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For any information
or reservation write to:Vincent
Soueref
0030.26610.35909(uffic) 0030.26610.93209(FAX)  0030.6977.292182(cell) |
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When the Corfiots say "oros" (mountain), they
mean Pantokrator. The highest peak on the island (914 metres), it rises
in the middle of the north-eastern part of the island, and shapes the whole
character of the region. Mainly on its flanks, but also beside its shores,
more than 60 settlements have grown up, with a population of around 6000.
The sheer eastern slopes of Pantokrator, covered with olive groves and
looking out towards the opposite mainland and Albanian shore, drop sharply
to the sea, forming a series of little coves and beaches, a mainly rocky
coastline, with picturesque headlands and peninsulas.
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Barbati: which took its name from the mansion of the noble Barbatis family, is located 20 kilometres from town and has a wide pebble beach which gets busy, but the nearby small Kaminaki Beach offers a quieter alternative. |
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Nissaki: is located two kilometres from Barbati, a rocky cove with a view towards Lake Butrint in Albania. |
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Agios Stefanos and Kerasia: are pretty locations lying at the closest point to Albania, with tavernas and restaurants. You reach them by way of a road which goes right at Sinies (Elaiourgia). |
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| Kassiopi: 36 kilometres from town, is the centre of the region, and its harbour offers the greatest choice for dining and entertainment. Ancient Kassiopi was founded in 281 BC by idents of the Epirot town of the same name, who were brought here by Pyrros when he captured the island. The name (Kassion Oro) derives from the Temple of Kassios Dias, which was built here in a prominent position. Nero is said to have sung at its altar when he visited the region.The temple no longer exists, but probably occupied the site of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Kassiopitras. |
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The oldest fortress on the island also stands here, built by the Romans and extended by the Angevins, an indication of the strategic importance of the site. The fortress was demolished by the Venetians, and the ruins which stand today belong to the castle they built later on the site. |
Agios Spiridon: the northern, treeless flanks of Pantokrator drop to shores which are in general rocky, except for where they reach the peninsula of Agios Spiridon, where the church of the Saint is located as well as the beach of the same name. Continuing, the road bridges the outlet of the Antinioti Lagoon and heads for Yialiskari Beach and for the Monastery of Agia Ekaterini (Saint Katherine). This monastery was founded in 1713 and in its church remarkable frescoes dating from the 18th and 19th century are preserved.
Antinioti Lagoon: covers 100 acres and, as well as fish, it provides a home for mammals, amphibians, reptiles and many rare birds (96 different species have been spotted here). It is an important wetlands habitat and has been designated a protected area.
Almiros: is a large but quiet sandnbeach
with good fish tavernas.
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Acharavi: or Anacharavi, according to one tradition, was in ancient times named Ivi . In 32 BC the Romans destroyed the settlement and slaughtered all its young people. After this event it was called “Unlucky Ivi” or "Achari Ivi" in Greek. Located between Roda and Almiros, today it is the capital of the Municipallty of Thinali, and has developed as a large tourist centre with numerous hotels, restaurants and bars. |
Roda: is a village on the shoreline, located at the end of the seven kilometre long beach of Acharavi and Almiros. Of special interest is a Doric temple dedicated to Apollo, dating from the 5th century BC, finds from which are displayed in the Archaeological Museum. Turning left at the major crossroads at Roda, we skirt the western side of Oros amongst ranges of low, tree-covered hills.
Sfakera: is an inland village four kilometres from Roda which probably got its name from “asfaka”, a shrub common in the region, even though history attributes its founding to refugees from Sfaka in Fthiotidas. A by-pass has taken heavy traffic from the village, to the advantage of its picturesque character.
Nimfes: a large village with a population of 800, stands 200 metres above sea level and in ancient times was called Neraidohori ("Place of the Nereids”). Its location amongst running water and lush vegetation makes it a fitting spot for legends and strange beliefs. They say the name comes from the Nymphs who used to bathe in nearby waterfalls. The village has seen continuous occupation from ancient times, owing to its inaccessibility, to the establishment of a command post there in Venetian times, which prevented attacks from barbarians and pirates. The Church of Agios Konstantinos (Saint Constantine) was built on ruins of a temple dedicated to Apollo.
