite large, with a mix of sand and pebbles. A jetty has been constructed to the right of the bridge. The beach is easily accessible, and it provides an easy opportunity for a quick swim.
Across from the beach, on a corner, there is also a small church honoring Agios (Saint) Mamas which was built by the captain of a ship that was carrying grape must when shipwrecked about 100 m from the shore, on the name day of Agios Mamas. The mariner was saved, and in gratitude he built the church to honor the saint, using must instead of water in the building materials.
On the way to the little church, we will cross a small bridge over the stream that begins at the Villa Hara on the Botasis estate and flows into the sea at the beach of Agios Mamas.
As soon as we pass the chapel of Agios Mamas, we see two mansions that are typical of Spetses on our right. One is the mansion of Ioannis Koutsis (1860 - 1953), a famous shipowner and painter of seascapes. His best known and greatest painting is the "Naval Battle of Spetses," which is in the Armata Church in the Old Port.
The next mansion is the Zotos Mansion, which formerly belonged to the Ginis family. Built in 1800, it offers a wonderful view of the Old Port and the Bastion. The interior is decorated in an 18th century Venetian style. The ground floor boasts stained glass windows, although their colors have faded over the years.
500 meters from Agios Mamas, we find the second beach of the town, protected by a jetty in the cove beneath the church and the old monastery of Agios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas). It is a small, quiet beach with sand mixed with fine pebbles. The locals prefer it to Agios Mamas because it is quieter and accessible on foot.
The church of Agios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas) is the most historic church on the island. It is a magnificent church with a huge, impressive pebbled courtyard. It began as a monastery in 1700 and from 1800 operated as a cathedral. The uprising of the Spetsiots against the Turks began here on April 3, 1821.
We can make a small detour here before we return to the coastal road to head for the Old Port. If we proceed 130 meters down the back road from Agios Nikolaos, we will see the Kappodistrian Peer Tutoring School which was founded in 1831 (along with 120 similar schools). It featured a system of education by peers: the older children taught the younger ones. The school closed in 1834, and since then the building has been used as a center for celebrations by schools and organizations.
On the little road across from the school, we find the old house of the charming Elli Apostolou. It is said that a Bishop from the Patriarchate of Alexandria once shaved his beard to show his admiration for her. Later the house was donated to the monastery of Agios Nikolaos.
We return to the coastal road at the beach of Agios Nikolaos. Pass the landscaped area on the right with the cannons, and in the corner, opposite the pier, we will see a traditional building that once housed the palio teloneio (old customs house). Later, it became the warehouse of a fish merchant, and today it is a well-known and respected restaurant. Next door there is another Gkinis family house whose ground floor once served as the warehouse for the wholesale merchant G. Haramis.
Founded in memory of the trion Spetsioton martiron (three Spetses martyrs) who were tortured on the island of Chios, the big contemporary church on our right is the largest in Spetses. (Before this, the largest was the church of Agia Triada, the Holy Trinity, in Kasteli.) In the past, this area housed the businesses of Chatzigiannis Mexis (warehouses, an olive press, a forge, and, in front, the shipyard where he constructed his ships).
One hundred thirty meters farther, on our right, we see the monument to the unknown Spetsioti Naftikou (Spetses sailor), a small token of appreciation of the island's contributions to the Greek naval profession.
Our next stop is 1 km from where we began (Agios Mamas), at the point where horses and carriages are now stationed. In this area, there are several very good restaurants. The shipyards of the port begin here--shipyards which constructed 643 ships between 1843 and 1858.
Also very distinctive are the taverna Exedra, with its little tables almost in the sea, and the traditional taverna of Kapelogianni.
We will see some of the finest mansions of Spetses in the Palio Limani (Old Port. The traditional home of the shipowner Eftychios Goumas is on the road above the exedra (platform). The arches and veranda are later additions.
A few houses farther back, we can admire the imposing gray mansion in the Old Port that was built by Panagiotis Botasis (with the best view from the side farthest from the lighthouse). The next owner was the admiral Leonidas Theocharis, followed by the Averof family and the shipowner Martinos.
A few meters farther up, we find the homes of Pavlos Chatzianargyros and his brother Andreas. The Chatzianargyros Residence, in the parish of Analypsis (the Ascension), was built at the end of the 18thC by Anargyros Chatzi Anargyros of the great Anargyros family. After his death in 1814, the house became the property of his second-born son, Pavlos. The residence of Andreas Chatzianargyros is on the road following the one where the residence of his brother Pavlos is located.
