It is a great pleasure every time we set off for Lefkada. And very justifiably so. It is not only the beauty of the place, the kindness and hospitality of the people. It is also an important advantage, which is of immediate interest to every visitor. Lefkada has the privilege of the friendliest, fastest access than any other Greek island. Here, crowds and queues at ports and boats are unknown. We do not agonize over the weather of the seas. Nor are we stressed by the timetables of the ferries. We can arrive on the island unplanned, undisciplined, at any time of day or night. All we have to do is cross the mobile bridge with our car. The one that connects the narrow channel of the sea between Lefkada and the opposite Acarnanian coast. Before we know it, we are already treading on the island’s territory. Our destination this time is Dragano.

–It’s a small mountainous village in the west, Elena Katopodi told us on the phone. You won’t find its name among the famous tourist destinations, at least not yet. Few are its permanent residents in winter.

-But in the summers?

-Then the population increases, but mainly from locals. The tourist caravans don’t stop here. They cross the road at the bottom of the village and continue on to the famous western beaches of Lefkada, the famous sandy beaches at Porto Katsiki, Gialos and Egremni.

-What about Villa Melli?

-It is the only accommodation in Dragano. We created it by renovating our old family mansion.

IN THE TRANQUILITY OF DRAGANO

As the odometer shows 380 km, we pass over the narrow channel and reach Lefkada. The time is also incredible. It has not exceeded 4 hours from Thessaloniki. Before Egnatia Odos we would have needed at least three hours more. Extremely favored therefore all destinations of West. Greece and the Ionian Islands. Destinations that were once considered “exotic” are now weekend destinations.

We meet Dragano in the western part of the island, after a wonderful 35 km route from the town of Lefkada. The small village is built at an altitude of 350 meters, on a beautiful plateau with vineyards and olive groves. The surrounding hills are lush with pine and cypress trees, flowering heather, holly, holly trees and camellias. A peaceful, idyllic place, it exudes a calmness that is immediately perceptible.

Here in Dragano, even in the heart of the tourist season, tranquility is absolutely guaranteed.

We park our car on the main road of the village. Some residents in their yards greet us politely. We pass in front of an old house with traditional architecture. Its dominant feature is a timber frame, not only with horizontal but also with diagonal beams. This creates a form of lattice on the wall, which ensures greater strength and stability of the house.(1)

A few meters further down, a special house stands out. It is the mansion “Meli“, built exclusively of stone and wood from the surrounding area. The building is officially classified as a listed building, with a history dating back to the late 18th^th century. In those 200 years, more than five generations of the same family were born and raised here. Elena Katopodi, the representative of the last generation, proceeded to its total restoration, transforming it into a traditional accommodation of high standards.

The view of the opposite slopes is soothing. They are overgrown with pine and cypress trees. Among this relaxing greenery, some houses can be seen. It’s the small Panochori, just one kilometer from Dragano. In between is a beautiful valley, with vineyards and olive groves.

The church of Ypapanti stands out in the high ground of the settlement. Its bell tower, built with chipped stone in 1900, is outstanding. It is a beautiful spot at an altitude of 450 metres, with a view of the mountains opposite. Which of course turns out to be very close, almost humble, compared to the image that a few minutes later reveals itself to our eyes. It is the deep blue vastness of the Ionian Sea, which dominates our field of vision in all lengths and widths of the horizon. Above the small village, a stunning route unfolds, with a well-paved dirt road, passing through flowering heather, kumarias and cypress trees. Down below, the spectacular view of the island “Sessoula”, known to us from the circumnavigation of the Lefkadian coast, looms low.(2)

The dirt road ascends with gentle slopes, approaching the altitude of 500 meters. It is an ideal route, mainly for cycling and walking. At 4.8 km. from Dragano, you meet a three-way road and continue to the right. The road crosses the centuries-old olive grove and vineyards and after 7 kilometres in total, it ends in Dragano, at the point where we started. Here, next to the valley’s wells and the last houses in the village, we visit the old olive press, which has recently been restored. The registry office belonged to the church of Ipapanti and was in operation until 1962. The place is of large dimensions and brilliantly renovated. The large millstones and old fittings are preserved in excellent condition, reviving the atmosphere of another era. With basic maintenance they could once again function in the traditional way that is totally unknown to younger generations.

TOURS TO BEACHES AND SANDY BEACHES – AGIOFILI

Before we indulge in the vastness of the sandy shores to the west, we set off to explore the “Agiofili”. It is a tiny beach a few kilometres south of the port of Vasiliki.

Outside of Dragano we find a narrow, new asphalt road to the east. It has recently replaced the old dirt road, which leads very briefly to the settlement of Agios Petros and then to the wide bay and the settlement of Vasiliki.

