A place of authentic natural beauty, although small, the island of Homer’s Odysseus, boasts a great history and deep tradition offering some of the best sightseeing attractions and beaches in the Ionian Sea, Greece.
When Odysseus set off for glorious days in Troy, his beloved wife, Penelope, was left alone to unwittingly excite the appetite of men for a gorgeous queen. Before long, the palace was brimful of odious suitors who would flirt with the queen persistently. What is more, they made Penelope promise she would marry one of them.
To keep them at bay, she came up with a devise: she promised she would come to a wedding with the best of them when she would have finished weaving a shroud. So, she spent the daytime weaving it and the nighttime unweaving it. Thus doing, she managed to stay clear of the suitors for 20 whole years, until Odysseus returned to Ithaca.
Ithaca
As you set out for Ithaca
hope the voyage is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
Hope the voyage is a long one.
May there be many a summer morning when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you come into harbors seen for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind—
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to gather stores of knowledge from their scholars.
Keep Ithaca always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you are destined for.
But do not hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you are old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaca to make you rich.
Ithaca gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaca won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you will have understood by then what these Ithacas mean.
Constantine P. Cavafy Greek poet
Translated by Edmund Keeley/Philip Sherrard
Getting to Ithaca
The island is connected by boat to the islands of Kefalonia and Lefkada, and to the ports of Patras, Killíni and Astakós on the mainland. Kefalonia is accessible by plane too.
Beaches
Ithaca Island, despite being a small island in the Ionian Sea, it boasts a great number and variety of beaches with one main characteristic: pebbles and trees reaching down to the water. The island does not offer more than two organized beaches, like Filiatro beach, but mostly secluded, small coves and naturalist beaches like Frikes, Sarakiniko bay, Agios Ioannis (Aspros Gialos) and Gidaki beach.
The best beaches in Ithaca, Greece, are found scattered around its coastline, from the north to the south, so a beaches’ map is absolutely necessary in order to discover all those hidden coves and shores.
Accommodation
Ithaca is an island that offers an authentic holiday experience and, as such, it offers a great number of hotel accommodation options varying from fine rooms, apartments and studios to a few boutique, luxury hotels for the more demanding ones, all of them respecting the island’s architecture and traditional elements.
Vathy is one of the best places to stay in Ithaca gathering also some of the best hotels in Ithaca all in accordance with the natural environment either high up the hills or lower by the town’s port.
Sightseeing
The cave of the nymghs
The cave is located south from Vathy and in order to reach it, you have to follow the road leading out of the settlement to Aetos and just before reaching Dexa beach you should turn left. At the end of the road you should leave your vehicle and follow the path on foot. It is also called marble cave and has two entrances; one for the Gods and one for the mortals. It is decorated with beautiful stalactites and, according to Homer, Odysseus hid the gifts that Alkinoos, the King of Feakes, gave him into that cave.
Vathy
Vathy is the capital of Ithaca and a beautiful settlement which maintained its traditional Ionian architecture and did not yield to the modern trend of the construction development. It is located in the southern part of the island into a beautiful natural bay which engulfs a small islet called “Lazareto”. The settlement has rooms to let, restaurants and taverns, stores and markets, bars and clubs.
Naval-folklore museum
The museum is housed in the old electric power station building which was constructed in 1923 in Vathy. The museum’s naval collection includes old pictures from the beginning of the 20th century and items of Ithaca’s naval tradition such as paintings of old Ithacan ships, naval instruments and uniforms, books and various documents. The folklore collections includes items from Ithaca’s everyday life and tradition such as bronze and ceramic housewares, old tools of several professions, furniture, costumes and jewels, weaving tools, musical instruments etc.
Archaeological museum of Ithaca
The museum is located in Vathy and hosts findings which date back the Geometrical until the Roman Era, deriving mainly from the excavations held in Aetos area. The collection includes vessels that have been made in local workshops, figurines and miniatures of objects dedicated to the temple of Apollo found in the same area.
Anogi
Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary
The Byzantine church of Dormition is located in the village of Anogi which was an important medieval settlement set at an altitude of 500 metres. The church was constructed on the 12th century, is decorated with beautiful frescoes and its bell tower is of Venetian style. It is also considered to be one of the oldest and most important churches in the Balkans.
Menir
A quite strange and interesting fact is the existence of huge rocks scattered around the village, called “menir”. The biggest rock is named Aracles or Iracles (Hercules), it is 8 metres high and set over a stone pedestal. Its symmetrical form gives the impression that it is not a natural carved stone but it could only be constructed by the human hand.
Ithaca events
Religious feasts
Usually the religious feasts, after the morning church service, are celebrated by great outdoor fairs which also involve a whole lot of traditional music, dances, food and drink.
Find below some of the most popular religious feasts on Ithaca.
On the 30th of June the celebration of Saints Apostoles in Frikes is held.
On the 17th of July Agia Marina is celebrated in Exoghi.
In Kioni annually on the 20th of July takes place the celebration of Prophet Elias.
The Metamorphosis of the Savior is celebrated on the 5th and 6th of August every year in Stavros.
On the 15th of August the celebration of Panagia (Virgin Mary) is held in Platrithias. On the 14th the celebration of Panagia in Anogi is also held.
Local products
Olive Oil
On the island the local variety of olive trees called “Thiako” thrives which produces a fine virgin olive oil.
Wine
From the local varieties, which are certified organic products, the sweet red Mavrodaphne and a sec White wine called “Thiako” are produced.
Sweets
There is a variety of traditional home made sweets like quince, sweet arbutus berries, sweet pear and jams which will excite your senses.
Other Products
A variety of the famous soft white cheese “feta” is produced on Ithaca.
Also, the locally produced meat derives from a special kind of local sheep called “ery
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