KALONI
VILLAGE Holiday Houses
ABOUT LESVOS (LESBOS)
Lesvos or Lesbos is the third largest island of Greece and
has a long history that goes back more than 3.000 years. It has been
the birthplace of famous people, such as the poets Sappho and
Alcaeos, Arion the Guitarist, and Pittacus, one of the seven wise
men of ancient Greece. A tradition that even continues today and
gives the island that distinctive atmosphere which makes it so
different from the rest.

Mytilene is the capital of the island and has a population
of 30,000 people. This is about one third of the total population of
the island. It is built amphitheatrically around its well preserved
Byzantine Castle. Not very far from there, on the north-east side of
town, one can find the Hellenistic Theatre with its superb acoustics
and capacity of 10,000 people. Further in the suburb of Varia one
can visit the Theophilos Museum.

Twelve kilometers from Mytilene, near the town of
Moria,
one can visit the Roman Aqueduct that was built in the second
century AD. Going further up north by the east coast, thru a series
of beautiful little villages one will arrive in the town of
Mantamados, famous for its cheeses and the fine pottery. The next
stop will be Skala Sikaminias, one of the most charming fishing
villages one would ever see.
And then, at the northest point of the island one will
find the picturesque village of Mithymna (also known as Molivos),
with its mediaeval castle and the traditional architecture. Molivos
is also the islands best known resort. By some it has been called
"the closed place to paradise, on earth". The association with Arts
is appropriate enough, for it was here in Mithymna that the head of
Orpheus is said to have been washed ashore after his dismemberment
of the Thracian women. Another mythical citizen of Mithymna was the
lyric poet and musician Arion. It has been said that he has been
saved by the music-loving dolphin.

Only a short distance of 5 Km SW of Molivos the village of
Petra can be found. Petra has one of the best sandy beaches of the
island. Again further south the village of Agia Paraskevi is
situated. This village has a lot of old mansions and is known for
the Bull Festival that has been celebrated since more than two
hundred years. Near the village lay ruins of an ancient temple of
Napaios Apollo and the ruins of an Ionian temple dated from the 3rd
century BC. This temple was dedicated to Zeus, Hera and Dionysos.
In the island's center, not far from Agia Paraskevi, lays
the modern town Kalloni. It is famous for its sardines which are
caught in the nearby bay called the Gulf of Kalloni. On this gulf
one will also find the popular summer resort Skala Kaloni with its
beautiful sandy beaches.
HERE IS WHERE KALONI VILLAGE Holiday Houses
ARE CONVENIENTLY LOCATED CLOSE TO VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING BEING IN THE CENTER OF THE ISLAND AND AT THE SAME TIME ONLY
A FEW METERS AWAY FROM SKALA KALONI'S GULF LONG LONG "BLUE FLAG" SANDY BEACH!

Also near the center of the island another well known town
is Agiassos. This town is famous for its pottery. Going further
south again we reach the towns of Plomari and Vatera which have the
most superb beaches of the island.
At the western tip of Lesvos, Sigri is a pretty fishing
village with a nice little beach and a castle that goes back to the
18th century. Not far from there lies the Petrified Forest, dating
back fifteen million years. Finally, not far from Sigri, one will
find the town of Eressos. Eressos has been the birth place of Sappho
and Theoprastos. Its port, Skala Eressos, is a famous resort with a
magnificent beach.

Lesvos, as it can be seen from its classical history, its
abundance of poets, musicians, philosophers and lawgivers, was one
of the great cultural centers of the Greek world. It was second
perhaps only to Athens, in its influence if not in its power. As a
place for a holiday, for a rest or for quiet work, Lesvos is HARD to
BETTER. It is big enough to permit that change of scene so necessary
if one is to avoid "island claustrophobia". It has a further
advantage that it is easy from here to organize a trip to visit Troy
or to explore the coastline of ancient Ionia.
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