We climb through dense vegetation, with flowering heather, heather and cypress trees always dominating. Suddenly, as we gain altitude, everything around us goes dark. An incredibly dense fog covers the hillside. It’s an unpredictable weather change, hardly conducive to the demands of photography. We thus drive blindly for several minutes. We reach the highest point of the route, at 530 metres. We begin to descend downhill with switchbacks. Suddenly, as suddenly as it came, the fog suddenly dissipates, at almost the same altitude as it appeared a moment ago. A spectacular stretch of sea horizon is revealed in the distance. A few minutes later we cross the large settlement of Agios Petros and descend towards the plain and the coast of Vasiliki.

Different weather here, bright, with big chunks of blue sky. The long beach is turbulent and empty, in no way reminiscent of the summer images with the gatherings of international “wind surfers“, the “wind chasers“, in a more poetic translation.

We cross the waterfront and the market of Vasiliki. Many people, locals and foreigners alike, are finishing the last of their Christmas Day supplies. We pass the harbour with the stools and boats. Here the taverns and summer cafes are closed. We continue on a narrow road, parallel to the rocky coastline. After about two and a half kilometres the dirt road ends. Here the kumari trees dominate, some in blossom and others laden with juicy, delicious fruit. I’m amazed that so many amazing kumaras remain untapped on the branches, fruit that is excellent and completely organic.

For a few minutes we descend down a rough dirt road, pass an iron gate and continue on a pleasant path. In less than a decade we reach the top of the rocky coast. As the trail ends, the hidden – until now – cove Ayoofili is revealed low down. It’s a sandy strip of sand, enclosed by the rocks of the coast. The waters are deep, turquoise in colour, constantly foamed by the waves of the south. We descend a few dozen concrete steps. Then our footsteps sink into the thick, white-grey sandy beach. The wind is strong but pelagic and warm. The sound of the waves is amazing, there is no other in this wilderness. We let time flow effortlessly on this Christmas morning, one of the most unexpected on our tours so far…

STUNNING SANDY BEACHES IN THE WEST

Porto Katsiki does not need praise and recommendations. Its stunning scenery and clear turquoise waters make it one of the most famous beaches in the Mediterranean. Countless Greeks and foreigners alike head to Porto Katsiki as if “magnetized”. When, at last, they reach the coveted shore, they are looking for a parking space or a place on the sandy beach. It is not always easy, especially in the heart of summer. Fortunately, Porto Katsiki is not the only swimming option in this part of the island. Further on – and for many kilometres – vast sandy beaches stretch out. It is the famous western coastline. Its geological formation is the apotheosis of austerity, of a straight line with minimal deviations. Here nature seems to have renounced the complex design inspirations that it applied to the rest of the island, dotted with small and large bays, peninsulas and capes. In the west, Lefkada was designed by nature in a hurried manner, with a few rough, straight lines. The salted coasts are doomed to remain unprotected over the centuries against the moods of the Ionian winds, especially the pünende, the maistro, the garbi.

With these winds great waves are made offshore. They are born, they grow, they live an ephemeral life, full of speed and momentum. Then, foaming and roaring, they tear at the shore. We can gaze at the choppy sea, admire the fury of the waves for a long time. As we do this morning on the beach of Gialos. We meet it at a distance of about 6.5 km from Dragano. We first reach the settlement of Athani, cross it and then lower westwards towards the coast. We pass the narrow asphalt road with successive bends through meadows and olive groves. It ends a few dozen metres above the coast.

The Ionian Sea stretches before us vastly. On the horizon line there is not the slightest trace of land. Only a deep blue surface, decorated with foam. The beach of Gialos is also vast. It is never in danger of being crowded, even in the heart of summer. As earlier in Agiofili, we find almost the same characteristics here: sand with fine light pebbles, smoothed by the ancient action of the waves and a shore with deep turquoise waters.

We start a leisurely walk along the north coast. On our backs the sun warms us pleasantly. But on the way back it becomes aggressive on our unprotected faces. It is absolutely lonely. Who would go down to the beach of Gialos on this Christmas morning!

Three kilometres after Athani, the same loneliness accompanies us to the beach of Egremni. Even more so, that in order to reach Egremni, one is obliged, after the very narrow asphalt road, to enter a dirt road with many waterfalls. The route ends in a parking area, an unexpected flat balcony in the middle of a steep slope. We leave the car, unique of course to the parking area, and from an altitude of 90 metres we start to descend towards the beach of Egremni.

