Kato Verga is situated 8 kilometres from Kalamata at an altitude of 211 metres. It has a beautiful view of the Messenian Gulf and intense nightlife. The old province of Selitsa included Ano and Kato Verga and the beach of Verga.
At Kato Verga, the "Battle of Verga" took place in 1826, from the 21st till the 24th of June. That was the first defeat for Ibrahim's Turk-Egyptian troops. The renaming of Selitsa to Kato Verga occurred in 1956 in memory of the historical battle. "Verga" was a drystone fortification, 1000 metres long and 2 metres high which, from above, looked like a rod (a tree branch). The Greek word for that is "Verga". Today, many parts of that wall are preserved, starting from Kato Verga and reaching the sea. Visitors can visit the monument of "the warrior of Mani" at Verga.
At Kato Verga, the church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary is also worth visiting, where, each year, there are celebrations that take place to honour the old battle.
