Koita (, before 1940: Κίττα - ''Kitta'') is a village in the Mani peninsula,

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia (, , ) is a historical and Administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti (municipality), Sparta. The word ...

, Greece. It is part of the municipal unit of

Oitylo Oitylo (), known as "Βίτσουλο", pronounced Vitsoulo, in the native Maniot dialect, is a village and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local ...

. It is built on top of a hill, overlooking the sea. Koita is known for its many

Maniot The Maniots () or Maniates () are an ethnic Greeks, Greek subgroup that traditionally inhabit the Mani Peninsula; located in western Laconia and eastern Messenia, in the southern Peloponnese, Greece. They were also formerly known as Mainotes, an ...

pyrgoi (war towers). Partially abandoned, much of the population left between

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and today. It was the scene of Mani's last vendetta, in 1870 which required the intervention of the army, with artillery to halt it. It is among the oldest villages in Mani, being mentioned in the

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

as "Messes", a village in

Menelaus In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; ) was a Greek king of Mycenaean (pre- Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', the Trojan war began as a result of Menelaus's wife, Helen, fleeing to Troy with the Trojan prince Paris. Menelaus was a central ...

' kingdom. Population 290 (2021).

Subdivisions

The community of Koita consists of the main village Koita and the smaller villages Agios Georgios, Ano Gardenitsa, Archia, Kalonioi, Kato Gardenitsa, Kechrianika, Nomia and Psi.

References

Populated places in the Mani Peninsula East Mani Populated places in Laconia {{Peloponnese-geo-stub

Subdivisions

See also

References