The name is derived from the Peloponnesus mythological figure Pelops, the son of the legendary King Tantalus. The second part of the name is the Greek word for "island". Literally so, the name means "Island of Pelops".
In the Middle Ages instead of Peloponnesus there was the Italian name Morea (probably "mulberry") familiar with a term that referred to in the 10th century only to the western Peloponnese, but was extended to the peninsula from the beginning of the 13th century.
To reach the Peloponnesus from the mainland you need to pass the Isthmus of Corinth, which is about 6.3 km wide at it's greatest widths, broken by the Corinth Canal in 1893, nevertheless, the Peloponnesus is not deemed as an Island because the canal is an artificial construction.
Nafpaktos - After an extensive tour of ancient Delphi in the afternoon and one stormy night at the campsite, which has led to unique clear view of the ancient ruins and the surrounding areas, we had first visited the Oracle of Delphi and the Museum in the morning, which is located below the ancient Delphi.
Rio-Andirrio - After our surprisingly pleasant and interesting stopover in Nafpaktos we had decided to cross the Gulf of Corinth via Rio-Andirrio-Bridge.
Gythio - After crossing the Rio Andirrio bridge at Patras, we had reached Peloponnesus and wanted to go cross country using the road towards Gythio, a route of about 280 kilometers, which is not really easy to cope.
Traveling from Athens towards Peloponnesus / Corinth by car, you can easily miss the imposing view into the Canal of Corinth, which construction plans are going back so far into history.