Porto Rafti (Limin Messogheas) is a seaside resort town in East Attica, Greece. It is part of the municipality Markopoulo Mesogaias (7 km away). It is a bay with three islands (Rafti, Raftopoula, Praso) and coasts from Erotospilia to Avlaki.
The Limin Markopoulou Mesogaias or Porto Rafti today is a settlement of approximately 10,000 residents and resort summer about 90 000 settlers, the port of Porto Rafti is no longer in use due to environmental concerns. There are many (ethnic) restaurants and taverns, bars and cafeterias. Only 1 km there are playgrounds, watersports facilities, mini tennis, football and basketball courts.
It also gives the opportunity of accessing other beaches ,like Panorama (300m), Chamolia (11km) and Agios Spyridonas, Kalos Yalos and Erotospilia beach, in less than 7 km away.
The port was the gateway of Attica for the northeast Aegean and the Black Sea. In EH period (3000 BC) was developed a large settlement in Perati, and a small in Punta. In classical times there are two municipalities, Steiria in the north and Prasiai in the south, where also has been found the Temple of Delion Jupiter. In Chremonidio War, the admiral Ptolemy Patroclus fortifies Koroni.
In Drivlia they have found the remains of an early Christian three-aisled basilica, organized cemetery, public building, (philosophical faculty), bath complex, ruins of houses, important artefacts, sculptures, coins, etc that belonging to the early Byzantine period. From the 12th century with the collapse of Byzantium and the constant pirate raids, the inhabitants fleeing to the mainland. During the Ottoman occupation the port of Porto Rafti was the safest east of Attica. Moreover,it was the scene of the allied troops’ evacuation after the German invasion in Greece at the end of April 1941.
In the early 20th century Porto Rafti is a small village of a few houses. The few residents mainly earned their living by fishing and cultivating vegetable gardens. By mid-century the port had a commercial character, it came fresh vegetables from the islands of the Cyclades and North Aegean to supply Athens. The port also used by Cooperative “MARKO” to send to the islands and in northern Greece wine and grape and export of the same products in Marseille.