Nafplion Kapodistrias Palace

The Little Palace of Kapodistrias in Nafplion: The Governor's House in the Three Admirals Square was built by order of Ioannis Kapodistrias and came to be known as Palataki (Little Palace). Keeping in tune with the other beautiful and extravagant buildings that line the square, the Palataki was considered to be a work of art.

The house was designed by the Italian architect Pasquale Ippoliti in 1829. It was designed to be the new offices of the then newly formed government and the residence of the first Governor of independent Greece, Ioannis Kapodistrias. The Governor had himself paid for the construction of the mansion and was aided by some donations made by various expatriate Greeks.

The interior and exterior of the mansion carried an air of extravagance and royalty. The Governor had specifically instructed for the mansion to be sparsely furnished. The Mansion has been host to King Otto, who resided in the mansion as well. It was then that this mansion was renamed as the Royal Palace. After his death, the embalmed body of Ioannis Kapodistrias was placed in the central hall for public viewing.

Truly extravagant in all senses, Palataki definitely lived up to its reputation before it burnt down in a fire in 1929, a hundred years after its construction.