INTERNATIONAL WEEKEND OF THE LIGHTHOUSE: WHAT TO VISIT TODAY, AUGUST 21st 2022, IN KEFALONIA
On the occasion of the International Lighthouse Weekend, today Sunday 21 August 28 lighthouses throughout Greece will open to the public between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the contribution of lighthouses to navigation safety but also their great significance in terms of cultural heritage. Since many lighthouses are now in a state of neglect and suffer from vandalism, the event aims to raise public awareness of the need to preserve these important witnesses of maritime history before they are irretrievably lost.
KEFALONIA, THE PROGRAM FOR A RAINY DAY
The climate of Kefalonia is typically Mediterranean, with mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers. Even in the hottest season, especially in June and September, however, a capricious wind may bring some clouds or a passing storm. This is precisely why the island is so green! No problem, a cloudy day is the ideal opportunity to discover that Kefalonia offers much more than its beaches.
KEFALONIA, WHAT TO SEE IN 7 DAYS ON THE ISLAND?
How many days does it take to visit Kefalonia? You may not like the answer: many, many more than you are likely to have available. Not only for the size of the island and therefore the large number of beaches, villages and postcard views not to be missed, but also because a holiday in Kefalonia can become a state of mind: the island should be savored slowly, between a coffee and a souvlaki, because its relaxing atmosphere is even better than its exceptional beaches.
KEFALONIA, A 4 HOURS TOUR IN THE CENTER OF THE ISLAND (MONASTERY OF SAINT GERASIMOS, LAKE OF MELISSANI, CAVES OF DROGARATI, AGIA EFIMIA, MYRTOS BEACH)
Donkeys trudging along steep cobblestone streets, blue and white houses, bougainvillea pergolas, elderly people with sun-baked skin playing tavli (backgammon) sitting outside a tavern ... in the collective imagination, the Greek islands are all the same. Kefalonia is the best place to realize how different this tourist representation is from reality. A few days will not be enough to visit this corner of paradise! Beaches washed by turquoise waters, pine forests and aromatic plants, picturesque fishing villages in pastel colours overlooking the sea… The largest of the Ionian islands offers a lot to those who want a holiday in contact with unspoiled nature but also to contemporary history enthusiasts.
KALLIKANTZAROI, THE EVIL SPRITES OF CHRISTMAS
Did you wake up this morning and found your Christmas decorations upside down? Has anyone eaten the cake you had left over in the fridge? If you don't have a mischievous cat or child to blame, you'd better think about the Kallikantzaroi!
KARAVAKIA, CHRISTMAS OF THE SAILORS
A boat decorated with Christmas lights creates a warm, welcoming and very Greek atmosphere.
MUSIC AND FOLKLORE: DANCING GREECE
With the recent death of Mikis Theodorakis, a well-known composer, a man with an adventurous life and an important political commitment, Greece hands over to history one of its most representative icons, the sirtaki.
From its first notes, the soundtrack of Zorba the Greek evokes the deep blue of the sea, the sun and the warmth of Greece, inviting you to dance and let yourself be overwhelmed more and more by the joy of dance. Although sirtaki was born only in 1964 and does not represent an authentic component of the Greek tradition, with its invitation to dance it has helped to make people talk about Greece and to make the world fall in love with this land populated not only by gods, sailors and thinkers, but also by passionate dancers.
DIVISIONE ACQUI, A SHARED MEMORY
In the face of a tragedy, the evidences of those who have personally experienced pain or have lived it through the painful stories of their loved ones strike us much more than historical facts.
As human beings, it is impossible not to feel empathy for those who have suffered injustices and abuses or who have sacrificed their own lives for the cause they believed in. Thus, even in the darkest moments, relationships are established and ties are tightened, one's ethics is allowed to prevail over ideologies and fear, glimmers of light and hope can be glimpsed.
In commemorating the Acqui Division, the human closeness shown by the people of Kefalonia should be remembered as much as the sad story of the Italian soldiers. There are endless tales of the islanders who hid, protected, fed the Italian soldiers at the risk of their own lives. Equally numerous are the painful stories of those who have lost family members due to the reprisals of the Germans. Despite the war and the invading role of the Italians, the militaries of the Acqui Division are not remembered with anger and contempt, but with the smile that is dedicated to young people far from their country, more men than soldiers, capable of acts of kindness and to make themselves loved.
SUMMER EVENINGS AND PLAYS OF LIGHT. THE THEATER OF KARAGIOZIS
Shadow theatre is a very popular form of entertainment in Greece on warm summer evenings. The colorful posters with Karagiozis, the main protagonist of these itinerant popular shows, are in all the villages and the little ones enthusiastically participate in the performances amidst laughter, moments of excitement for the adventures of the protagonists and reflections on the topics covered.
KOURELOUDES, PATTERNS OF COLOURS AND TRADITION
What is a kourelou?
First of all, it is a carpet made of colored rags which is typical of the Balkan area. But if you look at it carefully, it is much more: it is a pattern of ideas, folklore and new boho, very chic design! For us it is also a new project for our guests, a piece of real Greece you can always carry with you.
