Towns and Villages Archives

21 Oct 2017

Kazaviti village

Jessie Andreas tavern, celebration, Kazaviti tavern, Kazaviti tradition, lamb, old chuch, old houses, old monastery, old village, platea, roofs, St Panteleimon, stone, Vasilis tavern, Village 0

If you’re a regular reader of our blog, Thassosing with Seka & Jessie, you probably read about our picnic to Giola.
Since we visited in the morning, we had plenty of time for a coffee on our way back. We agreed to drop by one of my favoured villages, Kazaviti.

Andreas#Kazaviti

If you’re coming from Potos, at Prinos you have a right turn into the mountain, while coming from Limenas, you turn left, toward picturesque villages of Micro Kazaviti and Megalo Kazaviti.

They’re a must-see because of their phenomenal view and traditionally-built houses. The climate is good and it’s only a 15-minute drive to the sea.

Girls in Kazaviti

Unlike Theologos and Panagia, Kazaviti is at its most beautiful in the morning or at lunchtime, if you’re in the mood to eat in one of the tavernas offering a menu that includes lamb, pork, chicken and kid o the spit, along with other local and Greek delicacies.

Taverna Kazaviti

There are no souvenir shops typical of other villages. It is utterly tranquil. Only at mealtime, you can hear the cling of the cutlery and the clamour of people enjoying their food and drinks.

Roof#old church#Kazaviti

There are two taverns on the main square, their shared terrace nested under a huge, ancient plane tree. The tree is a special attraction – its trunk is split and a person can easily walk into it.

It is fun to visit the remains of the old school, church and mansion, and five kilometres into the mountain from Kazaviti is the St. Panteleimon monastery.
It is believed that it was built in 1843, out of stone from the mountain and with a gravel-covered wooden roof. Near the monastery, there is a cave in which, according to legend, St. Panteleimon died.
In 1987 The temple was converted into a monastery and on July 27 each year the St. Panteleimon Day is celebrated.

Do drop by and enjoy this magical village. You’ll return just like we did, content and smile.

central place#friends

: Thassosing

: Smile#Friends#Platea Kazaviti

: Seka&Jessie

: central place#friends

: Friends#platan#platia#Kazaviti

: Girls in Kazaviti

: Kafe in Kazaviti

: The view#Kazaviti

: Taverna Kazaviti

: Kazaviti taverna

: Platan#Kazaviti

: Andreas#Kazaviti

: Andreas#Kazaviti

: Blue door#Kazaviti

: flowers in Kazaviti

: Roof#old church#Kazaviti

: Garden#Kazaviti

: Kazaviti#enjoyingarden

: map#Kazaviti

27 Jan 2017

Panagia

Jessie carneval, honey, olive oil, Panagia, traditional, Village 0

A mountain village surrounded by a pine forest, with a view of the sea far below and a rugged peak far above, Panagia has a history spanning 300 years.

In XVIII century, in the face of pirate raids, inhabitants of the old town Thassos were forced to withdraw into the hills. That increased the population of Panagia. It was the island capital after the Greek war for independence in 1821. The village was named after the church of the same name, built in 1832.
At entry into Panagia, a fantastic view of the Golden Beach breaks to the east and to the mountains the opposite way. I passed through, or, better said, I grazed the town several times before purposefully going for a visit.I made daily trips from Limenas to some new place, discovering the realm of villages strewn across the mountain. The villages attract me wherever i go, as I feel that they hold their secrets much more closely than cities. Panagia was a revelation.

Mornings are particularly pretty in Panagia

As sun rays fight to break through a sycamore canopy, the bakeries are in full gear, luring people to step in and grab a breakfast, or just a treat. The whole place smells of vanilla. Coffee is taken and newspapers are read in the kafenion at the village square. The elders tell tales of the life past and the youngsters race to catch up with their work.
The wave of tourists surging over Panagia with the evening is the bread and butter for many small shops offering local products – from handmade souvenirs, over olive oil, delicious honey, wine, tsipouro brandy, liqueurs, to pasta or healing herbs. There is often a queue for a table in restaurants emanating an irresistible aroma of grilled lamb, a Panagian specialty.

