The Ghost Towns of Greece: Vathia

The jagged ruins of the village of Vathia, on the southernmost reaches of the Peloponnesian peninsula, make for a fierce skyline on a ridge overlooking the Ionian Sea. Its myriad tower houses are a testament to the clan war that raged here for over a century. These stone fortifications offer a glimpse into generations of hatred, paranoia, and violence between four feuding families. This bloody drama was set against the backdrop of some of the most breathtaking landscapes of Greece, and only the massive disruption of the second world war would put an end to it.

Though its abandonment was not total, few residents remain today. The echoes of their early morning conversations can profoundly unnerve a photographer who happens to be shooting in the abandoned adjacent tower mere feet away. These locals must be used to the likes of me by now, as Vathia is at least somewhat well known in Greece. The couple cafes along the main road and the nice hotel a bit further uphill would seem to cater to the trickle of tourists that come through town. We got up very early, got there just after sunrise, and were lucky enough to have this ghost town to ourselves.

Here’s the overlook from down the road where most people park when visiting.

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Vathia is a labyrinth of stone, cut through by narrow alleys that snake between the crumbling towers.

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The interiors were mostly stark, empty stone chambers.

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A whimsical exception was the so-called (by me) Bedroom in the Aerie. A bed and a bit of remaining floor hang from the wall of a vaulted top story room, and the steel cables show the efforts being made to slow this ghost town’s decay.

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There were still some more finished living spaces remaining. My guess is that these were the last to be abandoned by the 40’s. Of these, this sunlit bedroom might be one of my favorite shots of this trip.

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If you liked this post, well, you’re not gonna believe this shit. I saw so many ghost towns in Greece and have a metric shit ton of photos still to show you.
Soon.