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Set virtually midway between Crete and Rhodes, Karpathos is scenically stunning and
both geographically and culturally divided into two distinct parts. The more
sophisticated and fertile south is home to the main port Pigadia and to the
majority of the population, many of whom only returned to the island in the
1980s after their grandparents had chosen to emigrate to the United States,
Egypt or the Sudan, especially during the harsh days of the Italian occupation
in the 1920s. Pigadia and the surrounding villages today have an extremely
prosperous air although the landscapes, architecture and ambience are
undoubtedly Greek with a generous splash of the influences imparted by the
Italian occupiers.
The long slender finger of the island pointing north is starkly barren and
mountainous and its main settlement, Olympos, remains one of the most unique
and traditional settlements in the whole of Greece making it an
anthropologist’s dream. The road to Olympos was only completed in 1979, with
electricity following a year later, so the villagers, said to have originally
emigrated from Asia Minor, after so many centuries of isolation have retained
their own unique way of life. Despite the fact that visitors can reach the
village by boat from Pigadia or the winding but newly paved road, Olympos
remains a fairytale jumble of pastel buildings and twisting alleyways tumbling
down the hillside where women still wear their traditional costumes even to do
their daily chores.
Each seaside settlement and hill village on Karpathos seems to have its own
traditions and history and the island itself has many traditions not found
elsewhere in Greece, such as the inheritance laws, where the property of a
husband and wife remain separate and the first born daughter and son inherit
from the mother and father respectively, and the rituals associated with the
power of the number 7.
Some of the main attractions of Karpathos for today’s visitors, just as they were
for the pirate’s of previous centuries, are the numerous sheltered bays
enclosing some magnificent beaches. Lefkos, on the west coast just 33
kilometres from Pigadia, is considered by many to be the most appealing of the
beachside settlements but despite this it still remains little developed and
conjures up images of the Greece of the 1970s. Flanked by several other
beaches, the fine sandy beach of Limani is shallow and protected and forms the
central part of the village. Here there are a few tavernas and mini-markets and
a small sheltered harbour, a safe haven for the vividly painted fishing boats.
Around the village and on the small island opposite there is copious evidence
of habitation dating back to prehistoric times making Lefkos a magnet for
budding archaeologists as well as for beach lovers.
The only disadvantage of Karpathos for British holidaymakers
is that currently there are no direct charter flights from anywhere in the UK.
Despite this we are extremely keen to share our love of the landscapes, beaches
and traditions of the island with anyone prepared to make the effort to travel
there. We are offering the island as an extension to our Crete programme by
using the regular flights that now operate from Heraklion or Sitia to
Kaparpathos or the large and comfortable ferry that sails between the two
islands three times each week and takes just four hours from the port of Sitia.
Alternatively, for anyone wishing to just visit Karpathos, we can arrange
flights via Rhodes or Athens
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