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The Vatheia is impressive rise of a landscape which anyway is renowned for its uniqueness. As visitors catch the edge of the charm of the landscape of Mani Areopolis traveling between castles, old churches, traditional villages and playful sea and the dry mountains, after Alice feels that with the continent ends here the enjoyment. Mani, however, the reserves as a surprise to the more powerful image. In one of the many turns of the road revealed the profound, built in a prominent position as the top of the acropolis hill. The towers, houses, churches, the olive presses some 150 buildings, the streets and Rougas squeezed to fit all the small plateau of the summit, overlooking the one polyschimi the coast and the other dry, wild mountains. The Vatheia is understood that the peak for centuries. The historical sources speak about it from the mid-16th century. Today's settlement was formed after the hill above the 18th century, flourished in the 19th and began to decline from the early 20th century. In the 19th century the settlement had about 300 residents who were actively engaged in basic grain cultivation, animal husbandry, hunting and piracy! In the late 19th century turned to the cultivation of olives in the village and erected four olive presses. From the first decades of this century began the exodus of residents to the cities, so in 1979 in the traditional village was only 11 residents, mostly solitary elderly women, living a difficult life, cut off and deprived of everything, surrounded by ruins, abandonment and memories. Electricity arrived there in 1980. Proceedings of the profound was an abandoned village. Tourism, however, had already hit the door of «In villages» of Mani and the EOT restore life in the settlement anastilonontas and transforming hostels into many buildings, with full respect for the traditional fervor. Thus the profound is not just a beautiful painting, which the visitor can enjoy only visually, but can live already. Ask room in the reception area which is one of the old preserved olive presses, to stay in one of the nine towers reconditioned guest to enjoy the lovely views, lunch or a coffee in the loggia, to be crossed in a alley with a typical Mani figure that drags the donkey, to cease all contact with the busy modern world.

Ç ÂÜèåéá åßíáé ç åðéâëçôéêüôåñç Ýîáñóç åíüò ôïðßïõ ôï ïðïßï ïýôùò Þ Üëëùò öçìßæåôáé ãéá ôç ìïíáäéêüôçôÜ ôïõ. Êáèþò ï åðéóêÝðôçò ðéÜíåé ôçí Üêñç ôçò ãïçôåßáò ôïõ ìáíéÜôéêïõ ôïðßïõ áðü ôçí Áñåüðïëç êáé ôáîéäåýåé áíÜìåóá óå ðýñãïõò, ðáëéÝò åêêëçóßåò, ðáñáäïóéáêïýò ïéêéóìïýò êáé óôá ðáé÷íéäßóìáôá ôçò èÜëáóóáò êáé ôùí îåñþí âïõíþí, ìåôÜ ôçí ¶ëéêá Ý÷åé ôçí áßóèçóç üôé ìáæß ìå ôçí çðåéñùôéêÞ Åõñþðç ôåëåéþíåé åäþ êáé ç áðüëáõóÞ ôïõ.
Ç ÌÜíç üìùò ôïõ åðéöõëÜóóåé ùò Ýêðëçîç ôçí ðéï äõíáôÞ åéêüíá ôçò. Óå êÜðïéá áðü ôéò ðïëëÝò óôñïöÝò ôïõ äñüìïõ áðïêáëýðôåôáé ç ÂÜèåéá, êôéóìÝíç óå ðåñßïðôç èÝóç óáí áêñüðïëç óôçí êïñõöÞ ôïõ ëüöïõ. Ïé ðýñãïé, ôá óðßôéá, ïé åêêëçóßåò, ôá ëéïôñßâéá êÜðïõ 150 êôßóìáôá, ôá óïêÜêéá êáé ïé ñïýãåò óôñéìþ÷íïíôáé ãéá íá ÷ùñÝóïõí üëá óôï ìéêñü ðëÜôùìá ôçò êïñõöÞò, Ý÷ïíôáò èÝá áðü ôç ìßá ôçí ðïëýó÷çìç áêôÞ êáé áðü ôçí Üëëç ôá îåñÜ, Üãñéá âïõíÜ.
Ç ÂÜèåéá Ý÷åé êáôáëÜâåé áõôÞ ôçí êïñõöÞ åäþ êáé áéþíåò. Ïé éóôïñéêÝò ðçãÝò ìéëïýí ãé' áõôÞí áðü ôá ìÝóá ôïõ 16ïõ áéþíá. Ï óçìåñéíüò ïéêéóìüò äéáìïñöþèçêå óôïí ëüöï êõñßùò ìåôÜ ôïí 18ï áéþíá, Þêìáóå ôïí 19ï êáé Üñ÷éóå íá öèßíåé áðü ôéò áñ÷Ýò ôïõ 20ïý áéþíá. Ôïí 19ï áéþíá ï ïéêéóìüò åß÷å 300 ðåñßðïõ êáôïßêïõò ïé ïðïßïé åß÷áí ùò áó÷ïëßåò ôç óôïé÷åéþäç êáëëéÝñãåéá äçìçôñéáêþí, ôçí êôçíïôñïößá, ôï êõíÞãé áëëÜ êáé ôçí ðåéñáôåßá!!!
Óôá ôÝëç ôïõ 19ïõ áéþíá óôñÜöçêáí ðñïò ôçí êáëëéÝñãåéá ôçò åëéÜò êáé óôïí ïéêéóìü óôÞèçêáí ôÝóóåñá ëéïôñßâéá. Áðü ôéò ðñþôåò äåêáåôßåò ôïõ áéþíá ìáò Üñ÷éóå ç öõãÞ ôùí êáôïßêùí ðñïò ôéò ðüëåéò êáé Ýôóé ôï 1979 ìÝóá óôïí ðáñáäïóéáêü ïéêéóìü áðÝìåéíáí ìüíï 11 êÜôïéêïé, êõñßùò ìïíá÷éêÝò çëéêéùìÝíåò ãõíáßêåò, íá æïõí ìéá æùÞ äýóêïëç, áðïêïììÝíïé êáé óôåñçìÝíïé áðü ôá ðÜíôá, ôñéãõñéóìÝíïé áðü åñåßðéá, åãêáôÜëåéøç êáé áíáìíÞóåéò. Ôï çëåêôñéêü ñåýìá Ýöèáóå åêåß ôï 1980.

