In this little tour the approach to the district of Argos starts in the south, at Arcadian Astros.
The little village of Mili is not far away.
Ten kilometers further north are the ruins of ancient Lerna, where Herakles is said to have killed the Hydra, a dragon with the body of a snake and nine heads.
Passing sometimes through valleys filled with vines and olive groves sometimes along the turquoise sea, the road leads to Nea Kios, a coastal town built at the back of the bay of Nafplio.
Tranquillity reigns on this sandy, shallow seashore.
Here on the last Sunday before Lent there is a festival with free food and wine.
The coast road continues on to Nauplia (Nafplio), capital of the prefecture and one of the loveliest towns in all Greece.
The old city with its neoclassic houses, picturesque streets, wooden balconies with cascading flowers, Turkish fountains, Constitution (Syntagma) Square with its fascinating mosques and outdoor cafe tables is like a fairy land.
Here, after centuries of struggle, happiness has finally settled. You feel like immersing yourself in its history, burrowing into its past -- the house of theRegent Mauer, the Military Academy, it operates as a military Museum, the Army Ministry, Greece's first high school, Parliament House, St. Spyridon's, the church where Kapodistrias, the first governor of Greece, was assassinated.
And the fairy tale world continues, whether you climb up the 857 steps to the Venetian fortress of Palamidi crowning the city, wander round the battlements of Acronafpia or pop over to the fortified islet, Bourtzi, afloat in the middle of the bay.
A new sight or sensation keeps coming across your path.
Nafplio is full of the joy of life: it is the nobility and calm found in Minoan frescoes; it is Syntagma Square, which strikes you as more gracious and delightful every time you see it; it is the little restaurants on the waterfront, the open-air cinemas, the bars and the music that every evening takes you closer to the people, the sea and the stars.
In Syntagma Square the Archaeological Museum, with its finds from various periods and frescoes from Mycenae (Mikines) and Assini, is housed in an imposing Venetian building, while the Folk Art Museum, on Vas. Alexandrou street, occupies a neoclassical house.
The first seaside village you meet on leaving Nafplio is Tolo, situated on a picturesque bay.
Its seafood taverns overlook the water.
You take a bite and inhale the salt breeze. You listen to the put-put of the little mortboats chugging over to the islet of Romvi opposite.
The more romantic travellers will want to head for Assini, which inspired one of Nobel prize-winning poet George Seferis' most beautiful poems.
A sheer rock at the water's edge adorned with remnants of the distant past.
Here stood the acropolis of ancient Assini mentioned by the first Greek poet, Homer.
Ten kilometers from Nafplio the road passes through the coastal village of Drepano, drenched in orange and lemon trees, and Vivari, with its ruinedVenetian castle. The view from here is enchanting.
Next the road leads on to the much frequented villages of Kandia and Salandi, winding up in Kilada, a peaceful fishing village at the head of a closed bay.
Just outside the village, one can see the large cave of Frahthi where mesolithic artefacts were found.
Not far from Kilada -- inland -- the farming town of Kranidi stands out, spread out over the hillside of Agia Anna.
The hill is sprinkled with Byzantine monasteries.
Seven kilometers after Kranidi the road leads to Porto Heli, a big summer resort on a closed protected bay with a natural harbour.
Brightly painted caiques and trawlers, little sailboats and motorboats repose in the harbour.
Customers at the seafood taverns are ordering fried and grilled fish, shrimp, octopus, and a big country salad.
At midday Porto Heli is humming with people.
The shouts and laughter mingle with the aromas wafting up from the coals.
It's perpetual festival for people who delight in this miracle of nature, the Argolid perfumed
by the sea, rich in fields, harbours and beaches; the Argolid with its translucent waters that reflect ancient and modern dreams; the Argolid, whose every village is a treat for the eye.
Kosta, Ermioni, Thermissia, Plepi, Metohi, and Galatas with the dozens of lemon trees.
The Argolid dream world. The first lights from the shores of the Saronic islands across the way appear in the twilight.
Taking the coast road north will bring you to lush Galata, just a stone's throw from the Argosaronic island of Poros.
The narrow strait that separates them is alive with small boats ferrying passengers between island and mainland.
Further north, at the almost spherical peninsula of Methana, lies the spa of that name, famous since antiquity for its hot sulphurous and saline springs.
Methana's waters are recommended in the treatment of dermatological, rheumatoid and neurological ailments.
Visitor to Methana will find ample accommodation as well as numerous taverns, restaurants, bars, discos and other facilities for tourists.
The crystalline sea and lovely beaches attract holidaymakers all summer long.
The town is linked year round with Piraeus by ferry and in summer by several hydrofoil Is (from Zea marina) per day.
This is the magical Argolid.
The first lights from the shores of the Saronic islands start twinkling in the dusk.