Syntagma Square

Introduction

Constitution Square (Syntagma Square) sits at the centre of Nafplio's old town in the Peloponnese of Greece, rated by many travel writers as the finest town square in the region. Historical weight: Nafplio was the first capital of the modern Greek state from 1829 to 1834, and this square was the centre of that capital. Like its namesake in Athens, the name commemorates the movement of September 1843 that won Greece its constitution. Before that it was Plane-tree Square, after the large plane tree that shaded its centre, under which, so the story goes, revolutionary generals once plotted; for a while it also carried a royal name honouring King Otto's family. Earlier still it was the administrative square of the Morea Pasha, the Ottoman governor's seat. Form: the marble paving you see today dates from 1980. The square is wide and ringed by arcaded buildings, with cafes, restaurants and shops one after another under the arcades, and by evening it fills with strollers, families, street vendors and live music. Three building groups matter most. On the west is the 1713 Venetian naval arsenal, the Lion of St Mark still over its gate, now the Archaeological Museum holding the Dendra panoply, among the oldest complete suits of armour known in Europe. On the east is the Trianon, originally an Ottoman mosque that then served as a Catholic church, a school, a theatre and the municipal cinema and is now a cultural venue. On the south is the Vouleftiko, also originally a mosque, converted in the 1820s into the chamber of the National Assembly, the first parliament of Greece. Two practical notes. The square itself is free, while the Archaeological Museum charges about 6 euros and is closed on Tuesdays, so avoid Tuesdays if you want it. On timing, early morning and mid-morning give the best light and the fewest people, while the evening is the liveliest window for the town's social rhythm. East along Staikopoulou Street you soon reach the church of St Spyridon, where on 27 September 1831 Greece's first president Kapodistrias was assassinated, the bullet holes still visible on the white plaster.

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