WELCOME TO LEFKADA

In this blog you are going to discover and see Lefkada through my eyes. I live the island all year round, I have made it my home and the starting point of my travels.

Beautiful, mystical and wild island, Lefkada transmits its positive energy if you can connect with the deep and ancient soul that lives in her.

But let’s get to know it together.

The island of Lefkada, or Leucade if we want to use its primordial name inherited from the noble Italic southern family of Orsini, is a fusion of turquoise sea, pristine beaches and lush green and lush of the beautiful Lefkada Mountains, where flows the purest spring that feeds the neighboring islands of Meganissi and Scorpio.

This makes Lefkada, also known as Lefkas, an island suitable for the travel needs of the most varied types of tourism.

I don’t like to use the following stereotype, but it is widely used and you will find it around so it is my duty to explain it to you.

When you hear people talk about the Ionian Caribbean, well you know that they are referring to the clear beaches and crystal clear sea that give life to tropical scenery and unique landscapes characteristic of the pearls of the Ionian, Lefkas, Kefalonia, the mythical Itaka with the statue of Ulysses in the main square of its capital Vathi, both reachable with a day trip by boat.

But also Paxos and Antipaxos, Elafonissos and Corfu.

Unlike these islands, Lefkada is connected to the Greek mainland by a swivel bridge that every hour lets pass the boats that choose to transit from the inner channel rather than circumnavigate the island.

A destination for lovers of sea and pristine beaches, the island of Lefkada is one of the wildest islands of Greece, but it does not end there….

Its mountainous conformation also makes it ideal for walks and excursions among the characteristic mountain villages, with its paths that tread ancient mule tracks.

It’s also perfect for cycling, a sport that I have started to practice with more commitment right here on the island thanks to the friendly British community that lives there. It is a combination of relaxation and adventure, which is why it is so loved by Italian tourists, who flock here in August, and by foreigners who are discovering it even out of season.

Thanks to the splendid flora, the island becomes magnificent in Spring with the sparkling colors of its vegetation. The fauna is also very characteristic, especially for bird watching lovers, but we will talk about it later describing the north of the island.

Lefkada has an ancient and important history.

The first stone of the Castle of Santa Maura was laid by the Orsini, an ancient and noble Apulian family with ties to the Spanish royal family. Giovanni Orsini called it Santa Maura Leuca-de, with clear reference to Santa Maria di Leuca, the southernmost point of Apulia and therefore the closest to the island, the new conquest of the family.

But going back in time we find it mentioned by the ancient Greeks and told by Homer in the legend of Sappho, who sacrificed herself for love from its white rock cliffs overhanging the sea.

And it is still Homer who is responsible for a rather bizarre theory: it is said that Lefkada is the real homeland of Ulysses.

There are 3 passages between the Iliad and the Odyssey indicating that it is here that the famous Hellenic king had his home: the land of 70 waterfalls, with a view of 3 islands to the south, and so easy to reach on foot during low tide … we will talk more in the historical section.

Another thing… even if the Lefkadians are convinced…. do not tell the inhabitants of Itaka!

– There are many beaches to visit and discover such as the most famous ones of Agios Ioannis, Pefkoulia that my friend Graziano likes so much, Egremni, Porto Katsiki, or even Gialos and Milos, to get to beaches more difficult to reach as Avali & Gaidaros, or small coves such as Amoussa and Agiofili, the beautiful and tiny Krioneri, from the greek cold waters, where a spring of fresh water flows directly into the sea, making the beach perfect for an invigorating and refreshing swim in the long hot summer days, or even the magical Dessimi, one of the most beautiful bays of the entire Ionian, in short we have something for everyone, and we will talk about it ad nauseam in the appropriate section.

In general, to better understand the geography of Lefkada, we can divide it into 5 distinct areas, 4 identified with the cardinal points, and a central one.

 

To the north we have the capital Santa Mavra, alive even in winter with its beautiful trendy clubs and the walk along the Venetian canal.

Just north of the capital we have the beautiful lagoon, with its chameleon-like colors that change depending on the season, time of day and weather. In winter it’s wonderful to admire the pink cormorants that have chosen the lagoon to reproduce, as well as coots and black-winged stilts. The peace that transmits this place is something out of the ordinary.

To the north of the lagoon there are dunes reminiscent of the Canary Islands and ancient mills, used in the past for the production of salt.

The beaches to the north are the home of kite surfers, thanks to the thermal winds generated by the heat of the sun and the shallow water of the lagoon during the summer season Agios Ioannis becomes an open-air circus, where kids of all ages perform in numbers at the limit of physics. In the evening bonfires and barbecues on the beach are the norm.

The inlets in the southern part of the island are famous for their beauty and retain that aura of authenticity that has characterized Lefkada for many years, long before the boom of hotels and resorts hit the island.

But it is the western side that has made Lefkada famous… its wild and uncontaminated beaches, that unique color that I have renamed Lefkada blue, that blend from light blue to cobalt that after the Mistral reaches the most incredible degree of tonality.

To the east instead we have more equipped beaches, hotels and restaurants crowd the coast since the bay of Vliho, now a renowned sailing point, famous in the past for having been a safe haven for fishermen during the storms from the south during the winter that hit the island, up the coast to the capital.

In the center we find the beautiful mountain range that encloses the authentic soul of ancient Lefkada, with its forests and its hidden monasteries.

Lefkada is also culture, excursions and shopping. The places of interest that the island offers are many, such as the route of the springs and the seven waterfalls, culminating with the last jump in the gorge of Dimossari, also known as Nidry falls. But as already mentioned it is on the plateau that we find the true essence of Lefkada.

In Eglouvi with the cultivation of the typical local lentils, the mountain village of Karya with its handicrafts in olive wood and its textiles, that beautiful jewel that is the village of Vafkeri, the ancient wine village where the grapes are still pressed in the ancient press of the village, the gastronomy of Playstoma, home of the last wood-burning oven that every morning churns out fragrant bread baked on stone, the ancient mills, and monasteries…

It is said that during the translation of the remains of St. Nicholas, the Venetians stopped here before reaching Bari. On the road that leads to Cape Lefkada, in a bucolic landscape where you are enraptured by mysticism, stands the beautiful monastery dedicated to the Saint, where the nuns prepare creams aloe vera, white thyme honey, excellent liqueurs and herbal compresses as well as creating beautiful icons and handmade crucifixes of which I always carry one around my neck. A place not to be missed, and today even easier to reach thanks to the new scenic road that connects Vassiliki, home of wind surfing, to the west coast.

There is no shortage of 5-star resorts, hotels, campsites and for the most demanding even solutions in luxurious private villas, the island of Lefkada has something for all budgets by providing tourists the opportunity to choose the type of trip that best suits their needs.

There are those who say that Lefkada is not the most famous Greek island for nightlife, well this is not entirely true. The difference is that in Lefkada you can breathe culture. The Venetians have left their mark, and the capital Santa Maura is a touch of Italian style in Hellenic land … and sorry if that’s not enough …

Events and cultural events characterize the evenings Lefkadians, both in the capital and in small fishing villages, where characteristic harbors are the backdrop to representations that will leave indelible memories, there is no shortage of attractions for young people, both in the capital, both in the two most fashionable towns of the island, Nidry on the east coast and the sporty Vassiliki on the south coast, destination for young and old who make sailing and wind surfing their religion.

Yes, I know, you’re wondering how it is possible to enjoy all this in one vacation. You can not … might as well say it now.

Choose what your preferences are and shape your time accordingly, because one thing you can be sure of… you’ll be back …. Once seen, if you are worthy, Lefkada will call you again… you have no choice.