Tolo (former names "Toulon", "Minoa") is a village in the
prefecture of Argolida, built along a large beach on the shores of
the Argolic Gulf. Administratively it belonged to the Municipality
of Asini until the end of 2010 when the Municipality was abolished
and integrated into the Municipality of Nafplio. Its population,
according to the 2011 census, is 1,460 inhabitants. Tolo is
experiencing significant tourist development, taking advantage of
the large beach that it has and the close distance that separates it
from Nafplio, from which it is 8 km away.
Historical data
In 1686, during the Sixth Venetian-Turkish War, the troops of the
Venetian general Morosini landed on the then deserted beach of Tolo,
from where they then headed further north to occupy Nafplio and
Argos. The settlement of Tolo was created several years later, when
after the liberation of Greece, with a resolution of Kapodistrias,
refugees from Crete settled in the area who were persecuted for
several years did not have a permanent place of residence in the
Peloponnese and elsewhere and lived as poor. The settlement was
originally named Minoa after the mythical Cretan king Minos. This
name was not preserved and eventually the oldest name of the area
prevailed. Today, most of the inhabitants of the area are of Cretan
origin. In the second half of the 20th century the settlement
developed based on the rising tourist current. A major
reconstruction took place in the area during the 1960s and 1970s,
but it was anarchic and unsightly, as was generally the case at the
time. Today it is one of the most popular summer destinations.