The twin fortresses at Koróni and Methóni were the Venetians' oldest and longest-held possessions in the Peloponnese: strategic outposts on the route to Crete and known through the Middle Ages as "the eyes of the Serene Republic", when it was also noted for the manufacture of siege-engines. Today they shelter two of the more attractive small resorts in the south.

 

Public transport around the Messinian peninsula has improved of late and there are good connections between Kalamáta and Koróni, or Pylos, with several buses a day from Pylos to Methóni and Finikoúnda. Direct connections between Methóni and Koróni are still elusive, although a new fast road has been built connecting the two in season (usually early morning and late afternoon), one or two buses a day on the Kalamáta-Koróni route continue to Finikoúnda. If moving on from Koróni to Pylos, you can change from the Koróni-Kalamáta bus to the Kalamáta-Pylos bus at the café at Rizómylos junction.