What does Porto Heli mean?
There are two theories about the modern name Porto Heli. The first is that the name “Heli” derives from the ‘Arvanite’ dialect, as there are many villages in the Peloponnese with this name. The second is that it originates from the corrupted name of
the nearby ancient city Allieis (fishery), becoming “Halieis,” and finally Heli. Whichever is accurate, the prefix “Porto,” meaning harbor, was added later. The ancient city can be dated back to around 468 BC when Tiryns reached the area and discovered the city of Allieis, which had an important commercial port. During the Venetians, Porto Heli was used as a port by the Hermionidas Navy and is one of the six ports of the Peloponnese included in the Venetian maps of the 18th century.
