The village of Mikri Mantineia is built at an altitude of 110 metres and has approximately 600 permanent residents. It is 11 kilometres from Kalamata and is one of the first settlements of Messenian Mani. The village was probably created shortly after the middle of the 17th century in the place today called "Old Village". For the first time, it was mentioned in 1700 as "Chora Mikri" with a central church, the church of Agios Spyridon, which was built in the 18th century. From the beginning of the 20th century, a small part of the population began to move to the nearby seaside areas to today's Mikri Mantineia. However, in 1944 a strong earthquake destroyed most of the houses in the village.
Today, Mikri Mantineia is a popular tourist resort with cafes, taverns and rooms for rent. Its homonymous beach with its characteristic white pebbles and a view of Mount Taygetos is of particular beauty. When you are in the village, the Kapetanakis Tower (18th century), the water mill on the river, as well as the churches of Agios Nikolaos (1743) and Agios Spyridon (1755) with their remarkable wood-carved iconostasis are worth visiting.
