Explore Palamidi a fortress in the town of Nafplio in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece. It is on the top of a 216-metre high hill, built by the Venetians.  The fort of the Palamidi, which has been preserved in excellent condition, is one of the greatest achievements of Venetian fortification architecture.

The fortress was a very large and ambitious project, but was finished within a relatively short period from 1711 until 1714. In 1715 it was captured by the Turks and remained under their control until 1822, when it was captured by the Greeks.

There are eight bastions of the fortress.

Palamidi is a huge and impressive, well-maintained and probably the best castle in Greece.

The fortress ideally located and has an impressive view over the Gulf, the city of Nafplio and the surrounding country. There are 913 steps in the winding stair from the town to the fortress. However, to reach the top of the fortress there are over one thousand. Locals in the town of Nafplion will say there are 999 steps to the top of the castle.

The most important monuments of the site are:

– The Castle. Venetian defensive structure dated to the beginning of the 18th century. It consists of eight bastions surrounded by walls. A long stairway reinforced with small battlements starts at the foot of the NW slope and leads up to the fortress on the top of the hill.

– The church of St. Andrew, built in one of the bastions of the fortress. It is a barrel-vaulted church with the eastern half built under one of the arches supporting the walls. Its free-standing part is two-aisled.

– The prison of Kolokotronis. One of the bastions, the so-called “Miltiades”, was used as the prison cell of Theodoros Kolokotronis, a hero of the Greek Revolution.

Bourtzi Castle is a Venetian water castle meaning tower located in the middle of the harbor of Nafplio.  It is believed to be the first Greek prison.