Let me tell you about life in this city of castles and sun

gogreekforaday
Jan 23
6 min read

Kalimera from Nafplio, the first capital of Greece.

Take a seat here on the balcony. The bougainvillea is blooming so wildly this year, it’s practically trying to join us for coffee. Can you smell the jasmine? It mixes with the salty air coming off the Argolic Gulf. It is a scent that, for me, defines home.

My name is Maria. I teach history and literature at the local high school, just a few blocks from here. It is a funny thing, teaching history in Nafplio. In other cities, history is something you read in a textbook. Here, I tell my students to look out the window. "See that fortress?" I say. "See that lion carved into the rock?" We don't just learn about the past here; we walk on it, we touch it, we live inside it.

Let me pour you a glass of water and tell you what it’s really like to live in this city of castles and sun.

A Life Between the Sea and the Stone

My day begins early, usually with the sound of church bells ringing from Agios Georgios. Nafplio is a city of light. The sun hits the limestone cliffs of the Palamidi fortress and reflects a golden glow that wakes up the whole town.

My morning commute is a walk through a painting. I live in the Old Town, so I navigate narrow alleyways paved with smooth marble stones, passing neoclassical mansions painted in ochre, soft pink, and Venetian red. I stop at my local fourno (bakery) for a koulouri (sesame bread ring). The baker, Kyrios Nikos, always asks about my students. "Are they behaving, Maria? Do they know who Kapodistrias was?" he jokes.

School life here is vibrant. Greek teenagers are loud, passionate, and full of life. After the final bell rings at 2:00 PM, the city shifts gears. We enter the sacred time of mesimeri—the quiet hours. I return home for lunch, usually something simple like gemista (stuffed tomatoes), and then, we rest. The shutters close. The city sleeps.

But the real magic happens in the evening. Around 7:00 PM, the "volta" begins. This is not just a walk; it is a social obligation. I dress up a little—we take pride in our appearance here—and walk along the waterfront promenade towards the lighthouse. I see my students, my neighbors, the shopkeepers. We nod, we chat, we gossip. We watch the sun dip behind the mountains of the Peloponnese, turning the sea purple. Then, we sit for a tsipouro and small plates of marinated anchovies. We don't rush. In Nafplio, rushing is considered bad manners.

Traditions We Hold Dear

We are proud of our heritage. We were the first capital, after all, and we maintain a certain nobility in our traditions.

The Venetian Carnival: While Patras has the loud, samba-style carnival, Nafplio remembers its Venetian past. During Apokries (Carnival season), our streets transform into 18th-century Venice. We don elaborate baroque costumes, white wigs, and velvet masks. There is a street theatre group that performs the "Commedia dell'arte." It is surreal and magical to see the town square filled with "Dogo" and "Contessa" figures dancing to waltzes under the moonlight. It connects us to the time when the Venetians ruled these waters.
The Epitaphios of the Alleys: Greek Easter is huge everywhere, but in Nafplio, Good Friday is hauntingly beautiful. The Epitaphios (the flower-adorned bier of Christ) processions from the different churches don't just stay in their parishes. They wind through the incredibly narrow, steep stairs and alleys of the old town. The choirs sing the lamentations, the candlelight flickers against the old stone walls, and eventually, they all meet at Syntagma Square. It feels like the whole city is one family mourning together, before the explosion of joy on Saturday night.
Making "Goges": This is a culinary tradition specific to the Argolida region. Goges are our local pasta, similar to gnocchi but made only with flour and water, shaped like small shells by rolling them on a thumb. On Sundays, my mother still calls me over to help roll them. It takes hours. We sit, we roll, we talk. Then we boil them and burn them with hot olive oil and local myzithra cheese. It is the taste of grandmothers, simple and filling.

The Art of the Hand

Nafplio attracts artists. Maybe it is the light, maybe the history. But we have crafts that are deeply rooted in our identity.

