Naantali

We discovered a beautiful little town called Naantali.
Naantali (in Swedish Nådendal, in Latin Vallis Gratiae – the valley of grace) is a town in southwest Finland. This small town, with a population of 19,000, is located in the province of Western Finland and the region of Southwest Finland, 15 km west of Turku, the provincial capital.
Naantali is one of the oldest towns in Finland, founded around the convent church in 1443 by King Christopher of Sweden. When the convent received trading rights and some other privileges, the town around it started to grow.

In the 16th century, when Protestantism became the official religion, the convent was closed. The town did not recover until the 18th century, when the bathing establishment was founded in Kalevanniemi. In 1922, Kultaranta Manor became the official summer residence of the President after Finland gained independence in 1917.

The town’s real prosperity began in the 1950s, when the industries that dominated the town’s economy were established. Today, Naantali is one of Finland’s richest cities.

It was amazing. When you walked through the streets of the town, there was nobody around. An Olympian calm.
This city seems out of time, small shops unfortunately closed during our trip. Houses of all colors with a beautiful little port.
This city is absolutely visited when we go to Finland.