Ithaca Island tour

From the port of Sami with the ferry you arrive at the port of Piso Aetos, where the journey begins.

The Monastery of Panagia Kathariotissa on Ithaca is Situated at an altitude of 600m in the centre of the island. The Monastery of Panagia Kathariotissa is the protector saint of Ithaca. Its location gives an amazing view of the island and the capital town, Vathi. Although it is not exactly known when the monastery was built, the katholikon exists from 1530 and the monastery was reconstructed in 1696. The locals believe that the icon of Virgin Mary in this monastery has been painted by Saint Luke and that it is miraculous. Modest dressing is required when entering the monastery, which remains open to visit from dawn till the late hours.

Anogi (Upper Land) is one of the oldest villages of Ithaca, located 16 km north west of Vathy. It is also the second most important medieval settlement of the island with a beautifully restored Byzantine church dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin. The village of Anogi was established in the Middle Ages and after the 16th century, most of the population moved to the coast, to the villages of Stavros and Kioni. Today the inhabitants of Anogi count less than a hundred but have their own customs and a unique dialect that is strongly influenced by the Venetians. In the village, the Byzantine church of Panagia (Virgin) has interesting frescoes and is really worth seeing. Right above the village, the ruins of an old village can still be spotted.

Kioni is picturesque traditional village of Ithaca. It was built amphitheatrically on the slopes of a mountain, with little tiled roofed white houses and a lovely little port where little fishing boats are quietly mooring. The village was finished by the people who used to live in the mountain village of Anogi, at the end of the 16th century. Very few houses survived the earthquake of 1953, but the few ones remaining are very interesting, with renaissance architectural characteristics

Vathi village is the largest village of Ithaca and has been the capital and main harbour of the island since the 16th century.

It is the biggest settlement on the island, built like as amphitheatre, a natural horseshoe harbour in the depth of a closed bay.

On the both side of the entrance of the port one can see the ruins of a fort built by the French 1807. as a protection from the powerful fleet of the English. In the middle of the port is a small island, which will attract your attention, called Lazaretto. There you can see the small church of the Saviour, which has been preserved and first built in 1668.

Drop off at your Hotel or closest drop off point.