As a hit film highlights this unspoilt area, its rock-bottom property prices could soar. Is now the time to take a chance on Greece?

The southern Peloponnese is Greece at its unspoilt best, with a rugged, cove-pocked coast and tumbledown ancient ruins, its stone houses rendered a starched white against brilliant blue skies. Old men shoot the breeze over baklava in their local kafeneon, while widows decked in black lug home armfuls of fresh fruit and vegetables from the market for supper.

The area is largely ignored by tourists, who flock to the islands, though that could all be about to change. Last month saw the release of Before Midnight, the third film in Richard Linklater’s romantic trilogy, which is putting this little-known corner of the Mediterranean firmly on the map.