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Kefalonia: 50 earthquakes in 24 hours

Seismic activity was also intense in the last 24 hours in Kefalonia, as low-intensity earthquakes were recorded, centered around 10 km west and northwest of Assos.

  • Published in Greece

Cosmopolitan Fiskardo and its two sleepless sentinels - Travel Inspiration (vid)

Fiskardo is a village and a community on the Ionian island of Kefalonia, Greece. It is part of the municipal unit of Erisos. It is the northernmost port of Kefalonia, a short distance from Ithaca. It is a beautiful village and friend Marinos Charalampopoulos shot a wonderful video for Travel Inspirations, which has shared with us.

You may be visiting Fiskardo for the first time in your life, but you may be one of those who have been there before, even briefly. But no matter how many years pass, no matter how many things have changed, you will find that the reality is that if you look closer, you will find those similarities that will make you say that, yes, at first glance everything seems to be different. However, it is not the same as it was then, as it was the first time you were there.

After all, it's as if not a day has passed…

So this is one of the reasons why beautiful Fiskardo has become known all over the world. And it may have been combined with a high-class cosmopolitan resort, with a truly delicious cuisine with traditional Kefalonian dishes, but it's actually a lot more than that.

One could compare it to a time machine.

We are in the 21st century, but a walk through its alleys has the potential to take you back three centuries, to the time when the first houses appeared among the lush nature overlooking the vibrant Ionian Sea. Crimson roofs and narrow balconies painted in various bright colors, between narrow alleys with flowery courtyards that end where the heart of Fiskardo beats; guards at the entrance of the port.

And the small fishing boats may have been replaced by various types of boats over the years, from stunning yachts, high-level sailboats, to small inflatable dinghies, but all meet at the entrance, with the two beautiful stone built lighthouses at the edge of the settlement, on the northwest coast of Kefalonia, very close to each other. An "old" one and another "newer"…

Built by the Venetian conquerors in the 16th century and renovated two years ago, the "old" lighthouse or "Venetian lighthouse", even though deserted, continues to impress its visitors. With a cylindrical tower in the shape of an ancient column, surrounded by a two-meter high wall-fence and the remains of the Venetian constructions of the lighthouse keeper's house, standing in very good condition, the visitor of the old stone lighthouse can only be transported to another era. From this point on one can also admire a completely different view of the traditional settlement and the picturesque harbor with its wonderful colors.

As for the other stone lighthouse, which stands a few meters away, it was built in 1892 and rebuilt after the 1953 earthquakes, to replace the "old" lighthouse, with a square tower this time 14.2 meters high and a focal height of 28 meters.

So there are two lighthouses today and this is the only case in Greece where at the same point we find two wonderful lighthouse constructions.

As for their importance, it has been great throughout the history of Kefalonia, especially since the Venetian rule and later, since the inland port is very narrow for large ships, but with sufficient depth.

Thus, small fleets of Venetian galleys found an anchorage southwest of the lighthouse. As for Fiskardo, it was the main export port of the whole area of ​​Erissos, from where all the products were loaded (raisins, wine, oil, etc.).

Fiskardo is considered one of the most beautiful ports in Greece. Known during the Roman Period as Panormos, it takes its current name from the Norman Crusader Robert Guiscard who tried to occupy it in 1084, while he died on June 17 of the following year while aboard a ship moored in the port.

So we can understand that everything in this beautiful preserved settlement has a constant value that no "earthquake" can level no matter how destructive it is… just like the constant value that occupies the place in the heart of every visitor.

And yes… you will find that it is as if not a day has passed since those bygone days…

  • Published in Travel
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