Gateways and homes of Lepanto (Naupactus)
Comparisson reports are under license of:
Lo que dice el Arxiduc:
“The city has two gateways, one towards the east and the other towards the west. […] Passing by a group of cypresses, two of which are very dry, and some telegraph posts like those used by the Turks, you come to the second gateway, the one facing west and called Pilio Porta, opening up towards Campagna and Anti-Rhion ( Antirrio). It has an entrance with a screw-studded door, a Turkish engraving on a marble plate in back and a bridge which spans a type of moat. On the side is a rudimentary rectangle of a tower offering a beautiful view of the Patras mountains covered in snow and the fertile surroundings towards the hills.”
“The majority of houses in Lepanto look Turkish, with roofs sticking out above doors, Turkish gutters, some decorated in the Levantine fashion, edges to the roofs made of planks and Turkish-style chimneys. The roofs are covered in Spanish tiles with stones on top. They tend to feature wooden window frames and blinds. Often, we see a vine climbing up a modern balcony. On the sides of the homes we tend to find orange, lemon and almond trees within small gardens. The small streets are poor and irregularly shaped, except some which are sloped, rising up to the fortress, unpaved, and full of rubble from buildings in ruin.”
“Approximately half-way down the street [outside Porta Metropoli gateway in Hasaspia], to the left we find a fountain where we find the same water which eventually reaches the city. Next to it are the ruins of a mosque; the mihrab niche has been abandoned, and the interior is full of thorn bushes.
Datos proyecto Nixe III:
On the western side of the fortress, about mid way up, we see the fountain outside the walls just as the Archduke mentioned. We found this spot thanks to the large plane tree the Archduke included in his engraving. The tree is still there, though in our photo it’s partially covered by other vegetation. Very close to the fountain is an old hamam baths and the ruins of a mosque on the right.
Once back down, we notice that the western gateway in the walls is gone. We go to where it once was and take a photo of what we can now see: the walls climbing up the hill. The beach is very close by, and we take another image of the area around the wall itself.
We had dinner in a restaurant called Papoulis found on a small street to the east of the port. Here you can see a couple of the dishes we tried: feta cheese with oregano and olive oil, and grilled octopus.
Our stay in Lepanto, like in Corinth, has been spectacular. Here we can see one of its streets. We’re leaving with a marvelous feeling and the image again of the fortress and Lepanto’s fortress as seen from the sea.
Comparisson reports are under license of:
