The fortress of Kiafa rises in the mountains of Souli, above the village of Samoniva. The view from the fort is panoramic: to the west lie the ravines of the Acheron and the plain of Fanari, and from here one grasps the whole mountainous formation of the region. On its west side survives a double wall with vaulted storerooms on the ground floor.
It is one of the most enigmatic fortresses in Greece. It is not known exactly when it was built (possibly a Venetian structure), and its bastions form a sixteen-sided polygon. When the Souliots abandoned the fort in 1803, Ali Pasha built a serai (palace) there. On the steep paths around Kiafa, by which the Souliots kept contact with the plain, heroic battles were fought against Ali Pasha.
