Kalamata in the context of "Greek National Road 9"

Messenia or Messinia (/məˈsiːniə/ mə-SEE-nee-ə; Greek: Μεσσηνία [mesiˈni.a]) is a regional unit (perifereiaki enotita) in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a prefecture (nomos) covering the same territory. The capital and largest city of Messenia is Kalamata.

Avia (Greek: Αβία, Ancient Greek: ἡ Ἀβία) is a village and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality West Mani, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 179.828 km. The seat of the municipality was in Kampos. Avia is a popular tourist destination. It also has a large olive production. Avia is situated on the east coast of the Messenian Gulf, southeast of Kalamata, southwest of Sparta and northwest of Kardamyli.

The Messenian Gulf (Greek: Μεσσηνιακός Κόλπος, Messiniakós Kólpos) is a sea that is part of the Ionian Sea. The gulf is circumscribed by the southern coasts of Messenia and the southwestern coast of the Mani peninsula in Laconia. Its bounds are Venetiko Island to the west and Cape Tainaron to the southeast. The western shores are mostly low-lying, fertile and well-developed, while the eastern shore is dominated by the southern foothills of the Taygetos and comparatively rocky and inaccessible, with few settlements.

The Pamisos River flows into the gulf near the port city of Kalamata, which is the gulf's major urban centre.

Mount Ithome (Greek: Ἰθώμη) or Ithomi, previously Vourkano(s) (Greek: Βουρκάνο(ς)) or Voulcano(s) (Greek: Βουλκάνο(ς)), is the northernmost of twin peaks in Messenia, Greece. Mount Ithome rises to about 800 metres (2,600 feet), about 760 metres (2,490 feet) over Valyra, the seat of Ithomi, the former municipality. The other peak is Mount Eva (Greek: Εύα), 700 metres (2,300 feet), connected to Mount Ithomi by a thin ridge 0.80 kilometres (0.50 miles) long.

Mount Ithome is 25 kilometres (16 miles) north of Kalamata on the Gulf of Messenia, 60 kilometres (37 miles) east of Pylos, seat of Bronze Age Messenia, and 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Messini, modern namesake of ancient Messene, nestled under the cliffs of Mount Ithome. From the top the whole valley of the Pamisos river can be viewed eastward to Mount Taygetus and southward to the Gulf of Messenia. The site is highly defensible and yet off the main road; in this case, the Kalamata-Pylos road.

William of Villehardouin (French: Guillaume de Villehardouin; Kalamata, c. 1211 – 1 May 1278) was the fourth prince of Achaea in Frankish Greece, from 1246 to 1278. The younger son of Prince Geoffrey I, he held the Barony of Kalamata in fief during the reign of his elder brother Geoffrey II. William ruled Achaea as regent for his brother during Geoffrey's military campaigns against the Greeks of Nicaea, who were the principal enemies of his overlord, the Latin Emperor of Constantinople Baldwin II. William succeeded his childless brother in the summer of 1246. Conflicts between Nicaea and Epirus enabled him to complete the conquest of the Morea in about three years. He captured Monemvasia and built three new fortresses, forcing two previously autonomous tribes, the Tzakones and Melingoi, into submission. He participated in the unsuccessful Egyptian crusade of Louis IX of France, who rewarded him with the right to issue currency in the style of French royal coins.

In the early 1250s, William was the most powerful ruler of Frankish Greece. Most neighboring Frankish rulers acknowledged his suzerainty. In 1255, he laid claim to the northern terziere, or third, of the Lordship of Negroponte on the island of Euboea. Although the two other rulers of Negroponte were his vassals, they rejected his claim. They gained the support of Venice, Guy I de la Roche, Lord of Athens, and other Frankish rulers. The conflict developed into a war of succession that caused much destruction in Euboea and mainland Greece. After William's victory in Attica in May 1258, Guy and his allies surrendered. Guy was tried for his disloyalty but was allowed to keep his Achaean fiefs.

Greek National Road 7 (Greek: Εθνική Οδός 7, abbreviated as EO7) is a single carriageway with at-grade intersections in the Peloponnese region in southern Greece. It connects the cities of Corinth and Kalamata, via Nemea, Argos, Tripoli and Megalopoli. It has been succeeded in importance by the A7 motorway (Corinth–Tripoli–Kalamata).

Petalidi (Greek: Πεταλίδι) is a village and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Messini, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 104.970 km. Petalidi is situated on the western shore of the Messenian Gulf, 14 km southwest of Messini, 20 km southwest of Kalamata and 25 km east of Pylos. The road Greek National Road 82 (Pylos – Kalamata) passes through the north of the municipal unit. Its population is 1,203 inhabitants, while the municipal unit has 2,555 residents (2021).

Petalidi is a touristic place in Messinia, visited mostly in summer months. Landmarks of the village are: The central square with the Church of Agios Nikolaos, the seafront, the lighthouse, the park on the port, the fount of Liar (η βρύση του ψεύτη in Greek) and the football field beside the sea.

Kavasila (Greek: Καβάσιλα, also Καβάσιλας) is a village in the municipal unit of Gastouni, Elis, Greece. Its population is around 1,200. It is situated in a flat rural area, on the right bank of the river Pineios, at about 20 metres (66 ft) elevation. It is 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) northwest of Lefkochori, 2 kilometres (1 mi) east of Kardiakafti, 3 kilometres (2 mi) south of Andravida and 3 kilometres (2 mi) northeast of Gastouni. Kavasila had a train station on the line from Patras to Kalamata via Pyrgos. A branch line to Vartholomio and Kyllini was shut down around 2001. The Greek National Road 9 (Patras - Pyrgos) passes east of the village.