We return to the road to the Old Port. Immediately after the restaurant Mouragio, we see another restaurant on our left, Liotrivi, which used to be an olive press (as its Greek name indicates). It is a long, narrow, low-lying building, and one can still see the old millstones outside the entrance.
Follow the little road that goes uphill, and a few meters beyond its end, we will come upon a stone building that once was a warehouse for the Koutsaios family. Next to it is the shipyard of Takis Boufis. About 1/3 of the fleet that liberated Greece was constructed in this shipyard.
Now we see the natural harbor of the island, the Palio Limani (Old Port) of Spetses. Its name in Albanian was Baltiza (Swamp), because it was built on a swamp. In 1900, S. Anargyros undertook its restoration. Now we can enjoy idyllic evenings here, with good restaurants and night-time entertainment.
Walk along the harbor, looking at all kinds of boats, and reach the point that is farthest ashore. The entrance to the model residential area of Pityousa, with its 50 elegant homes in the Baltiza area, is just across from us. (Its other entrance faces Agia Marina and the beautiful Garifalos Beach.) This was the first model settlement on the island (as opposed to that of the engineers, which was the first, but not a model community).
Soon, our trip will come to an end. On our left we see a large shipyard, and immediately afterward, three distinctive elongated buildings with arched roofs. Today they are occupied by a very good restaurant; several years ago, the island's famous disco Figaro was in business there.
The area to the left of the Old Port, up to the lighthouse, is an urban pine forest. Within it, one finds the monuments of A. Chatzianargyros (Spetses historian) and I. Koutsis, as well as the Armata (Urban) church and the Spetses lighthouse.
Ioannis Koutsis (1860-1953) was a distinguished Greek painter of the so-called Munich School. He built the church of the Panagia tis Armatas (the Virgin Mary of Armata).
Every year on September 8, the Panagia tis Armatas (church of the Virgin Mary of Armata) celebrates the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, as well as the anniversary of the sea battle of Spetses, when the Spetses fleet drove away the Turkish fleet, thus assisting in the Greek recapture of Nafplio.
If we go straight and to the right of the Armata, we will see the beautiful Spetses lighthouse, which was built in 1831 with funding from the Goudis family. With oil as its energy source, its beam was visible 10 miles away. An 1885 renovation switched its energy source to petroleum and thus extended its range of visibility to 12 miles. In 1986, the lighthouse was automated.
Descending from the Armata forest toward the seaside of the Old Port, we encounter a large shipyard. Spetses was famous for its shipyards (e.g. the Chatzigiannis Mexis shipyard), which built large ships commissioned by both Greeks and foreigners during the 19th century.
Just beyond the shipyard, a beautiful landscaped area begins, a park which is adorned with the original iron sculptures (animals, mermaids, etc.) of Natalia Mela (who also created the sculpture of Bouboulina at Poseidonio).
The route through the Armata Forest park ends at the Bastion with the cannons and the bust of A. Orlof. The Russian count Alexei Orlof came to Greece with his fleet in 1769 and incited revolt against the Turks. The inhabitants of Spetses paid dearly for their involvement in the Orlof revolt.
If you do not mind swimming near the boats in the Old Port, there is a beautiful, small, peaceful beach with sand and small pebbles near the park with the iron sculptures.
A few meters farther, in a beautiful landscaped area, the statue of fire ship captain Barbatsis overlooks the edge of the park in the Old Port. Barbatsis commandeered his fire ship to set the Turkish flagship on fire in the naval battle of Armata and thus forced the Turkish fleet to retreat. We can enjoy the beautiful view of the Old Port and Spetses from the little hill with the mast above the sculpture of fire ship captain Barbatsis.
Our tour will conclude a few meters farther down (1 km from Pityousa) at the cape below the lighthouse of Spetses. There are two iron lighthouses here. In February 1944, an English plane that was bombarding the ship Kefalos, which had been requisitioned by the Germans, knocked the top of the old lighthouse into the sea with its wing.
This is an ideal spot to relax (after an exhausting walk) and enjoy the magic of the sea and the view from the island.
Sources
Including links of interest to tourists and in general basic texts by third parties about the Saronic Gulf area on Exploring Greece
