Pylos, historically known with the Venetian-Italian name Navarino, is a seaside town, which is administratively governed by the Municipality of Pylos - Nestoros and is located to the west of the Prefecture of Messinia. Pylos had 2,345 inhabitants. The modern town of Pylos is located in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese, next to the Ionian coast. Port of Pylos is also an important shipping center of the western region of Messinia with upward commercial and passenger / tourist development. Due to the narrow form of the island of Sfaktiria which "closes" the bay of Navarino, also known as the Gulf of Pylos, which acts as a natural breakwater, the Navarino Bay and the port of Pylos is considered as one of the safest anchorages in Mediterranean. A well known Tourist Destination! Near the town of Pylos there are the towns of Kyparissia, Filiatra, Gargaliani and Chora, to the north, at distances of about 52, 36, 25 and 22.5 km respectively, while to the south and south-east there are the towns Methoni and Koroni, at a distance of approximately 11 and 40 km, respectively.
Pylos has a long history, which goes hand in hand with the history of the Peloponnese. Its beginning is lost in the depths of prehistory, since it was inhabited since the Neolithic era. According to Greek mythology, it was founded by the eponymous hero Pylos or King Nileas and was originally called Koryfassion, from Cape Koryfassion, on which it was built. During the Homeric years, Homer refers to the capital of the kingdom of Nestor, which was one of the important kingdoms of Mycenaean Greece, according to the archaeological finds of the palace, known as the Nestor Palace, which is associated with the Nestor, king of Pylos, as mentioned in Homer's Iliad. Later the area was enslaved from Ancient Sparta along with the rest of Ancient Messinia. During the Classical era, the site of the ancient Mycenaean city was now uninhabited, but in its area the Naval Battle of Pylos was made in 425 BC during the Peloponnesian War.
