Kardamyli

Kardamyli (Greek: Καρδαμύλη, variously transliterated as Kardamyle, Cardamyle, Kardhamili, and Kardamili) is a village in Greece on the Mani Peninsula in the southern Peloponnese. It is the seat of the municipality of West Mani in the regional unit of Messenia. It was commonly labelled "Skardamoula" on older maps.

In the Iliad (Book 9), Homer cites Kardamyli as one of the seven cities offered by Agamemnon to Achilles as a condition to rejoin the fight during the Trojan War. The village preserves its ancient name.

The area has several beaches: Ritsa, Belogianni, Salio, Tikla, Megalo Amoni, Mikro Amoni, Masklimitsa. The older town includes a medieval castle and outworks. The imposing Church of Saint Spyridon in the fortified compound of the Mourtzinoi-Troupakis clan was constructed in the 18th century and re-uses some material of ancient and Byzantine origin. Many of the buildings of Old Kardamyli (Pano Kardamyli, or "Upper Kardamyli") were built by the Venetians and feature a mix of traditional Greek and Venetian design. Like that of many Maniot towns, Kardamyli's skyline is dominated by distinctive tower houses. Many were constructed by scions of the Nikliani clans, the mediaeval aristocracy of the Mani.

Kardamyli is a trailhead for many mountain paths, some of which lead to the peak of Mount Taygetus, known locally as Profitis Ilias, "Prophet Elias". Nearby is the Viros Gorge, with a total length of 20 km. The gorge is dry in summer but regularly floods in winter due to snowmelt and heavy rains. Kalamata, Oitylo, Areopoli and the Diros caverns are nearby.

The village of Kalamitsi just outside Kardamyli was the principal home of English writer Patrick Leigh Fermor and his wife Joan in his later years. He was made an honorary citizen of the village for his participation in the Greek Resistance during World War II.

The ashes of the writer Bruce Chatwin were scattered near a Byzantine chapel above the village in 1989.