Plan tabled to improve Ancient Messene visitor experience

New lighting, footpaths and shaded resting areas are but some of the ideas put forward in a proposal for improving the visitor experience at the stunning 370 BC site of Ancient Messene in the southwestern Peloponnese.

Carried out by a team from the National Technical University of Athens’ School of Architecture for the Society of Messinian Archaeological Studies, the proposal has been submitted to Greece’s Central Archaeological Council and is due to be discussed Tuesday.

The new lighting would be designed to make it easier for the site to host events at night and showcase its key monuments. These would also be connected by a series of distinct footpaths evoking the grid plan of the ancient Greek urban planner Hippodamus of Miletus.

The plan also foresees two entrances/exits – one at the top and one at the bottom – as well as a museum and gift/souvenir shop.