MANTINEIA
Ancient Mantineia still has remains from a tower, walls, theater and square, not worth a long detour, but have a look if you're in the vicinity. Not so when it comes to the building just across the road, it's clearly unique and worth a visit. The church of Agia Fotini has no rivals when it comes to eclectic appearance.
At first glance, the church may look old, but it was completed in 1973. The architect, Konstantinos Papatheodorous, has played with elements of ancient times, traditional Greek architecture and Byzantine churches, to name a few. Study all the unexpected details, both inside and outside the church.
Near the church there are also two other structures, Iroon that honour all who came from the area and fought in wars, as well as Jacob's well, which has roots in the Bible history. An exciting area to visit!
The eclectic church, a lovely cave
Mantineia is located in Arkadia County,
about 60 km from Nafplio. You need a car to travel there.
The picture below left shows a part of of Ancient Mantineia, Iroon is depicted below.
Not only that, the Kapsia cave is just a few kilometers away, with stalagmites, stalactites and small water ponds. You'll walk through the cave with a guide who, in English or Greek, talks about the cave and its long history, and it's so beautiful in there that it almost takes your breath away! Outside the cave you can also see a sink hole (the picture below), where the water from the mountains flows down to the church in Kefalari.
Want to see more in this area? Visit the busy county capital Tripoli or the mountain villages of Stemnitsa and Dimitsana.