The mountain village of Raptopoulo is built at an altitude of 500 meters and is 21 km from Kyparissia. It is located between the villages of Rodia (formerly Lentekada) and Lykoudesi and has about 200 permanent residents. The village is built on the slope of the mountain, while it is separated by two streams in the neighbourhoods (rouges), "Xerolagado" and "Kanalia". Raptopoulo consists of beautiful mountains suitable for mountaineering and other activities close to nature.
According to tradition, the village's old name was Karyopoula, which was maintained until 1959. In ancient times, the area was part of Nestor's kingdom of ancient Pylos. At a short distance from Raptopoulo, one can visit the archaeological sites of Mouriatada (probably the site of ancient Amphigenia) and Peristeria. During the Venetian period, the settlement was referred to as Raftopullo. The settlement is also referred to in censuses of the Venetian Pronoites of the Venetian Republic.
The old Primary School, donated by Andreas Syggros, stands out with its unique architecture in the village with the traditional stone houses. Also, at the "Vouliagmeni" location, the visitor can see the traditional olive press of the village, which will soon be turned into a museum. There are two churches in Raptopoulo. The oldest is Agios Nikolaos and celebrates on the 6th of December. The church was built in 1418 with hewn stones, while the wood-carved iconostasis of the church is kept in the women's quarters. The newest church is Agioi Anargyroi (Kosmas and Damianos) and was built in 1880. It celebrates the 1st of July and the day of the celebration of Agioi Anargyroi, the Association of All Raftopoulo people "Martzaina" (founded in 1981), organizes its annual festival with dancing, music and rich local delicacies.
