OUR AREA

 
Our area

Elea or "Olive" village as everyone knows is an idyllic seaside village built on the southeastern edge of the Peloponnese in a beautiful aspect of the Laconian Gulf. It has beautiful, clean beaches ideal for swimming like Makris Gialos, Viandini, Tigania which ensure a peaceful, calm vacation to the holidaymakers.

It has a small picturesque harbor where its fishing boats give it a distinct color while the green breeze of the olive and orange trees creates a rare painting of a unique painter.

Tourist facilities, apartments and rooms to let, traditional cafes and taverns serve winter, summer tourists, holidaymakers and travelers.

 
 

About 350 inhabitants live in Elea. Most of them deal with winter crops and the harvest of olives and oranges, and in the summer months with fishing and tourism. There is a Kindergarten and Primary School for the younger children while the children of Gymnasium and Lyceum are attending the respective schools of Molai which are the capital of the Municipality and are approximately 9 km away from the village.

From Elea you can visit Monemvasia, Gerakas, Evangelistria Monastery, Elafonisos, Neapolis, Gythio and all the Laconian Mani.

 
History

Elea dates back to Mycenaean times. The ancient city was named VIANDINI and, as mentioned, the archaeologists have found earthen pots of the Early Helladic and Late Helladic period.

In the ancient times, the road connecting the ancient Elos, bypassing the main road of Sparta - Ep. Limeras and through Kokkinias (beginning Exkia) and Elia (beginning Viandini) ended up in Asopos. At the highest and the southern point of the area dominates the ruined Medieval Race Tower.

The newer history of the place began around 1875 - 1880. The first inhabitants were Pan / Morantzis and Katelanis, Maniates in origin. Morantzis settled in the small bay because he saw that the sea could offer life. There was also an olive tree where the rich Morantzis set up two or three iron tables and sold coffee to the guests and especially to the coaches that came to load and transport the colonies, fertilizers etc. to Molai.

So the coaches to drink a coffee and a water to quench say: Let's have a coffee in the Moranzi Olive. So this place was named Elia. The smart Morantzis, building his house on the beach, was building bathtubs and pumped the seawater, pumped it into boilers, and the women in the area were taking their baths. He did gold jobs. Subsequently, Polytimi Frantzescu (our lady mum) was imitated by Nikolina Tseseri and Mitsos Grevenitis.

Morantzis was the leader in building our Church. This work helped him significantly, Yannis Syrios, Yiannis Lembesis, Thanassis Tzanis and Spyros Delaramatikos. The latter was in possession of a red-haired red boat that was only drifting with four oars. So the seamen went to Elafonisos with the oars to bring the rocks (stones in the distance) to build the church, which then housed the first elementary school of the village with their first students: Antonis Katelanis (Prosecutor), K. Katelanis, G. Orfanakos, Dim. Giannakodemos (tax), Spyros Dellagramatika (guardian).

Slowly arrived from Mani and other families, such as Peter Koulizou Panagiotis Kourari and Kyriakoulis Giannarou. Petros Koulizos had a large boat with two storks carrying his children, transporting.

Another navigator was N. Lebessis, who carried on a gas-powered vessel Elia - Gytheio, and occupied 40 - 44 Elia - Piraeus transporting mainly figs and oils. Until 1937 the present harbor was a large boulder that was notoriously spilled mainly in front of the chapel "Demetrios", which was also the Lighthouse

In 1937 the port took its present form. Until 1940, the ship passed from Piraeus - Kythira - Gythio - Elia - Monemvasia from the village, and the passengers were boarding the boats and then on board. That is, it was a ravine alone, not a harbor.

Every summer, boats came and loaded thousands of figs, even bullets, loaded with figs for the outside. Most of the buildings on the beach had been turned into warehouses of figs, flours and fertilizers. Merchants from Kalamata arrived from August to September and made their purchases.

Around 1900, the village began to take over, as this rustic harbor became a center of goods and merchandise transport throughout the province. The road network was in a plightless state and nonexistent. The traffic in the harbor was very large. Small and bigger boats sailed to the port every day. As a result of this movement, Customs had the first Telonis the Mihalounakos from Kotrona, and a Maritime Workers' Association with P. Francesco President was organized. Big sailboats were coming and dragging boats back to them, workers came to Kokkinia to load a core.

Every morning, from spring until autumn, two seagulls left the trawls and the lamps in the harbor and went to Gythio their fish, and with the West of the sun they returned to Elia, to take trammellars and go to Bunga to stay alive fishing.

In this place people from different parts of the wider region and all of Greece, such as Kostas Terziotis from Velies, Kostas Panaritis from Koupias, Giannis Boudounis, Paikia, Elias Kyriakogonas and Nik. Koutrakos from Mani, Athanasius Syrian from Syria whose name was OSMAN OGLOU HASAN AGAS. He was baptized by Karadanis from Gythio and gave him the name of Thanasis and his surname kept his place of origin (SYRIOS) Two small clay processing crafts were in the village. With the clay they were making earthenware like wickets and water lutes for drums, e.g.

One was by Yiorgakis of Laina, who with his donkey turned all the province by selling his merchandise. The other was the Pontic Brothers. With the water supply and the appearance of the plastic, both crafts were made, and the improvement of the road network and the countless cars died in the harbor.

 
 
 
 
We are waiting for you

with joy we promise you moments of relaxation, carefree and warm hospitality
during your holiday in Laconia.