Keywords
Cyprus, agro-tourism, villages, travel, local experiences, wine tasting, cultural heritage, agritourism, traditional crafts, nature
Summary
In this podcast episode, Monique Skidmore shares her top ten favorite villages in Cyprus for agro-tourism, highlighting the unique agricultural experiences, local culture, and rich heritage that each village offers. From wine tasting to traditional crafts, he emphasizes the importance of engaging with local communities and exploring the diverse landscapes of Cyprus beyond the beaches.
Takeaways
- Agrotourism in Cyprus allows guests to participate in agricultural activities.
- Kalopaniotis is known for its ancient stone houses and beautiful scenery.
- Kakopetria features charming mountain architecture and historical sites.
- Galata offers a glimpse into traditional Cypriot life and agriculture.
- Omedos is famous for its fine wines and medieval architecture.
- Platres is popular for hiking, cycling, and local taverns.
- Loufu provides hands-on experiences in viticulture traditions.
- Lefkara is renowned for its lace and embroidery craftsmanship.
- Tochni is one of the oldest villages with rich architecture.
- Kathikas is a base for exploring the Trudos mountains and local wines.
Sound Bites
“This is a little gem of a village.”
“It’s got a fairy tale-like ambience.”
“It’s a lovely village, narrow winding streets.”
Timeline
00:00 – Introduction
00:43 – Kalopanayiotis Village
01:24 – Kakopetria Village
02:43 – Galata Village
03:25 – Omodos Village
04:09 – Platres Village
05:06 – Lofou Village
05:39 – Lefkara Village
06:20 – Tochni Village
06:50 – Kathikas Village
07:58 – Miliou Village
Transcript
Introduction (00:00)
Stephen Parker: Welcome to the Take Me to Europe podcast with your host, cultural anthropologist Monique Skidmore.
Monique Skidmore: I want to talk to you today about my 10 favourite villages in Cyprus where guests can participate in agricultural activities in agrotourism villages and at agrotourism stays.
Now, in my definition this includes wine tasting, and you get a wonderful ability to get out into the countryside and see locals, talk to locals, make food with locals, and you get all kinds of authentic tavernas and cafes that you just don’t get in the beach suburbs.
So I think, if it’s such a wonderfully diverse agricultural country that’s just covered in vineyards, olive groves and cute villages, an agritourism stay is a wonderful way to get to know something of Cyprus.
Kalapanayiotis Village (00:43)
Monique Skidmore: Let’s start in the Nicosia region. My number one pick is Kalopanayiotis. This is a charming village within the lush greenery of the Marathasa Valley and I think it has it all. It has ancient stone houses, churches, monasteries, wonderful mountain and valley scenery, and lots of agricultural experiences that you can participate in.
With its traditional stone houses, its sulphur springs, the Venetian bridge crossing the Setrachas River, the UNESCO-listed church of Agios Ioannis Lampadistis and the views of the surrounding mountains, it’s not hard to see why I choose Kalopanayiotis as my number one pick for an agro-tourism stay.
Kakopetria Village (01:24)
Monique Skidmore: But hot on its heels is number two, Kakopetria. It’s one of the most well-known, most visited mountain villages for tourists and for Cypriots. It’s in the heart of the Troodos Mountains and it’s known for its charming mountain architecture, its cobblestone streets and its multi-storey traditional stone houses, and the whole place is surrounded by orange groves.
It’s home to the Corner Mill, a restored water mill that’s been used for hundreds of years by the locals to grind grains and produce flour.
And while you’re here, you can explore nearby historical sites, hiking trails, engage in a bit of wine tasting and watch traditional arts and crafts being produced.
Galata Village (02:43)
Monique Skidmore: And moving now to number three, Galata. Undoubtedly one of the best choices for anyone who wants to experience a true bit of traditional Cypriot life. This is a little gem of a village. It features stone-built houses, narrow streets and lovely, lovely countryside views.
Galata has a rich agricultural heritage and you can see this in the village olive groves and olive production and at the only traditional mill still operating in Cyprus.
You can also visit the Folklore Art Museum and there are exhibitions there of all the things that make up everyday country life working tools, traditional clothing, kitchen items and furniture.
Omodos Village (03:25)
Monique Skidmore: If you’re in the Limassol region, my number four pick is Omodos, surrounded by vineyards. It’s a very picturesque village and it’s full of history and tradition.