ÐñáêôéêÜ ç ÂÜèåéá Þôáí Ýíáò åãêáôáëåëåéììÝíïò ïéêéóìüò. Ï ôïõñéóìüò üìùò åß÷å Þäç ÷ôõðÞóåé ôçí ðüñôá ôùí «ÌÝóá ÷ùñéþí» ôçò ÌÜíçò êáé ï ÅÏÔ îáíÜäùóå æùÞ óôïí ïéêéóìü áíáóôçëþíïíôáò êáé ìåôáôñÝðïíôáò óå îåíþíåò ðïëëÜ êôßñéá, ìå áðüëõôï óåâáóìü óôï ðáñáäïóéáêü ôïõò ðñüóùðï.

¸ôóé ç ÂÜèåéá äåí åßíáé áðëþò ìéá ðáíÝìïñöç æùãñáöéÜ, ôçí ïðïßá ï åðéóêÝðôçò ìðïñåß íá áðïëáýóåé ìüíïí ïðôéêþò, áëëÜ ìðïñåß íá ôç æÞóåé êéüëáò. Íá æçôÞóåé äùìÜôéï óå ÷þñï õðïäï÷Þò ï ïðïßïò åßíáé Ýíá áðü ôá ðáëéÜ, äéáôçñçìÝíá ëéïôñßâéá, íá ìåßíåé óå Ýíáí áðü ôïõò åííÝá áíáðáëáéùìÝíïõò ðýñãïõò-îåíþíåò, íá áðïëáýóåé ôçí õðÝñï÷ç èÝá, ôï öáãçôü ôïõ Þ ôïí êáöÝ ôïõ óôá ÷áãéÜôéá ôïõò, íá äéáóôáõñùèåß óå êÜðïéï óïêÜêé ìå ìéá ôõðéêÞ ìáíéÜôéêç öéãïýñá ðïõ óÝñíåé ôï ãáúäïýñé ôçò, íá äéáêüøåé êÜèå åðáöÞ ìå ôïí ðïëýâïõï óýã÷ñïíï êüóìï.