We are first greeted by 300 concrete steps and then 54 wooden ones that lead to the sandy beach. It is as if we have walked down from the roof to the ground floor of a 20-storey building. The sandy beach, as in Yalos, is excellent. Its width to the waveline is more than 35-40 meters wide. The length of the beach is also very long. We estimate it at almost 2 kilometres. The homogeneity of the sandy coast is interrupted to the north by a rocky promontory. This rock, which protrudes from the coastline and penetrates into the sea, is in fact the impassable barrier that nature has inserted between the beaches of Gialos and Egremni. If it were not for this natural barrier, the two successive beaches would form a stunning continuous sandy beach, the total length of which would exceed 6 km!

After the full day tour we return to Dragano, we find our shelter again in the living room of the mansion. As darkness falls, we light the fireplace with dry olive wood. The flames scatter a wonderful warmth around them. Outside, the wind picks up again, shaking the walnut branches loudly.

MELISSA GORGE

We could gaze for a long time at the turbulent waters of the Ionian Sea, the clear turquoise waters. Nor would we tire of searching among the pebbles for the most rounded and shiny ones. But Lefkada is not only about beautiful sandy beaches. It is also a fascinating inland, with landscapes like the Melissa (Bee) Gorge, which we so enjoyed 5 years ago.

The memories of our first acquaintance with the gorge come back vividly. Our guides at that time were Aris Katsigiannis from the accommodation “ALEXARIA“, as well as George Kourtis, Mayor of Sfakiotes. So we write in Spring 2005 (issue 45), “After many years of disuse, the trail has been closed and damaged by landslides. We make our way through the holly trees, the vegetation around us is so dense that, despite the bright sunshine of the day, we are suddenly enveloped in a half-darkness.

This is the unseen Lefkada, which is not described by any tourist guide, says the Mayor. But the ambition of the Municipal Authority is , by 2006, to open the path of at least 2 km in the Melissa gorge. We believe it will be a valuable walking proposition to our nature-loving visitors”.

This is what Mayor George Kourtis was telling us in the spring of 2005. Five years later we are pleased to see his promises come true. There are no more landslides in the canyon and the Melissa trail is no longer blocked by briers. It is perfectly paved and easily passable by the whole family, even by small children. Let’s watch it, in the new form it presents to today’s visitor.

To approach the beginning of the path we have two options. The first is to head towards the NE exit of the village of Kavalos. At a distance of about 1300 meters we find the sign that leads us to the gorge by a passable dirt road. With the second option we start from the town of Lefkada in a S-SW direction towards Sfakiotes. At about 5^the kilometer of this main artery we meet a large plateau on the right side. Here the Municipality of Sfakiotes has erected a monument to commemorate the rebellion of Sfakisans in the 19th^th century against the English.

A sign on the right directs us to the Melissa Gorge. For 1.3 km we follow the narrow asphalt road through olive groves. Then we meet a good rural road on our right, which after 1.2 km ends. Here, in front of a large clearing in the forest, the paved path begins. Two signs show us the diametrically opposed locations of the canyon. To the left, the sign directs us to “Apetasti“. It is a beautiful stream-side trail that is completed in a few minutes.

On the way back, we descend to the right towards “Kako Pigadi”, which is the main route of the gorge. Gentle slopes, wide paved path, well-made protective wooden railings, lively flow of crystal clear water. All the beautiful features of the gorge are revealed again, the stone arched and flat bridges, the small lakes and waterfalls and especially the old water mills, which numbered ten in total. Once they were the most picturesque feature of the place, grinding in a traditional way the produce of the farmers, taking life and movement from the power of nature, the flow of water. Today they remain in ruins, their exquisite masonry, millstones and other fittings rusting or covered with grass and branches.

The vegetation in the gorge is dense. A variety of trees are crowded next to each other, trying to find a way out of the sun. The dominant trees are holly, cypress and plane trees. The gaps between their trunks are filled in by lower shrubs, schosina, ferns, laurels and sparrows. Lower still, irises and cyclamen have taken over the decoration of the ground.

With a relaxed, enjoyable pace, it takes no more than 15 minutes to complete the route. At the end of the cobblestone road, a wooden pavilion welcomes us to relax and reminisce in this fairyland. A few metres earlier, under the last bridge, the water of the stream enters a narrow gully of solid vertical rocks, develops great velocity and ends with a roar in a secluded pond.

We have no visitor data for the Melissa Gorge, but we believe that every sensitive visitor of Lefkada would deserve to benefit from this beautiful nature project of the Municipality of Sfakiotes.

PLATEAU OF ST. DONATOS

It is impossible to say goodbye to Lefkada without a memorable visit to a landscape with unique characteristics. We have not encountered the like in any other place in Greece, continental or island. It is the Site of Ag. Donatos. We find it 13 km S-SE of Draganos, in the center of the island.

