(PILOT) GLORIOUS GREECE: RIO CASTLE

We are hopping through time this week. We started at the Bronze Age foundation of the Athens Acropolis (link), through to the myths and legends dealing with the curse on the House of Cadmus, the subject of an entire cycle of plays retold by the tragedy playwrights of Athens' Golden Age (link). Our time machine is presently shooting us ahead into the Ottoman era and the fortress of Rio, located at the northern tip of the Rio peninsula in Achaea, at the entrance to the Corinthian Gulf near the modern Rio-Antirio Bridge (link). The fortress is also known as the Castle of the Morea or Castelli of Moria (link). Our guide is Eugenia (YouTube channel, website). Looking forward to exploring more interesting sites with her in the future!

Aug. 19, 2025 Travel the Greek Way: Is Rio Castle the Most Underrated Fortress in Greece?

The castle was constructed by Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II in 1499, built above the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Poseidon. The fortress was intended to protect the vital sea passage and was nicknamed the 'Little Dardanelles'.

Uniquely the fortress has a triangular shape and is protected on the landward side by a broad moat filled with seawater. It features two gates: a central landward gate and a sea gate.

The castle has undergone significant changes over the centuries, with major reconstructions carried out by the Venetians after they captured it in 1687 under Francesco Morosini.

The Venetians added new bastion towers and strengthened the ramparts, which gave it its current form. The Venetians also added the small chapel of the Life-giving Spring (Zoodochos Pigi) (link).

The castle changed hands multiple times: briefly captured by the Genoese under Andrea Doria in 1533, recaptured by the Ottomans, and then retaken by the Venetians in 1687. The Ottomans regained control in 1715 and held it until 1828, when they surrendered after a siege to French General Nicolas Joseph Maison.

After the Greek Revolutionary War of 1821 (link) the castle was repaired and handed over to the Greeks. It served as a military and later as a civilian prison for a considerable period.

During World War II, the Germans occupied the castle. In the Greek-Italian War, the Rio and Antirrio castles were linked by massive chains to block shipping through the Corinthian Gulf.

Today, the Rio Castle is used for cultural events, particularly concerts. It is managed by the Greek Ministry of Culture and is open to the public. 

The castle is situated near the Rio-Antirio Bridge (link) and the local ferry docks. The site is accessible from the port of Rio, adjacent to the bridge.

More on Kastrologos, Castles of Greece (link)

= More on Greece, Ottoman era, Venice -