Works planned at the Mycenaean hill site of Peristeria, in southern Greece's Messenia region, will stabilize the remains of three tholos tombs and improve infrastructure for visitors, the Ministry of Culture said on Wednesday.

The site's project is budgeted at 500,000 euros and is included in the ministry's projects funded by the Recovery and Resilience Fund.

Peristeria's hill lies 8 km NE from Kyparissia. It was the richest urban center of Western Peloponnese during the early Mycenaean period. It was occupied until the end of the Mycenaean period (1680-1180 BC) and dominated Messenia before the Palace of Nestor in Pylos was built. The site also contains architectural remains of the early Roman era of Nero's reign (54-68 AD).

Commenting on the site, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said the focus of the project would be to restore and highlight the remains of the Mycenaean tholos tombs. "The goal is to protect the remains and improve their visibility, whenever they are obscured. With the upgrade of the entrance and infrastructure of the archaeological site, these fairly unknown Mycenaean monuments dynamically usher the archaeological site of Peristeria on the cultural map of Messenia," Mendoni noted.

As to the monuments specifically, the problems are rainwater seeping into the main chambers of both Tholos Tombs 1 and 3, with the latter including the problem of architectural remains not being visible enough. Tholos Tomb 2 walls have long been precarious and are in danger of collapsing. 

Facilities planned at the site include entrance and parking spaces further south than the rural road, in order to expand the site. Two separate buildings will be added: a ticket booth, guard room, and shop in the first one, and an information point and public facilities in the second. A courtyard will be created between the two buildings, serving as an entryway and collection of visitors.

The main visitors path will be accessible to both pedestrians and people with disabilities, leading to Tholos Tomb 1. Platforms will allow visitors to get a wider vista of the site, and include benches. A secondary walkway will allow visitors access west of the Tholos Tombs 2 and 3. Lightning protection and fire protection systems will also be included among other facility systems.