| Paliki | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | Greece |
|---|---|
| Region | Ionian Islands |
| Surface | 119.341 km² |
| Inhabitants | 7.836 (2001) |
| [link not working]Institutional website | |
Paliki (Παλική in Greek) is the name of the western area of Kefalonia
To know
Not very busy with tourists and with few tourist facilities, Paliki has an authentic character and landscapes different from the rest of the island dominated by karst soils that produce grapes from which an excellent wine is obtained.
Background
Paliki between its name from the ancient city of Pali, probably a colony of Corinth that served as an intermediate stopover on the route between the motherland and the rich colonies of Sicily. Excavations in the area where this ancient city stood have found Minoan tools and Corinthian coins but nothing exceptional.
Recent studies by British authors (Bittlestone and Underhill) believe that in ancient times it was separated from the rest of the island and therefore believe that it must be identified with the Homeric Ithaca. The hypothesis considered highly probable by the authors of the study is that the peninsula was precisely an island in its own right 3000 years ago. Subsequent geological events then ended up uniting it with Kefalonia, masking what must have been the island described by Homer in the Odyssey. Bitlestone and Underhill have conducted very extensive geological and geophysical studies between Kefalonia and Paliki especially through drilling in the southern part of the isthmus that binds the two places. The presence of very young marine fossils has confirmed that landslides and landslides may have filled the sea channel that once separated two islands.
Territories and tourist destinations
Paliki: full screen map.Urban centers
- Chavriata - Just beyond the previous one in a panoramic position on the Ionian Sea
- Lixouri - The most important center. It is located opposite Argostoli to which it is connected by a comings and goings of ferries.
- Mantzavinata - A flourishing town before the 1953 earthquake and today inhabited by just 200 souls. 4 km from Lixouri. A wine festival is still held there in September.
Other destinations
- Atheras (Αθέρας) - Atheras is a tiny and remote village of just 200 inhabitants on the northern stretch of Paliki coast. 3 km from the town is a deep and narrow bay with a beach surrounded by cliffs and with the islet of Averonissi offshore where seagulls and other species of sea birds take refuge.
- Kounopetra (literally: The rocking rock) - A large rock that moved continuously before the violent earthquake of 1953. Following the earthquake it underwent a shift and ceased its movement.
- Lepeda - A beach south of Lixouri with a small monastery.
- Petani (Πετανοί) - A lonely, beautiful and unspoiled beach, although its waters are a bit cold. It can be reached from Lixouri via a narrow and winding road, especially in the last section. It has no hotels, only a tavern but it is still popular and much loved by slightly snobbish young people who pitch their tents there every year.
- Xi - This beach with its characteristic red color constitutes the main tourist center of Paliki thanks to a large superior hotel that overlooks it. It tends to get very busy on weekends when merry gangs of locals mingle with foreign tourists. Beyond the rocky promontory that borders it there are other isolated beaches where nudism is practiced, which explains the popularity of Xi, the redhead.
How to get
How to get around
What see
- Monastery of the Ortolan Friars (Monì Kipurèon Μονή Κηπουραίων). It can be the destination of a few hours excursion from Lixouri. The monastery is located at the end of an asphalted road that is not particularly comfortable and on a deserted but suggestive stretch of coast. The monastery is closed for lack of vocations. Assuming that you can find the path that leads to the seashore, you should still avoid bathing because of the rushing currents that make this stretch of the Ionian Sea dangerous.
Events and parties
What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
Where stay
Moderate prices
- Synodinos Studios, SOULARI, ☎ 30 26710 91829, 30 26710 94300, 30 6932 547042 (Mobile phone). Furnished apartments and rooms.
- North Paradise, Atheras, ☎ 30 26710 92434, 30 26710 93819. Furnished rooms.
Average prices
- Xi Village, Xi Beach, ☎ 30 26710 93830, 30 26710 93733, 30 6944723225 (Mobile phone), fax: 30 26710 93733, @[email protected]. Furnished apartments.
- Villa Carina, Kounopetra, ☎ 30 26710 93604, 30 6977 328421 (Mobile phone). Furnished apartments and rooms.
- [link not working]Almyros, Kounopetra, ☎ 30 26710 92873, 30 26710 93579. Furnished apartments and rooms.
High prices
- Cephalonia Palace, Xi Beach, ☎ 30 26710 93112, fax: 30 26710 92638. Hotel of cat. "A" On the beach of Xi.
- Kefalonia Garden Village, AGIOS IOANNIS, ☎ 30 26710 94405, fax: 30 26710 91840. Hotel cat A. Open from May to October.