Askitario: above Nimfes i is one of the oldest Christian monuments on the island. In the early years of Christianity the Epirot hermit, Artemios Paisios, is said to have lived in solitude amongst the rocks. One day he saw a boat sailing from the far shore and had a presentiment that his parents were coming to fetch him back. Since he did not want to give up his hermetic existence, he dug a grave and lay down in it. At that moment a boulder rolled down from the rocks and closed the grave forever. When his parents reached it and realised what had happened, they tried to open the grave, but as they beat on the rock, it ignited. Thus they abandoned their efforts and, accepting the wishes of their son, they built, and themselves occupied, the Monastery of Sotira.
Episkepsis: is a large village which
is considered to be one of the oldest in Corfu. Its houses are well
constructed and its mansions rand. Here, in the square of Agios Vasileios
(Saint Basil) on the last Sunday before Lent, the village priest leads
off the dance called "Doxa na..." All the men of the villlage follow, each
according to his age and his rank in the village. It is danced without
instrumental music; the priest who leads chants the lines. and the rest
of the dancers repeat them. At the end of the dance, old women with
musical instruments begin playing, and then break into the traditional
circular dance of Corfu. This tradition can be found in other villages
of Oros, but nowhere else in Greece. Karolas Klimis in his book "Customs
of the People of Corfu" regards the dance as a survival of bacchanal rites
dating back to around 500 BC.
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Pantokrator: the great plateau of Pantokrator lies at a height of 700 metres. The summit, with its monastery and communications aerials, stands to the north of the plateau. The monastery was built in 1347 by residents of 23 surrounding villages, but it was utterly destroyed around 1537. The church which stands today was built in the 17th century and its facade in the 19th.On August 6th, the biggest festival on the island takes place here, and in the evening people ascend footpaths to the monastery from nearby villages, carrying candles and torches. |
| The aerials underline the contemporary intervention of man, at the spot where the gaze can lose itself in earth’s far horizons. The plateau is bare, with some vegetation and a few isolated oak trees which have survived lightening strikes. The ground is rocky, but amongst the low hills little pockets of soil have formed “lakes” of green. These pockets used to be productive, growing corn and wheat, but today they are only used for grazing. Signs of former land-use exist in the threashing floors (alonia), the drystone boundary walls, the stone water cisterns and the isolated buildings which once housed the farmers at harvest time. |
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The area is a paradise for walkers, who can rove over it at will, there being no thick vegetation, no crags to block the route. And you can gather saffron crocus for cooking. The way up the mountain is marked by many mountain villages where people live exclusively from animal husbandry aiid olives. There are also abandoned villages whose residents once the threat of pirate attacks diminished, moved down to flatter and more fertile regions. |
| Old Perithia: a Venetian village with roots in ancient times, with stonebuilt mansions and many churches, is the most impressive example of the old lifestyle. The name, in all probability, derives from “peri-theo” that is " I see all around". The village was once the capital of the Municipality of Kassopaion and was extremely wealthy - its fields stretched as far as the settlement known today as New Perithia. |  |
| It owes its position not only to the fear of pirate attacks, but also to the avoidance of mosquitoes in the fever belt close to the sea. When in the 20th century, these threats no longer existed, the village was abandoned. Today, it is a "living museum”. During the winter, two or three people live there, occupied with animal husbandry. The last Sunday in july sees a processioni when the icon of the Virgin is carried around the village, in memory of the time in 1863 when she intervened to save the víllage from an epidemic. |
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Old Sinies: is another abandoned
village, located on the southern flanks of Pantokrator. As in the
case of Old Perithia, it was founded as a refuge from pirate raids, and
abandoned when the coastline became safe.
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Strinilas: a mountain village which differs from the rest of Corfu, both in architecture and in climate, is located on the western slopes of the Oros. The hard stones which are a feature of the area are called “strinarla”, probably from the ancient word "strinis", meaning hard. The village is renowned for its excellent wine, which you can sample in one of its picturesque tavernas. |
Zigos: took its name from the appearance
of the village, which resembles a balance (zigaria). Perhaps unique
in all Greece is the church of Saint Agatha the Scicilian, built before
1536 and celebrating its festival on Februarv 5th. The villlage has
a population of 307 and stands 25 kilometres froin Corfu Town.
| Spartillas: is located to the south and lower down. It is a pretty village with plenty of running water, and lf you get dizzy while driving up the winding road, you can stop and take a rest at the spring of the Church of the Blessed Virgin. |  |
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For any information
or reservation write to:Vincent
Soueref
0030.26610.35909(uffic) 0030.26610.93209(FAX) 0030.6977.292182(cell) |
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