Rented a car and toured around the western part of the southern Peloponnese. I had remarked about Ithaca having no relics or ruins or anything to suggest that this had once been part of the great early civilizations. Apparently, there are many more on the Peloponnese peninsula. We went first to the ancient city of Messene, a ruined walled city still under excavation that was enormous. We walked 10k minimum just to reach the furthest point and return, we failed to get to every corner for wanting to see more in a day.
Here is a wikilink:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messene

The Unesco web site has this to say about Messene:
In size, form and preservation, Messene is one of the most important cities of antiquity, and one which still has a great deal to offer. It boasts not only religious and public buildings, but also imposing fortifications, houses and funerary monuments.
Read more here:

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5859/