On Proti Island above Vourlia Beach stand citadel ruins, including a wall and two turrets, part of an ancient acropolis possessing great archaeological importance. These are thought to have been built in order to protect the shores of Ancient Messene in the 4th-5th centuries B.C. and were inhabited for two or three hundred years, principally by military staff.
Research is currently underway to uncover further archaeological findings. On Proti’s Eastern side, in the small Bay of Grammeno (which loosely translates to “written”), tens of ancient engraved inscriptions on the rock face serve as signposts, expressing wishes of sailors, boatmen from days of old who used the island’s coves as a haven from the heavy sea, leaving wishes to the gods, requesting that their journeys continue safely.
