During the Catholic Easter, I decided to go on a short trip with some friends. We decided to rent a car to reach some places that it would have been impossible to visit otherwise. Our trip started in Akamas, the peninsula in the western coast of Cyprus. This area is still widely untouched and, at least at the beginning of April, it was not so crowded with tourists. We spent two nights in a campsite inside the Akamas National Forest Park. The campsite is located at the beginning of the Aphrodite Baths and of the Aphrodite Trail, which stretches to the famous beaches Blue Lagoon and Fontana Amoroza.
The trail was really nice and quiet, and walking it was possible to see the sea and the beautiful flora and fauna of the peninsula. Some tourists were visiting the area aboard some jeeps but they spent little time at the beaches so we were almost alone. Thanks to the silence, some goats came very close to us, as they didn’t feel threatened by the presence of many people. It was very nice to seem them roam around, climb steep walls and rocks. We visited the nearby village of Polis, which has been kept over the years as a small fishing village, with small taverns and cobbled streets. We had dinner in a small tavern called Arsinoe Fish Tavern, where we had a fish meze that was really amazing.
On our way to Paphos, we decided to follow an itinerary recommended in our guide. It was a nice tour around some small villages of the hinterland between the Akamas peninsula and the area of Paphos. First, we visited Fyti, where we visited the Folk Art Museum that exhibits and tells the story of the fytiotika, a peculiar fabric woven from silk and other materials with traditional patterns and rich colors. We then visited Pano Panagia, where the house of the Archbishop Makario is located, and the Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery. We also stopped along the way to visit two wineries, the Vouni Panayia and the Tsangarides wineries, where we tried the excellent wines of this region.
Once in Paphos, we visited the archeological sites, with the colorful Roman floor mosaics that were really stunning. Visiting this part of Cyprus has left me really amazed. Its natural landscapes, the archeological sites, the hidden villages and the food culture and traditions exuded a unique atmosphere really different from that of Nicosia, with its bustling streets and its mixture of old houses and new buildings.
