* The city of Mystra, which you will visit, is located 5 km from Sparta. On the way, you will have a short stop at a cafe. Next, you will stop in Sparta at the monument to Leonid, after which you will head to Mystra. It was once a flourishing Byzantine city with churches, monasteries, palaces and aristocratic mansions, which was called Byzantine Pompeii. In order to avoid incursions by recalcitrant Greeks and Slavs, the ruler of the Achaean Principality ordered the construction of a fortress on a hill on a spur of Mount Taygetus, which has now become known as Mystra. The fortress was built to control the gorge connecting Laconia with Messenia. Currently, only its majestic ruins can be seen. Mystra is a unique monument. It is the only city in Byzantine Greece that has survived to the present day. It was a city where buildings were freely scattered along the slopes, in accordance with the interests of the builder and the inhabitant of the city. Two thousand buildings of Mystra form a picturesque ensemble interspersed with monasteries, churches and palaces. This is a unique ensemble of monuments from the Frankish, Byzantine and Ottoman periods, telling the story of Mystra in a unique way. The seven main churches of Mystra are a magnificent sight. All the buildings are built of stone and covered with tiled roofs. The architectural type of the churches of Mystra is very remarkable. In the city, as well as in the museum, all the main types of Greek church buildings adopted in the 11th and 12th centuries are represented. The architecture of Mystra's secular buildings is of exceptional importance. This is a great rarity. Mystra's artistic heritage is of the greatest value. Mystra was the cultural center of the Byzantine world, a hotbed of art and science. The best Byzantine scholars and theologians, descendants of the imperial houses, lived here. One of them was the famous Gemist Pliphon, who revived the ideas of the Greek philosopher Plato. The main attraction is the palace of the rulers of Mystra, the Palace of Despots, where the local rulers lived.