Lefkada Island
Lefkada also called Lefkos (in Greek it means white for its rocks) or Leucade we find it in the Ionian Islands Archipelago between Corfu and Kefalonia off the coast of Akranania. It is part of Epatnisa the seven Greek islands of the Ionian Sea.
One of the few islands connected by an embankment and with a bridge to the mainland of Greece fifty kilometers long, it is nicknamed "the emerald of the Ionian Islands" for the beauty of its waters and its overwhelming nature.
Lefkada among its sisters is the most mountainous with peaks reaching almost 1200 meters such as Mount Elati also called Stravrota and surrounded by hills. The plains cover a third of the island, on the east coast there are calm waters and wonderful panoramas while to the west it is much wilder with breathtaking bays and where you can admire the most beautiful sunsets. Around Lefkada some small islands such as Kythros, Thilia, Skorpidi and Sparti all uninhabited and then Madouri and Skorpios privately owned, the latter until a few years owned by the Onassis family.
Another name for the island of Lelfkada is "Ionian Caribbean" for its enchanting white sand beaches bathed by an extremely clean sea and with iridescent bright colors that fade from turquoise to emerald to sparkling blue, giving it a tropical flavor thanks also to the luxuriant vegetation that surrounds it made of pines, strawberry trees, oaks, olive trees, plane trees and cypresses as well as to a rich flora that with its seasonal colors makes the island a small paradise on earth.
According to Greek mythology, Lefkada was the true homeland of Ulysses for which he had to face very hard trials and unexpected events before being able to return, as well as being remembered for episodes of love and death. Right on the head of Lekada was the temple of Apollo and Homer indicated it as the entrance to the underworld. Another legend instead tells that it was here that the poetess Sappho took her own life for an unfortunate love, committing suicide from the cliff of Porto Katsiki.
Lefkada History
According to archaeological excavations, Lefkada was inhabited since the Neolithic period in the 4th millennium BC. In the 7th century it was colonized by the Corinthians who gave life to new cities while in 650 BC the canal that separated it from the mainland began to be built. He participated in several battles in particular that of Salamis and in 480 BC in that of Plataea. It also supported the battle of the Peloponnese by helping Corinth allied with Sparta and allied itself in 343 BC with Athens to counter Philip II the Macedonian, but as history teaches us it was a defeat and became the property of Macedonia. Then there was the Roman period and the Byzantine one where given its position it suffered numerous attacks by pirates. It also had a parenthesis until 1331 under the dominion of the Italians with the Sicilian Orsini family who helped build the fortress of Aghia Mavra when the Turks arrived in 1479 and controlled it until 1684. The Venetians instead were present until 1797 when the French with Napoleon Buonaparte conquered it and improved Lefkada especially in agriculture. In 1810 it passed under the British who built the first aqueduct and the road network until 1864 when the treaty of the union of the Ionian islands was signed and it gained its independence.
Why choose a holiday in Lefkada? There are many reasons, first of all for nature, its morphology is perfect for those who love to walk among mountain villages frozen in time or among dense forests and admire a flora and fauna that every season offers different emotions, for the beaches pristine, wild and with one of the most beautiful seas in Greece and still to spend peaceful days of idleness without renouncing tradition and comfort, recharging your energies to the maximum.
Not to be missed during your holiday in Greece is its capital Lefkada, a lively and cosmopolitan city as well as the main cultural, tourist and architectural centre. Low houses with a natural color full of shops, cafes, restaurants, typical taverns and a beautiful promenade where you can admire a wonderful sunset. And yet the central square dedicated to Agios Spyridon with its 17th century church, the Monastery of Moni Faneromenis where the view of the lagoon that connects the island to the mainland is an almost magical point.
On the east coast Lygia and Nikiana, two villages among the most popular destinations to stay. Nydri squeezed between the peninsula of Vlichos and the islands of Skorpios and Moudari where to go for its lively nightlife where day and night merge, or go to the southernmost part to the village of Vassiliki loved by surfers and point where to embark your own half way and go to Kefalonia or Ithaca.
To the west are the most beautiful beaches where you will meet the villages of Dragano and Athani where the clock seems to have stopped but ideal if you want to remain isolated and away from the confusion passing from one coast to another and enjoy the benefits of the sea. Finally, for a rich meal of fresh fish, move to Agios Nikitas, an ancient fishing village where you can delight your taste buds.
We also say that even the hinterland has its charm. Lakes, springs, gorges, caves and monasteries hidden in the greenery up to panoramic points where you can take unsurpassed photos in memory of your holiday. Know that above all here are the best taverns where you can eat high quality products that you will hardly forget.
Remember one thing when you are in Lefkada, the parking spaces are a real thorn in the side, few and poorly organized especially near the beaches, so leave early, arm yourself with patience, remember that you are on vacation and that the things to do and see are so so many that a solution is always found!