Agios Nikolaos
Agios Nikolaos (3.5 km south of Stoupa) is a fishing village of Exo Mani (Messinian Mani), with neoclassical houses and stone mansions that preserve the traditional Mani style. He combines maniacal features with an island physiognomy.[2]
It used to be called Selinitsa. According to one version, the name of the village comes from the Slavic word selo=village, selinitsa=small village. On the small beach of Malsova (Pantazi) of Agios Nikolaos, with its fine sand, next to the mouth of the river Pamisos, lies the ancient Pefnos and opposite it the islet of the same name where, according to legend, the Dioskouri were born.
In recent decades, Agios Nikolaos has managed to develop the tourism sector.
At the entrance of the village dominates the Gerakaris Artillery, which was built by the leader of the Hittites in Mani, Stavros Gerakaris. Also, the Ministry of Culture has classified the building owned by Grigorio Skalkeas as a historical preserved monument,[3][4] an important monument for the study of the history of the architecture of the area. The churches of Agios Myron and Agios Nikolaos – Holy Church of the Ascension of Christ, from where the village got its name, are noteworthy. The village has a Kindergarten, Port Station and Health Center.[5] West of the village stands a 5 meter lighthouse.
Agios Nikolaos remains faithful to tradition in terms of its aesthetics to this day, with the term “fishing village” describing exactly what you will see when you arrive on its grounds. The locals “gift” their fish every day to the catering entrepreneurs who have succeeded in delighting travelers with the flavors and quality of their dishes. Everything there is homemade and “by hand” – as you will hear the locals say.
You will eat very fresh fish, shrimps, squids and stews that smell like mom’s kitchen, as the cooks insist on “secrets” that they learned from their grandmothers, giving us unique flavors. The moussakas, the stuffed dishes and the dishes of the day have their due, with many tavernas suggesting that you also try the traditional lalangias and ladokoulouras that are taking off in the villages of Mani.
