Agios Dimitrios, Kefalonia
Encyclopedia
Agios Dimitrios is a village, about 2 miles (3 km) north of Lixouri
in the Paliki
peninsula of Cephalonia.
A five minute drive along the main road out of Lixouri
takes you into the village which lies on the hillside just above Argostoli
bay.
The overall geography of Agios Dimitrios can be appreciated in a satellite view from Google Maps http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&ie=UTF8&ll=38.230848,20.43015&spn=0.012439,0.019398&z=16. The village largely straddles the main road running north from Lixouri. The immediate view from the main road is of small houses, a Taverna, several pleasant holiday residences, and an hotel. The area is rural, and largely comprises agricultural land. There is a very low density of building.
Turning off the main road to the East, towards the sea, brings one past small residences with some accommodation for renting and eventually down to the shoreline of Argostoli
bay. The shoreline is a long narrow strip of mainly sandy beach with scrub vegetation and no facilities. A small number of fishermen work from the area in small boats. The immediate sea is shallow with extensive weed beds. This area is known to be inhabited by turtles.
In addition to agriculture and tourism, a small activity in fishing is supported. Nearby to the south, just before the village, is an auto mechanics car workshop and garage.
Taverna Angelos is situated on the main street.
Another Taverna, Faros, can be found by turning up a side road off the west side of the main street.
There are no shops or banks in the village. The nearest shops are back south on the main road towards Lixouri
, 25 minutes to walk but five minutes in a car. They comprise a general grocery and household goods store, a takeaway food shop, and a butcher who sells a range of meats. Most main shops, banks, medical services, and schools are to be found in Lixouri
. An exception to this is a nearby store located immediately south of the village on the main road to Lixouri which is a large outdoor centre, stocking swimming, snorkeling, fishing and leisure equipment.
The fact that the local beach is very narrow and there are no facilities means that tourists are hardly ever seen and it is therefore a quiet area in which to walk and admire very open views over the bay. Cephalonia is renowned for having several world-class beaches (for example, Myrtos Beach
, Xi Beach
, Petani Beach
and Vatsa Bay
) and it is very easy to travel to one of these by car, which is what most tourists who come to stay in this part of the island do.
In recent years tourism has become an increasing priority within the economy of Cephalonia with investment from the EU under the Operational Programme 'Western Greece - Peloponnesus - Ionian Islands' Programme under the Convergence objective co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the period 2007-2013. The budget of the programme is around € 1.14 billion . Within this framework are several priorities which include
These high level strategic priorities are starting to have an effect and the evidence can be seen even in Agios Dimitrios. The number of buildings dedicated to tourist trade and tourist accommodation has increased with an increase in local development. There has been an increase in the number of non-Greek nationals becoming residents and developing properties within the village . There has also been a migration back to Cephalonia of Greek nationals (or family members) who had originally been displaced as a consequence the earthquake in the 1950s .
Hypothesis, it is now suggested that in the Bronze Age, a huge earthquake caused a massive landslide to fill in a sea channel creating the bridge between the Paliki and the main island . One implication of this is that the Paliki Peninsula, and the area in which Agios Dimitrios is located is in fact the original location for Homer's Ithaca, the home of Odysseus
, to which he journeyed after the Trojan War
and written as the epic tale, Homer's The Odyssey.
Google Maps satellite view of Agios Dimitrios http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&ie=UTF8&ll=38.230848,20.43015&spn=0.012439,0.019398&z=16
Lixouri
Lixouri is the main town on the peninsula of Paliki in the island of Kefalonia, one of the Ionian Islands of western Greece. Lixouri is the second largest community in Kefalonia after Argostoli and before Sami and is the capital of the small peninsula...
in the Paliki
Paliki
Paliki is a peninsula and a former municipality on the island of Kefalonia, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kefalonia, of which it is a municipal unit. The name comes from the ancient town of Pale/Pali, which was north of Lixouri and is...
peninsula of Cephalonia.
A five minute drive along the main road out of Lixouri
Lixouri
Lixouri is the main town on the peninsula of Paliki in the island of Kefalonia, one of the Ionian Islands of western Greece. Lixouri is the second largest community in Kefalonia after Argostoli and before Sami and is the capital of the small peninsula...
takes you into the village which lies on the hillside just above Argostoli
Argostoli
Argostoli is a town and a former municipality on the island of Kefalonia, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kefalonia, of which it is a municipal unit...
bay.
Geography
Turning off the main road to the East, towards the sea, brings one past small residences with some accommodation for renting and eventually down to the shoreline of Argostoli
Argostoli
Argostoli is a town and a former municipality on the island of Kefalonia, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kefalonia, of which it is a municipal unit...
bay. The shoreline is a long narrow strip of mainly sandy beach with scrub vegetation and no facilities. A small number of fishermen work from the area in small boats. The immediate sea is shallow with extensive weed beds. This area is known to be inhabited by turtles.
