The plain of Argos is a wide, flat basin of orange groves and olive trees tucked into the Peloponnese, and on its edge, a few kilometres apart, stand the two strongholds that gave the Greek Bronze Age its name. Mycenae sits on a rocky spur between two ravines, with Argos eleven kilometres to the south-west and the sea beyond, and Tiryns lies lower down near the shore, on a low rocky mound that once stood by the water.
Mycenae was the seat of kings in the late Bronze Age, in the centuries before about 1200 BC, and Homer made it the home of Agamemnon, who led the Greeks against Troy. The citadel is entered through the Lion Gate, a massive gateway with two carved lionesses above the lintel, one of the oldest monumental sculptures in Europe. Inside, the grave circles contained royal burials and gold, which Heinrich Schliemann dug up in 1876, and he famously telegraphed that he had gazed upon the face of Agamemnon. The golden mask he found was probably several centuries older than any Trojan War, but the romance has survived. Outside the walls, the Treasury of Atreus is a vast beehive tomb, with a lintel stone weighing over a hundred tonnes, and its cool interior is a surprise on a hot day. Tiryns, by contrast, is famous for its walls, built of boulders so huge that later Greeks said only Cyclopes could have lifted them.
The approach is enjoyable. From Athens the road runs along the Saronic Gulf and over the Corinth canal, then climbs through the pass of Dervenakia, with the motorway taking most of the traffic and tolls to pay. Smaller roads leading to Mycenae pass through orchards, with narrow bends and good views, and in spring the fields are bright with poppies. In summer the heat is fierce, particularly on the exposed hill, so go as early as you can, bring water and sunscreen, and check the opening hours, which are shorter in winter.
Argos, with twenty-two thousand people, is the town for fuel, supermarkets and a reliable lunch, and Nafplio, the handsome seaport half an hour away, is the best choice for an evening. Greek coffee, cold and iced frappé alike, is available in every village, and the local lamb and souvlaki are good. Autumn and spring are the best seasons for the light and the temperature.