Palamidi is the great Venetian fortress on the 216-metre rock above Nafplio's old town, and it is the town's signature view from anywhere. The complex is actually a network of eight self-contained bastions linked by walls — built so that if one fell, the others could keep fighting independently. The largest bastion (Saint Andrew) houses a small chapel and the cell where independence hero Theodoros Kolokotronis was imprisoned in 1834.
There are two ways up. The road climbs gently from behind the town for a five-minute drive; the legendary staircase — locally said to be 999 steps, actually around 857 — goes straight up the cliff face from the eastern edge of the old town. Climb the steps in the cool of early morning or late afternoon; in summer midday they are punishing. Allow an hour at the top to wander the bastions.