In addition to agriculture and tourism, a small activity in fishing is supported. Nearby to the south, just before the village, is an auto mechanics car workshop and garage.
Amenities
In addition to the small number of local residences, there are several apartments for holiday accommodation. There are also small hotels, for example the Hotel Terra Mare with several acres of associated grounds in which holiday bungalows are set.Taverna Angelos is situated on the main street.
Another Taverna, Faros, can be found by turning up a side road off the west side of the main street.
There are no shops or banks in the village. The nearest shops are back south on the main road towards Lixouri
Lixouri
Lixouri is the main town on the peninsula of Paliki in the island of Kefalonia, one of the Ionian Islands of western Greece. Lixouri is the second largest community in Kefalonia after Argostoli and before Sami and is the capital of the small peninsula...
, 25 minutes to walk but five minutes in a car. They comprise a general grocery and household goods store, a takeaway food shop, and a butcher who sells a range of meats. Most main shops, banks, medical services, and schools are to be found in Lixouri
Lixouri
Lixouri is the main town on the peninsula of Paliki in the island of Kefalonia, one of the Ionian Islands of western Greece. Lixouri is the second largest community in Kefalonia after Argostoli and before Sami and is the capital of the small peninsula...
. An exception to this is a nearby store located immediately south of the village on the main road to Lixouri which is a large outdoor centre, stocking swimming, snorkeling, fishing and leisure equipment.
The fact that the local beach is very narrow and there are no facilities means that tourists are hardly ever seen and it is therefore a quiet area in which to walk and admire very open views over the bay. Cephalonia is renowned for having several world-class beaches (for example, Myrtos Beach
Myrtos Beach
Myrtos Beach is situated in the region of Pylaros, in the north-west of Kefalonia, Greece. The beach is situated between the feet of two mountains, Agia Dynati and Kalon Oros...
, Xi Beach
Xi Beach
Xi Beach is situated in the south of the Paliki peninsula of Kefalonia, Greece and part of the district Mantzavinata near the town Lixouri.- Location :Its location can be seen in Google Maps ....
, Petani Beach
Petani Beach
Petani Beach is situated in the North West of the Paliki, in Kefalonia, Greece. The nearest large town is lixouri.- Character :...
and Vatsa Bay
Vatsa Bay
Vatsa Bay is a bay on the southern tip of Paliki peninsula of Kefalonia, Greece. This is an area that lies away from the main towns and villages in Kefalonia and preserves a rural charm for the visitor. There is no public transport, and access has to be by car.-History:The bay of Vatsa was...
) and it is very easy to travel to one of these by car, which is what most tourists who come to stay in this part of the island do.
Economy and Environment
As with many areas in Cephalonia, Agios Dimitrios was originally based on agriculture and a small contribution from fishing.In recent years tourism has become an increasing priority within the economy of Cephalonia with investment from the EU under the Operational Programme 'Western Greece - Peloponnesus - Ionian Islands' Programme under the Convergence objective co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the period 2007-2013. The budget of the programme is around € 1.14 billion . Within this framework are several priorities which include
- Priority 3: Infrastructure works & accessibility in Ionian Islands
- Priority 6: Digital convergence & entrepreneurship in Ionian Islands
- Priority 7: Sustainable development & quality of life in Western Greece
These high level strategic priorities are starting to have an effect and the evidence can be seen even in Agios Dimitrios. The number of buildings dedicated to tourist trade and tourist accommodation has increased with an increase in local development. There has been an increase in the number of non-Greek nationals becoming residents and developing properties within the village . There has also been a migration back to Cephalonia of Greek nationals (or family members) who had originally been displaced as a consequence the earthquake in the 1950s .
Geology and Homer's Ithaca
Recent studies suggest that the Paliki Peninsula, in which Agios Dimitrios is sited, was originally a separate island. Known as the PalikiPaliki
Paliki is a peninsula and a former municipality on the island of Kefalonia, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kefalonia, of which it is a municipal unit. The name comes from the ancient town of Pale/Pali, which was north of Lixouri and is...
Hypothesis, it is now suggested that in the Bronze Age, a huge earthquake caused a massive landslide to fill in a sea channel creating the bridge between the Paliki and the main island . One implication of this is that the Paliki Peninsula, and the area in which Agios Dimitrios is located is in fact the original location for Homer's Ithaca, the home of Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
, to which he journeyed after the Trojan War
Trojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
and written as the epic tale, Homer's The Odyssey.
External links
- Taverna Angelos http://www.angelostaverna.eu
- Villa Alexandra http://www.kefaloniaholidayvilla.co.uk
- Panorama Apartments http://www.kefaloniapanorama.com/
- Kefalonia New Homes http://www.kefalonianewhomes.co.uk
- Kefalonia log House http://kefalonialoghouse.info/2.html
- Video of Myrtos Beach http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWKSWQfl3qw
Google Maps satellite view of Agios Dimitrios http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&ie=UTF8&ll=38.230848,20.43015&spn=0.012439,0.019398&z=16