Kithira
I'm going to be honest with you. I've been writing these articles for this site for the past few months. but now I'm done. This is the last one, the remaining island. Kithira. It's rather funny, because when I started, I wanted to follow a specific order: from the island I visited first to the island I visited last. But somewhere along the way this plan stopped working and now I'm here, writing about Kithira, which is actually one of the islands I visited first. It's been many years since I visited this beautiful island. Back then I didn't know my friend Mario, but I might have stumbled upon him while I was there, as he lived with his parents in Hora until he was 18.
Anyway, the point is. there's no point, actually. I'm just here to talk to you about Kithira, right? So, I'm going to do just that.
Kithira belongs everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It supposedly belongs to Attica and it is administered from Piraeus, but it continues to be one of the Eptanisa (Ionian Islands) sentimentally and it shares a common history of Venetian and British occupation with them. Actually, Kithira was the only island that when I started my research to refresh my memory in order to write this article, I had trouble finding its section in the book. Each book places it in a different section. I decided to place it in the Ionian Islands section myself, because I feel it deserves to be with the islands it's connected to sentimentally.
Kithira is one of my favorite islands and, coincidentally, the isle of my favorite Greek Goddess, the Goddess of Love. Aphrodite supposedly rose from the foam where Zeus threw Cronos' sex organ after castrating and, if you ignore this gross story, she's the prettiest Goddess of mythology and she definitely shared that beauty with her home island.
What does Kithira look like?
Kithira is an isolated island where tourism is quite undeveloped, so it looks like a calm refuge. The beaches are deserted and astonishing and the way of life is traditional. Hora, the capital, has postcard beauty; it's a blue and white Greek village, guarded by a mighty if ruined fortress. The central square is planted with hibiscus, bougainvillea and palms. Kithira is generally a 'green' island, with pine trees and eucalyptus, flowers, small rivers and small water sources.
Are there any places in Kithira I should not miss?
The first place that comes to mind is the monastery of the Panagia Mirtidiotissa, the protector of Kitherians, with a tall carved bell tower. The monastery lies in western Kithira, set on a wild west coast among cypresses, flowers and peacocks, it's named after a gold-plated icon of the Virgin and Child. The fable says that a shepherd saw in his sleep an angel indicating a point in the region where he had his sheep, where an icon of the Panagia was lying by a myrtle. The shepherd woke up alarmed and went to find the icon. He took it with him back home, to a village called Kakokairines but during the night the icon disappeared and returned by the myrtle. The shepherd saw the angel again telling him that the icon should have remained there near the myrtle. As a result, the shepherd decided to build a small church close to the myrtle and put the icon into the church. Nowadays this small church, remains as it was and above the church there is a big temple which was built in the 19th century. There are many cells that are used as a place of residence for the monks and the celebration of the monastery takes place on the 24th of September. The faces have been blackened with age, a sign of special holiness that attracts huge numbers of pilgrims. Two small islets just offshore are said to be pirate ships that the Virgin turned to stone for dating to attack the monastery.
Palio Hora is a place of legend and history. Hidden by a magnificent gorge, legend holds that the pirate Barbarossa had to capture and torture the villagers in order to find out where it was. Beside the ruins of the fort is a terrible 330ft abyss, where mothers threw their children before leaping themselves to avoid being sold into slavery by Barbarossa. It's known as Kakia Langada (bad gorge) for that reason. You can walk the gorge of Palio Hora in five hours; the Kakia Langada beach will be your reward.
Then there's the Archaeological Museum, north of the central square, near the turn-off to Kapsali. The museum features grave stones of British soldiers who died on the island in the 19th century. A large marble lion from around 550 BC is also exhibited.
What about the historical and archaeological sites of Kithira?
Kithira has two extraordinary Kastra that you should definitely not miss. The first one, in Hora, was furnished by the Venetians in 1503. Its location was supposedly picked by pigeons who took the tools of the builders from a less protected site. The views of the sea are worth the climb-up, 100%.
Then there's the Venetian fortress within the walls of which lies the ghost town of Kato Hora. The fort was built in 1560 just below Milopotamos. Above the gate there's a bas-relief of the lion of Saint Mark gripping his open book. Within it you'll find empty 16th-century houses and churches, some of which are slowly being restored.
Traditional villages
In Kithira there are many traditional villages that you should visit if you want to capture the spirit of the island. Do not forget to take a walk in Chora, the capital of the island, to get in touch with tradition in Aroniadika, to admire the beauty of Milopotamos, see the Venetian Castle in Kato Chora and take a stroll at the streets of Kastrisianika.
Visit my page Kithira Traditional Villages for more information.
Are there any good beaches in Kithira?
Well, let me just say this: Kithira's beaches are considered the most unpolluted of the Mediterranean. The beaches are plenty and wonderful and, surprisingly, uncrowded, even during the high season. Don't miss the opportunity to swim in the turquoise waters of Kapsali, Sparagio, Chalkos, Creek Vroulea, Fyri Ammos, Kobonada, Avlemonas, Palaiopoli, Kakladi, Fyri Ammos, Kalamitsi, Kakia Langada, Platia Ammos, Fournoi, Lykodimos, Limnionas, Agios Lefteris and many more.
For more data concerning the beaches of the island visit my page Kithira Beaches.
Where should I eat in Kithira?
Kithira has several good restaurants. One of them is Pierros Restaurant, a long-standing favorite with excellent dishes. There's no menu, you'll have to visit the kitchen to see what's been freshly cooked. Sotiris is a popular fish taverna famous for its lobster and fish soup.
Rouga serves traditional Kitheran dishes like kamares (artichokes and leeks with lemon sauce) and baked wild goat. It also serves delicious gyka (preserved fruit in syrup).
In Chora you can eat at Myrto's restaurant where you can taste the traditional delicacies and after swimming at the beach of Chalkos you can pass by the village of Kalamos where you will find the traditional tavern Filio with its refreshing garden.
I strongly recommend you to visit the tavern called Varkoula in Platia Ammos to taste the delicious appetizers and listen to some live music.
What about Kithira's nightlife?
Kithira has a rather interesting nightlife which centers on the village of Kapsali at the southern tip of the island. There are several bars you can visit. One of them is Café-Bar Mercato, in Hora. Functioning since 1990, this beautiful bar plays various kinds of music, including latin, soul, funk an jazz, as well as modern alternative Greek and rock songs.
Then there's Banda Landra in Kapsali, which has been around for 14 years. Banda Landra (which means 'through and through') is open from the morning till. the early morning, serving snacks, fresh juices and coffees or cocktails, depending on when you decide to visit it.
Finally, there's Bar Fox Anglais, which plays acoustic and dance music. Fox Anglais holds special events with DJs every now and then.
How will I get to Kithira?
Luckily, Kithira has an airport, so getting there is easy. There are 3 flights per day from El. Venizelos airport in Athens to Kithira.
You can also reach Kithira by sea. Kithira has two ports, Agia Pelagia and Diakofti. Sometimes in bad weather a ferry may switch ports, so check before departure. From Neapoli (Lakonia) the ships depart on a daily basis quite frequently and the island can be reached in not more than an hour.
You can also take the ship from Gythion (Peloponnese) but the duration of the trip is two hours. For further information contact the port police of Neapolis, tel. +30 27340-22228 or the port police of Gythion tel. +30 27330-22262.
If you decide to take the ship from the port of Piraeus the trip is longer, meaning it lasts about eight hours. For more information contact the port police of Piraeus tel. +30 210 4226000.