We first arrive at the settlements of Komilio and Hortata. Immediately afterwards we deviate from the main road network to the right, heading SE towards Agios Donatos and Egluvi. The road ascends uphill with closed successive bends. A few minutes later the uphill ends, the place becomes almost flat. We are already on the plateau of Aghios Donatos at an altitude of 950 meters. It is a plateau of several hundred acres, austere, austere, with low vegetation and stones scattered everywhere.

One wonders what it is that makes the landscape unique. The answer lies in its stones! Not of course the “randomly turned” ones by nature, but the ones well-worn and well-manicured by human hands. Who for centuries have been creating with great patience and art this “stone architecture of the countryside” that dominates the whole plateau. There are three forms of stone works. They are initially the “liithes”, the “stones”, that is, which held the soil and gave the estate horizontal surfaces, necessary for the cultivation of cereals and especially of the famous “Faki of Egluvi”.

It is after the alonia, so many things that do not exist in any other place in Greece. Once they were all stone, while today most of them are paved with concrete.

The most elaborate, however, constructions of the stone are the “voltas“, the countless calyxes that are scattered everywhere. They are used for storing agricultural tools and for temporary shelter for the farmers, who come up to the plateau from the adjacent settlement of Englouvi. The construction of these stone shelters is very durable and was entrusted to special craftsmen. The oldest marbles are close to 200 years old and have remained intact since the earthquakes, while the first ones must have appeared as early as the 17^th century, during the Venetian period. Today, the number of walks that remain standing is estimated at about 150!(4)

We walk for a long time in this very special place with its rough terrain, the tiny farms and the many walnut trees, the old stone wells that still hold water.

In front of the square of Ag. Donatos we enjoy the winter sun and the clear air of the altitude. And we wonder when we will finally be worthy to be in this beautiful place on August 6, when the big festival with the now well-known “Festival of Lentil” takes place. Cooked traditionally in cauldrons by the women of Eglouvi, it is so delicious but also so hard to find.

As the sun begins to tilt, we descend towards the mountainous settlement of Egklouvi. A large and picturesque village, with many stone houses, built between hills, at an altitude of 750 meters or so. In the paved square a tavern remains open. We suddenly feel hungry.

-Should I have a local lentil made? the shopkeeper asks us.

-How long will it take?

-Uh, an hour or so, no more.

We look at the clock, at the sun that has disappeared behind the mountain. Then we think about the journey to Thessaloniki, at least 5 hours from the mountains of Egluvi. With so many calculations and considerations, the charm of spontaneous decision is lost, lentils no longer have a place at our table.

-Never mind, says the shopkeeper, next time you have more time, you can try the lentil of Egluvi in its place.

REFERENCES

(1) This type of woodwork, with minor variations, has been found in various parts of Greece, such as in METAXADES EVROS (ELL. PAN. Issue 34, 2003) and in GOUMENISSA KILKIS (ELL. PAN. Issue 55, 2007).

(2) “LEFKADA, EXPLORING THE ENDOCHORA”, Hellenic University, issue 45, 2005.

(3) “BY HOSPITAL IN THE IONIO”, Hellenic University of Thessaloniki, Issue 46, July-August 2005

(4) A lot of fascinating information about the Aghios Donatos Plateau is given in issue 45, 2005.

THANKS

We would like to thank Elena Katopodi and her family as a whole for doing everything, not only at the “Honey” Mansion but also in their hospitable home, with such friendliness and cordiality, so that we could experience wonderful moments and unforgettable human warmth during the holy days of Christmas.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

-P. Kontomichi, “THE AGRICLES OF LEFKADA” ed. P. P. LAKAKO, P.P. LAKO, P.P. LAKO, P.P. LAKO, ED.

-P. Kontomichi, “THE NOCOCKWORK OF THE CASTLE HOUSE IN LEFKADA, ed. P.P. P.K., P.S., ED.

DISTANCES FROM DRAGON

BEACHES -> GIALOS: 6 km., EGKREMNOI: 6.5 km., PORTO KATSIKI: 12.5 km.

OROPEDIO AΓ. DONATOU: 13 km.

VASILIKIS LAKE: 13 km.

CITY OF LEFKADA: 35 km

Airport of Aktiou: 48 km.

THESSALONIKI: 380 km

ATHENS: 360 km

MELISSA GORGE

Height of the altitude: 245 m.

FINISH HEIGHT: 195 m.

HEIGHT DIFFERENCE: 50 m.

TIME: ~15′

Steepness: moderate

ROUTE: very easy

PATH: wide, paved, includes old watermills, stone bridges, small lakes and waterfalls, dense and varied vegetation.