Areopoli . . . Areopoli (Greek: Αρεόπολη; before 1912 Τσίμοβα, Tsimova) is a town on the Mani Peninsula, Laconia, Greece. The word Areopoli became the official name in 1912. It was the seat of Oitylo municipality. The Greek War of Independence was started at Areopoli on March 17, 1821 by Petros Pierrakos, also known as Petros Mavromichalis, the last bey of Mani. Now Areopoli has grown into a flourishing town. Its tower houses, constructed with field stones, are distinct from the traditional blue and white buildings that characterize many Greek villages. Areopoli is located about 80 kilometres south of Kalamata at an altitude of 255 metres on a plateau between the Messinian Gulf (Messiniakos Kolpos) and the Taygetos Mountains. With 888 inhabitants (2011), Areopoli is the largest village in western Mani. It lies on the border between Outer Mani (Éxo Mani), which extends from Areopoli to just before Kalamata, and Inner Mani (Méssa Mani), as the area south of Areopoli to Cape Tainaron is called. At this point, the Taygetos is relatively flat and therefore offers a relatively convenient route to the east, to the port city of Gythio. This pass was secured in Turkish times by the fortress of Kelefá. Areopoli probably received the name "Ares City" in honour of Ares, the god of war. A monument to the freedom fighter Petros Mavromichalis (1765-1848), whose powerful family resided in Mani for centuries, was erected in the market square. He raised the flag of Mani here on the historic Church of the Archangels on 17 March 1821 together with other Maniites (with a blue cross and the slogan ΝΙΚΗ Ή ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ "Victory or Death"), thus giving a starting signal for the Greek struggle for freedom. The port of Areopoli is Limeni with the family seat of the Mavromichalis, which today serves as a museum for the customs of the Mani. The town is characterised by the residential towers typical of the peninsula and by churches worth seeing and is a listed building. About seven kilometres south of Areopoli lies the dripstone cave at Pyrgos Dirou (Greek Σπήλαια του πύργου διρού), the most visited sight in the Mani. An underground boat ride takes visitors into the effectively illuminated cave system.        Churches of Panagia and Agios Charalambos                                            Church of the Archangels     Petros Mavromichalis                              Cave at Pyrgos Dirou