The region of
Palliki occupies the western Peninsula of Kefalonia, with a
population of about 6500 and area covering 145 sq Km, it has 14
Municipalities and 22 villages.
The terrain ranges from flat to hilly, with the valley of Katogi in
the siuthern part, Which is the most fertile area of Kefalonia.
The northern part is called Anogi and is more mountainous.
Lixouri is the capital of Palliki, and is a modern town with a
harbour, wide tree-lined streets and beautiful squares edged with
flowers.
A river divides the town in two and the two parts are linked with
small bridges.
The coastline of Palliki is characterized ny numerous capes and
rocky promontories.
The western coastline is steep and rocky, and looks over the Ionian
Sea, while to the east the coastline is softer and overlooks Livadi
Bay.
There are fantastic beaches with crystal clear waters. |
View photos of the region
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Lixouri, located on the
peninsula of Palliki, is the second important town of Kefalonia, and
boasts beautiful buildings, traditional small houses surrounded by
flowers, beautiful squares with quaint cafes, and impressive
churches.
Its most important sights include the two libraries, Iakovatios and
Petritsios, with collections of clothing and rear books, the
Philharmonic School, the bronze statue of the famous satirical poet
Andreas Laskaratos at the port, the statue of Stamos Petritsis, and
the church of Saint Haralambous.
A road leads from the village of Soullari to the beautiful beaches
of Mega Lakkos and Xi, with its fine red sand and clear shallow
waters.
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A short distance from the
village of Mantzavinata and Xi beach, is Kounopetra (Moving Stone),
a paradoxical natural phenomenon: a rock in the sea that moves
rhythmicalally.
From Havdata you can drive to Kipouria Monastery, which houses
remarkable relics and post-Byzantine icons. The monastery, perched
on a cliff, has the most stunning views of the sea and the most
beautiful sunset on the island.
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The region of Palliki is
an integral part of Kefalonia and one that has played an important
role in the history of the island. In ancient times the city of Pali,
from which the peninsula takes its, was located here, and historians
believe it was a colony of Corinth. It was almost certainly a
stopping-off-point for the Corinthians on their way to their
colonies in Sicily.
The peninsula of Palliki has connections with the Mycenean era, as
well as being mentioned in the mythical stories of Homer. Various
prehistoric finds have come to light during excavations in this
area.
Historic buildings which have survived to the present day include
the mansion of Doctor Geroulanos, the hospital, and the Valianos
Professional School. There is also the Iakovatios Museum Library,
which houses a total of 25000 books, the Petritsios Library, and the
Philharmonic School of Pali, founded by composer Petros Skarlatos.
The statue of the satirical poet,Andreas Laskaratos, stands at the
port to welcome those who arrive by sea.
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Το άγαλμα του μεγάλου
σατιρικού Ανδρέα Λασκαράτου στην παραλία καλωσορίζει τους επισκέπτες
που έρχονται από τη θάλασσα.
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SIGHTS |
Lixuri is the capital of
Palliki and is the second most populous town in Kefalonia.
The official name of the town -Lixourion- was recorded for the first
time in a written protest sent to the Venetian Senate in 1534.
The ancient city of Pali, which took its name from Palea or Pilea,
one of the four sons of the mythical king Kefalos, was situated a
short distance to the north of the present town, in an area known
today as Paliokastro.
Lixouri is a modern town with a harbour, wide tree-lined streets and
beautiful squares edged with flowers.
A river divides the town in two and the two parts are linked with
small bridges.
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The Iakovatios Museum and
Library is housed in the original mansion belonging to the Iakovatos
family, which survived the earthquakes in 1953 and has been
restored.
It is located in the western area of the town and consits of 14
rooms, with decorative ceiling panels and attractively-decorated
walls.
The descendants of the Iakovatos family have donated not only the
residence itself but also 7.000 books, one of the oldest being the
Omnibus edition of Hippocrates published in 1595, approximately 1000
booklets and papers, as well as records covering the complete family
history.
In the same building there is also an extremely valuable art
collection.
There are 36 historically-important icons, of which two portable
icons are worth mentioning: “The Gathering of the Angels”, the work
of the monk Philotheos Skoufos, and “the Miracle in Hones”, by
Michail Damaskinos.
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The Museum also has on
display three manuscripts of the Gospels dating from the 10th, 14th
and 15th centuries, as well as vestments and hand-written books
belonging to the Archibishop of Stavroupolis and teacher of the
Theological College of Halki, Kontstantinos Tipaldos Iakovatos.
