The village of Petalidi is 26 kilometres after Kalamata, and is a touristic destination of Messinia. It is built near the Homeric city of Aipeia, in a natural inlet with a unique horseshoe shape, which in Greek is “petalo” and the city’s namesake. The area’s archaeological findings are kept in the Museum of Kalamata and prove it was inhabited since ancient times. Pausanias, the great historian and traveller, mentions that he visited the area in 150 BC, calling it Aipeia, mentioned by Homer as one of the cities Agamemnon gave to Achilles as a dowry of his daughter. In the classical cities it was named Koroni.
Petalidi is a perfect sample of Mediterranean seaside settlement, with its olive groves and fig trees that surround it and give it a unique charm. The beach, also named Petalidi, is right before the village’s little port, and has thick pebbles. The visitor can also enjoy the Byzantine churches dedicated to Zoodochos Pigi (Lifegiving Spring) and Agios Nikolaos.
The village has been touristically improved in recent years, satisfying every need of the visitor with hotels, rooms to let and organised camping areas.