Paliochora

The remote location, rough terrain, harsh weather, and seemingly continuous attacks by pirates had left the island of Kythira without infrastructure or administration until modern times.

The growing wealth of the island did not remain a secret for long, and its success eventually attracted the Ottoman Fleet Admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa in 1537 as pressed his campaign against the Venetians around the Peloponnesus.

Two accounts exist describing his discovery of the village: 1) Upon landing on Kythira, he captured a number of locals and executed them one by one until someone gave him the location of Agios Dimitrios.

2) Although the town was almost completely concealed to the rest of the island, the highest point of the village was visible from the sea a distance no closer than approximately 10 kilometers due east.

The most popular theory is that Barbarossa intended on bypassing the island until he rounded Cape Malea (the southernmost tip of the Peloponnese), putting him in the ideal position to see the town through his scope.