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<\/a>One of the towns we visited is Nafplion, a beautiful port on the mainland overlooked by a remarkable fortress on the cliffs above. The new archaeological museum was a joy to visit, but an unexpected bonus was the equally new Folklore Museum. Wandering slowly round, marvelling at some of the intricate embroidery in both women\u2019s and men\u2019s clothing, I came across a brand new (to me) Greek dame!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kalliopi Papalexopolou was born in Patras in 1809. At the outbreak of the Greek war of independence in 1821 her father took Kalliopi, her mother and sisters to Italy \u2013 returning to Greece to fight for the liberation of his country. Some things never change…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Italy Kalliopi, who had been well educated, became committed to democratic and humanitarian ideals. She returned to Greece in 1826, settled in Nafplion and married the town\u2019s first mayor. She devoted her energies and money to the struggle for independence and charitable works, challenging the model of autocracy that prevailed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kalliopi\u2019s house became a centre for the arts, literature and discussion of democratic ideas. The Greek war ended in 1829, and Greece was finally recognised as an independent state, with Prince Otto of Bavaria established as the new king. This was anathema to Kalliopi; she saw her ideals of democracy and equality sidelined. When she was widowed in 1862 she became the guiding force of the anti-Otto revolutionary movement, with Nafplion its epicentre. On February 1st<\/sup> 1862 she stood on the balcony of her house in Syntagma Square in Nafplion and addressed the crowd of civilians and soldiers, all united in their desire to make Otto rule constitutionally and eventually to remove him from the throne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n