On the rocky bluff above the beaches, the beautiful, whitewashed Paleokastritsa's Monastery (also known as the Theotokos Monastery) is believed to have been established in the thirteenth century, though the current buildings date from the eighteenth.
The small monastery church, set amidst an attractive complex of courtyards, archways, monks' cells, oil presses and storerooms, has a number of impressive icons, including depictions of St George and the dragon and an atmospheric Last Judgement, while the ceiling features a woodcarving of the Tree of Life.
There's also a museum, resplendent with further icons, most notably a beautiful Dormition of the Virgin Mary, jewel-encrusted silver-bound Bibles and other impedimenta of Greek Orthodox ritual, as well as a curious "sea monster", with very large vertebrae and tusks, said to have been killed by fishermen in the last century. The real highlight, however, is the beautiful paved gardens, which afford spectacular views over the coastline.