Komboloi Making (Worry Beads): Nafplio is the unofficial capital of the komboloi. We even have the world’s only Komboloi Museum. But it’s not just for display. Local artisans sit in small workshops threading beads of amber, coral, and bone. To a local, a komboloi is not a toy; it is an instrument of relaxation. The sound of the beads clicking is the soundtrack of our cafes. The best craftsmen can tell you the "song" each material makes.
Leather Sandal Crafting: Inspired by ancient Greek styles, there are several workshops in the old town where leather is cut and sewn by hand. These aren't mass-produced tourist items; they are measured to your foot. The smell of raw leather permeates certain streets. The artisans use techniques passed down for generations to create sandals that last for years, molding perfectly to the foot the more you walk on our marble streets.
Loom Weaving: In the backstreets, you can still find women working on traditional wooden looms. They weave thick, colorful rugs and bags using patterns from the Peloponnese folklore. It is a rhythmic, hypnotic sound—clack, swish, clack. These weavers keep the geometric designs of our ancestors alive, using wool dyed in colors that match our landscape: olive green, sea blue, and earth brown.

Where the Heart of the City Beats

If you visit my city, you must visit these five places. Not just to see them, but to feel them.

The Palamidi Fortress: Yes, it is a tourist site, but for us, it is a symbol. We challenge each other to climb the 999 steps (though truth be told, it’s closer to 913). The view from the top, looking down at the red tiled roofs and the blue bay, gives you perspective. It’s where I go when I need to clear my head.
The Arvanitia Promenade: This is a pedestrian path that hugs the coastline at the base of the cliffs, connecting the harbor to Arvanitia beach. On one side, you have towering rocks with prickly pears; on the other, the open sea. It is the most romantic walk in Greece. Walking here at sunset is non-negotiable.
Syntagma Square: This is our living room. The floor is polished marble, and it is surrounded by historic buildings like the Archaeological Museum and the Trianon (which was a mosque, then a church, then a cinema). Children play soccer while parents drink coffee. It is the center of our universe.
The Bourtzi: The fortress floating in the middle of the harbor. You take a small boat to get there. It used to be an executioner's retirement home, believe it or not! Now, looking back at Nafplio from the Bourtzi gives you the best view of the city’s layout. It stands like a guardian in the water.
Antica Gelateria di Roma: I must include this. While Italian, it has become a Nafplio institution. Owned by an Italian family who moved here years ago, getting a gelato here and walking around the square is a ritual for every local, young or old. It represents the cosmopolitan flair our city has always had.

Why I Will Never Leave

I lived in Athens for my studies. I was stressed, I ran for buses, I breathed exhaust. When I returned to Nafplio, I breathed again.

I love this destination because it is a "stage set" that is actually real. It is incredibly beautiful, yes—sometimes so beautiful it hurts—but it is not a museum exhibit. It is a working town. I love that I can buy fresh fish from the boat in the morning and attend a classical music concert in a Venetian fortress in the evening.

I love the safety here. I love that my students walk home alone at night without fear. I love that we are mainlanders with an island mentality. We have the sophistication of the city but the warmth of a village. Nafplio doesn't ask you to change your pace; it gently forces you to slow down until your heartbeat matches the rhythm of the waves hitting the harbor walls.

Advice from the First Capital

Life can be difficult. The economic crisis hit us, personal struggles happen. But if you ask a local how to handle it, we will point to the Palamidi.
You cannot run up the 999 steps. If you try, you will collapse before you reach the halfway point. You must take them one by one. You stop, you catch your breath, you look at the view to remember why you are climbing, and then you take the next step.
This is our philosophy: Siga, siga (Slowly, slowly).
And also, we believe in the power of the volta. When you have a problem, do not sit inside your house and stare at the wall. Go out. Walk by the sea. Let the vastness of the water remind you that your problem, no matter how big, is small compared to the horizon.
We Greeks say, "Exo kardia" (Have a heart/courage). In Nafplio, we add: have a heart, but also have a good pair of shoes, a good friend, and the patience of the stone that built our walls. The wind will change, the sea will calm. Until then, we walk.