Patrick Leigh Fermor House Mani

Welcome to the Award Winning Patrick and Joan Leigh Fermor House, situated in Kardamyli, in Southeast Peloponnese. In 1996 Sir Patrick and Joan Leigh Fermor bequeathed their home to the Benaki Museum with the express wish that the house would host intellectuals and scholars who wanted to work or study in an inspiring setting.

The Leigh Fermors also granted the museum the right to rent the property for a period of three months per year. Under the alliance the museum will ensure the preservation of the house and its contents, and enable members of the public to have access to the property, while hospitality services will be provided by Aria Hotels, that specializes in the provision of authentic retreats in restored, historic Greek properties.

The Patrick & Joan Leigh Fermor House is considered one of the most beautiful properties in Greece. Within a Mediterranean garden of cypress trees, olive trees, fragrant shrubs, white oleanders and wild flowers rolling down to the sea, stand three stone buildings: the Main House with three suites, the writer’s studio right next to it, which is formed into the Traditional House, as well as the Guest House, adjacent to the Main House.

History

Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor (1915-2011), universally known as Paddy, was one of the most charismatic and adventurous personalities of the last century. An author, scholar and decorated war hero, he is celebrated as one of the finest travel writers of his generation. As a member of the British Military Mission to Greece, he played a prominent role in the Cretan resistance during the Second World War. He was a great admirer and lover of Greece. In the 1960s Leigh Fermor and his wife Joan chose to spend the rest of their lives in Greece and to build their home, lavishing much love and attention on it, in the idyllic coastal town of Kardamyli.