Oitylo

Oitylo (Greek: Οίτυλο, pronounced Ítilo), known as "Βίτσουλο", pronounced Vitsoulo, in the native Maniot dialect, is a village and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality East Mani, of which it is a municipal unit. It is one of the oldest towns in the Mani Peninsula. It was mentioned in the Iliad by Homer as Oetylοs (Οίτυλος), as part of Menelaus' kingdom. In the Middle Ages, Oitylo grew to become the most important town in Messenian Mani. The only town in Mani that rivaled Oitylos in numbers of pirates was Skoutari. Now Areopoli has taken Oitylo's place as most important town in Laconian Mani. Areopoli was also the seat of the municipality of Oitylo, which is located on the western half of the Mani Peninsula in the extreme southwestern part of Laconia. It has a land area of 218.582 km² and a population of 5,203 inhabitants. The 2001 census counted 91 villages in the municipality. The largest of these are Areópoli (pop. 774), Pyrgos Dirou (334), Oítylo (331), Álika (235), Vatheia (216), Váchos (189), and Koita (160).