« It was still dark when we left Modon: it was like wandering through the wilds of America: the same solitude, the same silence. We passed through groves of olive-trees on our way south. At daybreak we found ourselves on the flat tops of the most arid mountains I have ever seen. »
– Chateaubriand, Itinerary from Paris to Jerusalem
Methoni (Μεθώνη), sometimes called Mothone, Modon or Methone, occupies a privileged location in the north of the Oenusses Islands which has surely earned it its eventful history, the most apparent evidence of which are the remains of the Venetian citadel. Methoni is today a large, rather peaceful village of 2,500 inhabitants, which lives mainly from tourism and agriculture. It benefits from a small port and a long beach along the bay. The citadel is worth a visit, as certain elements have been preserved, in particular most of the fortifications. The fort (“Bourtzi”) located on an islet at the southern tip is a delight for photographers.
