After Kato-Achaia the road turns into the plain of Elis. dominated by Castel Tornese standing sport ween the road and the sea. Built by Geoffrey de Villehardouin, prince of Achaia, in 1222, the hexagonal castle remains one of the finest examples of French medieval architecture in the Levant, the bailey, keep and vaulted gallery still intact. Originally called Clairmont-and the peasants continue to refer to it by the Hellenized version, Chlemoutsi-the present name derived from the Tournois coined there by the Frankish mint. Despite the formidable walls Castel Tornese failed in its main task: to protect the great port of the Morea, Glarenza, of which little remains after its destruction by Constantine Palaeologus, the last Byzantine emperor. His later misfortunes were believed to have originated in a curse he incurred for his treatment of Glarenza. A branch of the railway skirts the castle hill to the pretty hamlet of Kyllene, whence it is less than two hours by boat to the island of Zakynthos (Zante). A holiday-camp lies in the pine woods near a thermal establishment.
Andreville, now Andravida, on the main road, was the capital of the Frankish principality. The sad remains of the Gothic cathedral of St. Sophia are singularly depressive. Pyrgos' only claim to fame, besides frequent earthquakes, is as road and rail junction. The southern branch of the railway leads to Kaiapha, a charming watering place on an island in a lake,
I separated from the sea by sand dunes, which slope down to a splendid, lonely beach. The line continues along the gulf of Arcadia to Kyparissia, but despite the beautiful scenery the journey should only be undertaken by diesel-coach, as the steam train takes 5 hours for the 43 miles. Or sport ter still by car. Less good is the road southwest which passes through Andritsaena and Megalopolis, before turning south to Kalamata (Kalamai).