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The Langadha pass , the sixty-kilometre route over the Taiyetos from Sparti to Kalamata , was the second ancient crossing after the Kaki Skala and is still the only paved road across the mountain. Remote and barren, with long uninhabited sections, it unveils a constant drama of peaks, magnificent at all times but startling at sunrise; sadly the pine forests have suffered extensive damage in the fires of 1998. This route was taken by Telemachus in the Odyssey on his way from Nestor's palace at Pylos to that of Menelaus at Sparta. It took him a day by chariot - good going by any standards, since today's buses take three hours. Heading from Sparti, the last settlement is TRYPI , 9km out, where there is one of the best tavernas in the Sparti area, Vozola , and a basic small hotel , the Keadas (tel 07310/98 222; ?24-33), open Easter to late autumn. Just beyond the village, the road climbs steeply into the mountains and enters the gorge of Langadha , a wild sequence of hairpins through the pines. To the north of the gorge, at the rock of Keadhas, the Spartans used to leave their sick or puny babies to die from exposure. Beyond the gorge, just before the summit of the pass, 22km from Sparti and 37km from Kalamata, the Canadas guesthouse (tel 07210/76 281; ?24-33) is built in the style of an alpine chalet, and is excellent value, with a restaurant that serves good bakaliaros (cod), loukaniko (sausage), smoked pork and bean soup. It's also a good place to sample mountain tea, made from the local herb sidheritis . At the pass , 3km further on and 125m higher at 1375m, is the ( Touristiko ) Taiyetou (tel 07210/76236; ?24-33) hotel and restaurant, also open all year. From here paths and tracks head off north and south along the mountain ridge. The first actual village on the Kalamata side is Artemisia , where you often have to change buses, before entering the Nedhondas gorge for the final zigzagging descent to Kalamata. There is basic accommodation here, in rooms above one of the cafes, but the Canadas and Touristiko Taiyetou are far better value for little more cost.
Taverna ArtemisiaGus G Stratton says "I highly recommend Taverna Artemisia, just beyond the village of Artemisia on the way to Kalamata, where the proprietors, Leonidas & Demetra Stroumbos , serve delicious Messinian cuisine in a charming rustic atmosphere with exquisite views of the valley. "
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