Fiskardo and its harbour.
Spellings: Spellings of place names may vary from place to place, nothing is fixed! Fiskardo may be Fiscardo. Halikeri may be Xalikeri or even Chalikeri. Kefalonia itself could be Kephalonia, Cefalonia or Cephalonia despite there being no 'C' in the Greek alphabet. Many other places on the island have variable spellings too, if it looks as if it may be right then it probably is!
Places to visit & things to do:
Fiskardo; seen above, is frequently seen as the most beautiful village in Greece and was the only village on the island to survive the 1953 earthquake virtually undamaged. It lies at the north of Kefalonia, between a clear blue sea and a pine forest. Even the Greek parliament has awarded it protected status, ensuring that the forest is managed and the traditional Venetian-style architecture remains unchanged. Fiskardo, once known as Panormos, comprises cluster of houses around a small harbour. There has been a lighthouse in Fiskardo for such a long time that no-one knows when one was first built there, a Venetian lighthouse is still there with a later British-built replacement and the remains of a Byzantine basilica standing nearby.
It’s known that Fiskardo has been inhabited intermittently from Palaeolithic times with periods when the area was quite deserted, perhaps because of the predations of pirates. Pirates have been a long standing problem for much of Kefalonia which is why so many villages are hidden on hillsides away from the sea. Today Fiskardo is a popular tourist destination though in the recent past it was near deserted with a population numbering in the tens. The present popularity of Fiskardo is owed to the beauty of its surroundings, the purity of the air and the beauty of the village itself.
Assos; also a Venetian port with many ruins from the earthquake period still standing. You can pay a visit to the Venetian castle on the top of the peninsula for the spectacular views and a wander among the ruins of three churches - this was used as a prison up until 1815 too - what torture it must have been!
Agia Efimia; another pretty and friendly port still in daily use by fishermen and yachters alike. This is where the film actors and crew spent their evenings relaxing with a drink or two after another day's hard work on "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" !
Karavomilos & Melissani Lake; a small seaside town with a waterwheel built by the British to exploit the flow of underground water from the spectacular nearby Melissani Lake.
Horgota Beach; is one of several quiet and remote beaches on the eastern side of the island. Horgota was used in "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" with its specially-built jetty featuring on the poster and in the film itself. The remains of the jetty can still be seen.
Sami; reconstructed after the earthquake, busy and bustling with activity as the mainland ferries dock here twice daily. You too can take a trip to Patras on the mainland or simply across the water to Ithaca for a day out. Sami was dressed up as the main set for "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" , the crew cladding the main hotel and other buildings to "blow up" during the main action scenes.
Antisami Beach; on the way to the beach you will pass the site of the "doctor's village" on the top of the isthmus. The beach itself, also used in the film, is a large, sheltered bay ideal for a swim.
Drogarati Cave; an amazing underground cavern of massive proportions dripping with stalactites - the cave has such good acoustics it has even been used for concert performances on special occasions.
Argostoli; the main town and capital of the island was rebuilt after the great earthquake and lacks much of the Venetian style buildings to be seen in the north of the island. That said, Argostoli has a buzz all of its own - a lively town with its open-air market, museums, shops and tavernas enough to content anyone. Around the headland is to be found the seamill; a unique, British-built waterwheel powered by the sea draining underground to emerge across the island in the Melissani Lake.
Agios Georgios Castle; 7 km from Argostoli and much destroyed in the 18th century this Venetian fortress is one of the finest surviving structures of its type in the islands. The remaining battlements command breathtaking views over the surrounding area. It's thought that a defensive structure has been here since the 4th century with the fortress being established by the Normans in the 12th century and expanded by the Orsinis in the 13th. Walls, towers and subterranean features including dungeons remain. A secret tunnel some 9km long, dug as an escape route, led to a point near the lagoon and was last used in 1943 when a group of Italian soldiers, besieged by German troops, were led to freedom by sympathetic locals.
Mount Enos; in the centre of the island, here you can find stupendous views over all of the island and enjoy the cool breezes that frequently rustle the Kefalonia pines; here and Siberia are the only places these trees grow! You can also spend a little time in search of the elusive wild mountain ponies that can occasionally be seen here.
Farsa; On the way from the Olive Tree to Argostoli you will pass through this village, the real site of 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin', on the hillside above you can see the remains of the old village perched high among the trees.
Lassi; one of the the main tourist destinations; a friendly, busy and bustling with shops and tavernas and its own sandy beaches.
The small port of Assos seen from the castle.
© 2009 RJP & ALW.