Uncover the secrets and history of the region of Mani, Greece
Máni, Greece.
Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz
Transcript
NARRATOR: Mani - a region in the southern part of the Peloponnese peninsula - one full of secrets and a past as wild as that of the American west. For centuries an autonomous people, the Maniots were known for fighting tooth and nail and being at constant odds with one another. In these parts, an insult was grounds for murder. Although it's been ages since the Maniots have seen this kind of bloodshed, a great number of tower houses and defense towers still stand tall.
Areopoli, Mani's largest town, is beginning to wake up. The people here, who now live in peace, keep the ancient tower houses looking nice for visitors. Helping us uncover the secrets of these towers is Uta Müller, a German who has been living here for the last 18 years.
UTA MÜLLER: "I remember being struck by how self sufficient the people who live here are. And I thought to myself, ‘I can live that way.'"
NARRATOR: A treasure hunt in the heart of Greece, although not much seems to be left from the age of Mani's non-stop feuding.
MÜLLER: "These are the remains of an old Maniot rifle."
NARRATOR: The Maniot men fought each other with weapons like these, often over things that today lie forgotten in the dust.
MÜLLER: "This is an old coin. It is very old, in fact, from 1878."
NARRATOR: Still, the secrets of Mani go far beyond those of the tower houses - far beneath in fact. Two hundred meters deep in the Earth lie the stalactite caves of Diros. We set out on a small boat to explore the labyrinthine corridors of this underground Venice. It's a spooky, yet altogether fascinating voyage, and a voyage full of stalagmites and stalactites that have been growing for millions of years.
MÜLLER: "It takes a hundred years for pasta thin stalactites, the ones that hang to grow a single centimeter."
NARRATOR: It's known as being one of the most beautiful caves of its kind in all of Europe. We are only able to see a small section of it since most of it has yet to be explored and is closed to the public.
MÜLLER: "This part of the cave is often referred to as the golden rain drops, because a little droplet of water glistens at the tip of every stalactite."
NARRATOR: The 40 minutes we spend here seem to pass in the blink of an eye. We make our way to the cave's exit and bid farewell to the mysterious Mani peninsula.
Areopoli, Mani's largest town, is beginning to wake up. The people here, who now live in peace, keep the ancient tower houses looking nice for visitors. Helping us uncover the secrets of these towers is Uta Müller, a German who has been living here for the last 18 years.
UTA MÜLLER: "I remember being struck by how self sufficient the people who live here are. And I thought to myself, ‘I can live that way.'"
NARRATOR: A treasure hunt in the heart of Greece, although not much seems to be left from the age of Mani's non-stop feuding.
MÜLLER: "These are the remains of an old Maniot rifle."
NARRATOR: The Maniot men fought each other with weapons like these, often over things that today lie forgotten in the dust.
MÜLLER: "This is an old coin. It is very old, in fact, from 1878."
NARRATOR: Still, the secrets of Mani go far beyond those of the tower houses - far beneath in fact. Two hundred meters deep in the Earth lie the stalactite caves of Diros. We set out on a small boat to explore the labyrinthine corridors of this underground Venice. It's a spooky, yet altogether fascinating voyage, and a voyage full of stalagmites and stalactites that have been growing for millions of years.
MÜLLER: "It takes a hundred years for pasta thin stalactites, the ones that hang to grow a single centimeter."
NARRATOR: It's known as being one of the most beautiful caves of its kind in all of Europe. We are only able to see a small section of it since most of it has yet to be explored and is closed to the public.
MÜLLER: "This part of the cave is often referred to as the golden rain drops, because a little droplet of water glistens at the tip of every stalactite."
NARRATOR: The 40 minutes we spend here seem to pass in the blink of an eye. We make our way to the cave's exit and bid farewell to the mysterious Mani peninsula.