Page 134 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Greek Islands

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Agiásos
Αγιάσος
⌂ 28 km (17 miles)
W of Mytilíni n 22530
71313 @
Hidden in a forested ravine
EXPERIENCE The Northeast Aegean Islands It began life in the 12th cen- The charming village of the coast. One of Skála’s
beneath Mount Olympos,
Agiásos is possibly the most
beautiful hill-town on Lésvos.
tury as a dependency of the
central monastic church of the
Panagía Vrefokratoússa, which
was constructed to enshrine a
miraculous icon said to have
been painted by St Luke.
The town expanded rapidly
tavernas is named after
in the 18th century due to the
Plomári, arrayed around a
the mouriá or mulberry
Ottoman Sultan exempting
central harbour
the town from taxes. Little has
changed in itsnarrow, cobbled
on hot summer nights.
lanes since then, except for
the arrival of numerous stalls
Sykaminiá
of souvenirs, which now line q tree in which Myrivílis slept
w
the way to the church and its Συκαμινιά
surrounding bazaar. Plomári
The presence of shops built ⌂ 46 km (29 miles) NW of Πλωμάρι
into the church’s foundations, Mytilíni @
with rents going towards its Flanked by a deep valley and ⌂ 42 km (26 miles)
SW of Mytilíni n 22520
upkeep, is an ancient arrange- overlooking the straits to the
ment. It echoes the country Asia Minor coast, Sykaminiá 32200 @
fair element of the traditional is endowed with the most Plomári’s attractive houses
religious panigýria (festivals), spectacular position of any spill off the slope above its
where pilgrims once came to village on Mount Lepétymnos, harbour and stretch down to
buy and sell as well as per- which stands at a height of the banks of the usually dry
form devotions. 968 m (3,176 ft). Sedoúndas River. The houses
Agiásos musicians are The novelist Efstratios date predominantly from the
hailed as the best on Lésvos, Stamatopoulos (1892–1969), 19th century, when Plomári
and they are out in force known as Stratis Myrivilis, became wealthy as a major
during the 15 August festival was born close to the village’s shipbuilding centre. Today, it
of the Dormition of the Virgin, atmospheric central square. is known as the island’s “oúzo
considered one of the liveliest The jetty church, which fea- capital”, with five distilleries in
in Greece. The pre-Lenten tured in his novel The Mermaid operation, the most famous
carnival is also celebrated Madonna, can be seen down in being Varvagiannis, which
with verve here. nearby Skála Sykaminiás on runs regular tours.
The best and longest beach
on Lésvos, composed of sand
LOCAL LIQUEUR and light shingle, Vaterá occu-
Oúzo is the Greek version of a spirit pies a 7 km (4 miles) stretch of
found throughout the Mediterranean. the southern coast, fringed by
The residue of grape skins left over verdant green hills. The water
from wine-pressing is boiled in a still is crystal clear and shallow,
to make a distillate called rakí. The making it good for families.
term oúzo means rakí flavoured with
star anise or fennel. The alcohol
content varies from 38 to 48 per cent,
with 44 per cent considered the
minimum for a quality product. Tavernas and cafés
lining the cobbled back
streets of Mólyvos
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