Water from Ypsario, at 1,204 meters the highest peak on Thassos, springs in upper reaches of Panagia.

The Spring of Love is famous and a main attraction. A square, beneath sycamore trees, is adorned with messages of love. The Bridge of Love, leaping over a small fountain filled by water from the three springs there, is a must for photographs. From there, running water is channeled through the village, running as a brook, but also through little canals along the houses and under the streets.
A 20 minutes walk from Panagia there is the Drakotrypa, the Dragon Cave. It was named after stalactites in the shape of a dragon. It has not been explored in detail, but that doesn’t stop many tourists from summoning their courage for an underground adventure.

17 Jan 2017

Kastro

Jessie History, Old, Villages 0

Taking the trip to Kastro isn’t as difficult an adventure as it was before. Since the new road was finished last year, in 2016, many tourists visited the island’s oldest village.
Kastro sits in the middle of the island, 500 meters up. It is reachable by an asphalt road from Limenaria or a dirt road from Theologos. With the new road, even a bicycle became a convenient means of transportation to there.
The name stands for the fort, or castle built way back in 15th century, during the reign of the Gatilusio family over the island. The modern-day bone-house, where villagers store the remains of the deceased inhabitants, was built on the foundations of the old fortt, the Acropolis.
So far in the mountain, Kastro cannot be seen from the coast. It is surrounded by valleys and gullies which had for centuries protected the population from pirates.
In the late 19th century, people from mountain villages began creeping closer to the sea, forming good-weather fishing settlements and eventually moving there for good.
In Kastro, there is a small church dedicated to St. Athanasis, with a Gatilusio coat of arms on one of the outside walls. It was built with the permission of the Ottoman sultan within 40 days of 1804, with all villagers contributing to the construction effort. In 1980, as one of the oldest churches on Thassos, it was declared a historic monument.
People from all over the island converge at Kastro on January 18, for it patron St. Athanasis day. The place changes, adopting a festive appearance. The strets remain packed with celebrating people until late night for several days. The nature surrounding Kastro has shaped teh life of its inhabitants. Furnaces are blasting away, lamps light up the night. It is a differnet life there during that time.
The village Kastro has left a strong impression on me. It is mystical. Nop visitor remains immune to the preserved antiquity taking us a couple of centuries back. I visited twice in a month, enjoying both times and fretful that I may miss something.
The center is not much different from that of any other mountain village on Thassos. The first story about it I heard there, in the center. Kostas, the owner of a small restaurant that shares its terrace with the church yard, is the right man to talk to. He is actually a car mechanic who has lived long years in Bremen, Germany, but has recently been spending more and more time on the island,entertaining curious tourists in five languages he speaks, telling stories about the island alongside the modest repertoire of delicious dishes and beverages. He tends to his sheep and goats and enjoys life in the mountainous nature. Riddles are his specialty and with him hours in the restaurant seem like minutes.
Kastro has been changing in recent years. There are more new buildings, serving as holiday homes. The old construction style, using stone and wood, was retained to keep the architectural integrity of the place. Thassians obviously love Kastro and appreciate their past. Sometimes a single glance suffices for a mental picture of a town and its people. I was lucky when, without any planning or knowledge, I wandered bumped into a stone gate with a fence shielding a yard and a partially visible house behind. There was a bench in front. It is the setting of a family chronicle. A young married couple is renovating the house for their future vacations. They told ma all they knew about it and its long-deceased former owners, showing me even photographs they inherited with the building.
Sometimes, even if unwillingly, I compare different eras. I wouldn’t like to live in the past and be ruled by nostalgia. Sometimes, however, something irrefutably shows us that life can be beautiful without a phone, even electricity. For a while, at least.
It was dusk of an overcast day, sunless day. I set off back towards Limenaria. A herd of sheep returning from grazing stopped me for a while. A grin was stuck on my face.