Neapolis is the centre of the municipality of Vioi, alongside 33 other settlements. It has a population of approximately 8000 people and is located 130 kilometres from Sparti.
According to archaeological researches, the area has been inhabited since the Neolithic age. Via was a Mycenaean city, testified by several findings, the chambered tombs and other structures. The area was famous in the Classical age, when it belonged to Sparti. During the Peloponnesian war, the city was ravaged by the generals Nikias and Demosthenes, in 424 b.C. and 413 b.C. respectively. In 218 b.C. the city was destroyed by the King of the Macedonians, Philippos the C’. It was finally occupied by the Romans and joined with other cities to create the “Kinon of Lacedemonians”, thereafter called “Kinon of Eleftherolacones”. In 375 a.D. the city was obliterated by a very strong earthquake that strongly altered the geomorphology of the area, as several parts of the land sank into the sea. Deflation followed during the next centuries, limiting the inhabitants to agriculture and animal breeding. Many monasteries were built in the area of cape Maleas in the 12th century. In the 14th century the area devolved under the dominion of the Mistras area. Upon changing from Turkish control to Venetian hands in the 15th century, the area is renamed to Vatica. During the Greek revolution, the people of Via suffered strong afflictions, many participating in any way possible in the fight for freedom. The bay of Via served the Greek Fleet for its operations. The new city, Neapolis, was constructed between 1837 and 1844, constituting the capital city of the contemporary municipality of Via.
Sightseeing
Visit the ancient city near Neapolis - today, only ruins remain. Another sightseeing destination is the medieval castle of Agios Georgios. The beach opposite to Elafonissos island harbours the biotope of Strogili Limni (Circular Lake), a lagoon of special interest. Off the shores of Agios Georgios lies a sunken prehistoric city, of which you can still see chambered tombs through the water. To the East, heading towards Agia Marina and Korakas, lies a petrified forest dating back millions of years. This is a paleontological treasure of a kind rarely found anywhere across Europe. Visit the cave of Agios Andreas with 18 small and large chambers, a total length of 93 meters and a rich decoration of stalactites and stalagmites.
This hardly accessible headland is frequently battered by strong winds and has claimed many shipwrecks that haunt its depths. There is a road which leads to the lighthouse. It is a difficult dirt road of approximately 20 kilometres, with the last kilometres increasingly dangerous as the path veneers precariously along the cliff edge. For enthusiastic walkers, there are paths which simplify its access. At the tope of the headland lies a Venetian fortress (altitude 600 meters). Many monasteries were built in the area. For this reason the headland was also named “Mikro Agio Oros” (Small Holy Mountain). The two monasteries of cape Maleas are dedicated to Agia Irini and Agios Georgios.
