Only 13 km from Antirrion, Nafpaktos is a bright and open seaside town, better known to many people as Lepanto, the proud name of the great sea battle in 1571, which brought Turkish naval supremacy in the eastern Mediterranean to an end. The two small castles built by the Venetians on either side of the tiny port were at one time joined together by a chain that served to shelter ships that sought refuge there.
When the Venetians departed in 1700, Nafpaktos became a nest of pirates until its liberation from Turkish rule.
There is a lot to interest the visitor to Nafpaktos. The fairy-tale castle on the top of the hill is Venetian, but the base on which it stands was built by the Pelasgians in 1400 B.C., with repairs and additions made to the walls by the Mycenaeans, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, and Turks.
The view from the battlements is fabulous and so is a stroll around the wooded enclosure.