It’s got a fairytale-like ambience, with cobbled streets, well-preserved medieval architecture and the Byzantine Monastery of the Holy Cross.
It’s also well known for its fine wines, particularly the local Mavro grape variety. So you can explore their vineyards, you can take part in wine tasting, you can learn about the winemaking methods passed down through the generations and there are lots of wonderful Cypriot delicacies to try, like Suzukas, paludze and Kuloka.
Platres Village (04:09)
Monique Skidmore: If you drive through the Troodos Mountains, you are going to turn up in Platres at some point. Platres is my number five village. It’s a very popular spot for tourists and locals.
There’s lots of tavernas, restaurants, coffee shops, there’s a chocolate shop and it’s surrounded by pine forests, hiking trails and waterfalls.
So there are lots of people who want to come here for hiking and cycling and you can explore around Platres – the vineyards, the citrus groves, the aromatic herb gardens.
The farming community in Platres provides hands-on experiences like fruit and vegetable picking and learning how to make traditional Cypriot preserves. So another great agrotourism experience.
Lofou Village (05:06)
Monique Skidmore: Lofou is in the Troodos Mountains. It’s a lovely village narrow winding streets, traditional stone houses and rustic tavernas, lots of vineyards and there’s a grape harvesting that you can participate in, also winemaking workshops.
So if you’re interested in viticulture traditions, this is a great village. It’s also home to beautifully restored guest houses.
Lefkara Village (05:39)
Monique Skidmore: Moving now to the Larnaca region, we get to Lefkara. It’s in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains and what distinguishes this village from all the others in Cyprus is that it’s famous for its rich cultural heritage of craftsmanship, and particularly its lace and embroidery and its delicate silverware.
And in fact, the lace and embroidery tradition that’s been passed on through generations is now on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage and if you’re interested in this Cypriot tradition, you can learn more about it at the Lefkara Handicraft Centre.
In addition to lacework, silverware, it’s got beautiful narrow stone paved and they’re full of souvenir shops, restaurants, cafes, and they serve authentic local dishes like tavas.
Tochni Village (06:20)
Monique Skidmore: Now Tochni, located between Larnaca and Limassol, is number eight on my list, one of the oldest villages in Cyprus. It’s a wonderful place to admire medieval alleys, old architecture and ruins of a Latin church.
It’s got lots of wonderful stone houses, stone guest houses. Local breakfasts are a thing of legend here, and you can also cycle and horse ride around this area.
Kathikas Village (06:50)
Monique Skidmore: Now on to our final region, the Paphos region, and we’re at number nine, Kathikas, a village that stole my heart from my first trip to Cyprus. One of the most visited agritourism villages in Paphos.
It has beautifully restored century-old buildings. It creates a magical, folklore-like environment, especially in the evenings, especially in the evenings. It makes a favorite destination as a base because you can explore the Troodos mountains, the Akamas Peninsula and the northwest coast – Polis, Pomos, those kinds of villages that are harder to get to, but you’re also always close to Paphos.
So this is a lovely village, surrounded by vineyards. It produces high quality wines and delectable food in a couple of really great little taverns. It’s one of my favorite villages everywhere.
Do try the wonderful winery and try the gin bar. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many types of gin in one place, which is just odd.
Miliou Village (07:58)
Monique Skidmore: Okay, number 10, Miliou. Miliou is not the first village that Cypriots will tell you is it a great agritourist destination, but I think it’s really peaceful, very quiet. There’s only 60 residents.
It’s one of the greenest villages in the area. I think it really embodies the essence of agritourism, that greenness. The village is surrounded by almond trees that just blossom beautifully in spring.
It’s become an important center for bird watching in Cyprus, although you can also just relax at the spa, which is now in a restored monastery in Miliou.
So I hope now you’ve got a good sense of why you should venture off the beaches on your next trip and spend a couple of days in one of these wonderful agritourism villages, meet the locals, participate in everyday village activities and get a real sense of what it’s like to be Cypriot.
Conclusion (08:59)
Stephen Parker: Thanks for listening to this episode of Take Me to Europe podcast. Hop onto our website, takemetoeuropetours.com and sign up to our newsletter to learn more about Europe’s hidden and most exciting destinations, and don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast series.
