Préveza

Preveza stands at the narrow entrance to the Ambracian Gulf, where the sheltered waters open into the Ionian Sea. Nearby lie the ruins of Nicopolis, founded by Augustus to commemorate his victory over Antony and Cleopatra at Actium. The harbour of Preveza itself is recorded in the thirteenth century, and the Ottomans later fortified the site. In 1538 Hayreddin Barbarossa defeated a Christian fleet commanded by Andrea Doria off Preveza. Venice captured the town in 1684 and again in 1717, holding it until the republic fell in 1797. French troops then arrived, but in 1798 Ali Pasha of Ioannina attacked and defeated them and their local allies. A massacre of soldiers and inhabitants followed, and Preveza came under his rule.