Kefalonia

More on Kefalonia

Kefalonia was once voted the tenth most beautiful place in the world, a view with which few visitors would disagree. Not only is the countryside quite breathtakingly picturesque, but the beaches are as close to paradise as you can ever imagine and each little village seems prettier than the next. The island has no high-rise resorts, no noise, no pressure. Kefalonia really is holiday heaven.

Kefalonia is dramatically different from the rest of the Greek islands. Fertile valleys planted with grape vines and olive groves are home to hundreds of villages, churches and hilltop monasteries. Tiny pebbly coves and soft silver and red sandy beached fringe the island's mountainous shoreline. Multi-hued stalagtites and stalagmites fill the cool caverns of Drogarati and sunlight creates ever-changing colours on the subterranean lake of Melissani. Loggerhead turtles nest on the island's southern shores and rare birds flock to the Koutavos lagoon in Argostoli.

The History
Taking its name from Kephalos, the first king of the area during the Palaeolithic age, Kefalonia boasts a fascinating history. It was from here that Odysseus set sail with twelve ships on his epic voyage surely one of very few people to choose to leave Kefalonia rather than stay for as long as possible. The Romans captured the island in 187 BC after fierce local resistance and it remained a popular haunt of pirates and invaders for many hundreds of years, through occupation by the Byzantines, the Turks, the Venetians and the Spanish before the arrival of Napoleon's army and its subsequent defeat by the allied fleet of the Russians and the English. In the mid nineteenth century Kefalonia finally gained its independence, along with the rest of the Ionian islands, but was occupied by German troops during the Second World War. The Italians' refusal to leave the island resulted in the massacre of thousands of Italian soldiers, an event described in ‘Captain Corelli's Mandolin’ by Louis de Bernieres, a book which has combined with the island's myriad other memorable features to attract thousands of welcome visitors to this splendid holiday island.

The Island
Kefalonia is dramatically different from the rest of the Greek islands. Fertile valleys planted with grape vines and olive groves are home to hundreds of villages, churches and hilltop monasteries. Tiny pebbly coves and soft silver and red sandy beaches fringe the island's mountainous shoreline. Multi-hued stalagtites and stalagmites fill the cool caverns of Drogarati and sunlight creates ever-changing colours on the subterranean lake of Melissani. Loggerhead turtles nest on the island's southern shores and rare birds flock to the Koutavos lagoon in Argostoli. Kefalonia really is a place of unique natural splendour and an indescribable beauty.

The Beaches
Yet another of Kefalonia's myriad attractions is the beauty and quality of its beaches. Just north of Argostoli, the beach of Myrtos is considered one of the loveliest in the Ionian islands, with fine golden sand washed by a turquoise sea and backed by vertical rocky cliffs. Close to the village of Sami, the pebble beach at Antisamos is overlooked by rolling green hills. Enclosed by a shady olive grove, the little pebble beach at Horgota, with its crystal-clear waters and a pretty wooden jetty was used during the filming of ‘Captain Corelli's Mandolin’. And the lively resort of Lassi is famous for its four gorgeous blue-flag beaches. Whether you want white sand and watersports, or secluded scenic splendour, its seems that where ever you are on Kefalonia, a beautiful beach awaits.

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