The same library also has 5.000 books that belonged to the Professor
of Theology at the University of Athens and academic, Amilkas
Alivizatos.
The total number of books, both donated and bought, comes to over
20.000. |
To the south of Lixouri
can be found the villages of Michalitsata and Lepeda, which are
enchanting places for a holiday with their picturesque coastline,
sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters.
In Lepeda there is an old monastery in which resided the monk and
intellectual Anthimos Kourouklis, who was decreed a saint recently
by the Orthodox Church.
On the northern outskirts of Lixouri the ruins of the ancient city
of Pali, which reached its peak in classical times, have been
excavated.
The coins of the period depicted the head of Persephone wearing a
wreath of maize; the hero and king Kefalos; and Pegasus.
The hill where the ruins of Pali are located is called today Douri
or Paliokastro.
The main road heads out of Lixouri in a north-westerly direction.
After a while it intersects with a turning on the left, which goes
towards the south-west and the charming villages of Kaminarata,
Favatata and Havdata.
The village of Kaminarata boasts an internationally-known
traditional dance group that has won prizes both in Greece and
abroad.
In the church of the Holly Apostles in Havdata there is a carved
wooden icon-screen and post- Byzantine icons.
Two kilometers to the east of Havdata you come to the monastery of
the Holly Apostle, Koronatos, with a nuns' retreat set in delightful
surroundings.
From Havdata the road takes you south to meet a smaller country lane
that crosses the westerly region of Paliki (and therefore the west
side of the whole island), which leads to the old monasteries of
Saint Paraskevi Tafion (also known as Tafios or Tafi from the
Mycenean name for the first inhabitants, the Tilevones or Tafi), and
the monastery of the Virgin Mary of Kipouria or Kipouraion.
The view from here over the Ionian Sea is stunning. Nearby, there is
a cavern known as Drakospilia (Dragon's Cave).
This road, after the turning that leads to the two monasteries,
continues to the south and enters Havriata, a beautiful village
built on a hill, with panoramic views of the plain in the southern
part of Palliki and which looks towards the sea.
It is the birthplace of the teacher Vikentios Damodos. The church of
the Virgin Mary in Havriata houses beautiful religious paintings and
a remarkable wooden icon-screen.
At night, to the West, you can see the lights from the lighthouse
Gerogombos, which is a ten-minute drive from the village.
Near Havriata in Palati Boros, is the villa of the writer Ilias
Tsitselis, who wrote "Kefalonian Varations" (Kefalliniaka Symmeikta),
and whose valuable archives have survived in excellent condition.
The surrounding countryside is delightful.
The nearby beach of Potami ("river") has clean sand and
beautifully-clear waters.
To the south-west a narrow road leads to the lighthouse of
Gerogombos.
The road from Havriata continues to the south-east, passing through
the village Vouni and from there into Manzavinata, where there are
murals in the church.
A small road goes from Manzavinata in a south-westerly direction to
the southern most tip of Palliki, to Akrotiri (Cape) where there is
the famous moving stone, Kounopetra, one of the strange geological
phenomena of Kefalonia.
Opposite Kounopetra, to the south-east, lies the small island of
Vardiani.
A drive of 3 Km along the road from Mantzavinata brings you to the
enchanting Xi beach.
This sandy beach stretches for nearly 3 kilometres along the
shoreline and has fine red sand and clay cliffs.
The main road from Mantzvinata passes in a north-easterly direction
through the village of Soulari and leads back to Lixouri.
It is known as the "lower" road, as opposed to the "upper" roads
running through the north of the peninsula.
In the church of Saint Marina in Soulari, there are remarkable icons
painted by Th. Poulakis and I. Moshos.
South of Soulari is a small bay with Venetian name, Mia Lako (Mega
Lakos) with a beautiful sandy beach and clear waters that attract
both Greek and foreign visitors.
The main road, after the turnings for Favatata and Havdata, leads to
the villages Monopolata, Kalata, Saint Thekli, Vilatoria and Vovikes.
Between the villages of Vilatoria and Vovikesthere is a turning to
Petani Beach, an amazingly beautiful beach.
The main road leads on to the enchanting semi-circular village of
Kontogenada, whose churches contain post- Byzantine icons, whilst
all around well-preserved Mycenean tombs have been found. |
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