Our Walks & Holidays
Homer’s Walk
Homer's Walk ♖
Stavros - Archeological Museum - Homer's School - Stavros
The walk starts at Stavros square where we will talk a little about Homer, the Odyssey and Ithaca. Then we go to look at Polis Bay which will make clear why the Palace is where it is and where the wealth to build it came from - here we can talk about pirates!
Then we walk 3kms to the Palace and talk about life in Ithaca. At the Palace, we will learn how people lived, their era and the dangers they faced. At the entrance to the Palace, we will visit a scene from the Odyssey. After exploring the ground floor, we will again talk about another key scene of the Odyssey that focuses on Penelope and Odysseus and their relationship. Then we will explore the upper level and learn more about how people lived there and some of the things we still do today in the island.
Walking hours: 3
Total distance: 5 km
Difficulty: easy, partially rocky
Free for children under the age of 12.
Starting point: Stavros village square
Price: Please enquire. We can arrange for transport as well.
Vathi Tour
A walk around the bay of Vathi, with stops at points of interest.
We visit the church of St. Nicolas, which houses a painting attributed to El Greco. We also stop at the dual bronze statue of Odysseus, the mythical king of Ithaca. Nearby is a bust of the legendary poet Homer, who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey in the 8th century BC.
Leaving the waterfront we visit the Metropoli Cathedral with its exquisite icon screen.
Through the backstreets we walk along a shady tree-lined lane to the Venetian cannons on Loutsa hill. On the way back we pass the two museums of Vathi. In front of the Nautical museum stands a statue of Poseidon, the god of the sea.
Walking hours: 2
Total distance: 4 km
Difficulty: easy
Starting point: Vathi town square
Spiliotissa
Marathias - Panagia Spiliotissa - Marathias
We meet on the square in Vathi. From there we get transport (car or taxi) to the Marathias plateau, about 5 kilometers South of Vathi. At a heigth of 250 meters a gentle climbing track starts. At one point we can see Vathi, then we move on across a valley over goat tracks and through uninhabited areas. It seems unchanged since the days of Odysseus. This plateau is where Evmaios, Odysseus' swine herd, is supposed to have kept his animals.
Further on we see the south coast and Andri Bay, opposite Kefalonia. A steep goat track leads us downhill and suddenly we stand before a tiny, 300 year old, cave chapel.
Walking hours: 4
Total distance: 5 km
Difficulty: rocky, some steep parts, scree
Starting point: Vathi town square
Kathara to Kioni
Kathara Monastery - Kioni - Vathi by motor boat
We meet in Vathi. From there we will transfer to the Kathara Monastery for a visit to this beautiful church with its breath-taking views of the bays below. We will start out walk towards Kioni. This is a rough path mostly down hill. We will stop at the tiny village of Anogi and visit the very traditional kafenio/grocery shop for some refreshments. There is the opportunity to visit the Venetian church next door with its beautiful frescoes.
There is the option to do the walk to this point and transfer back to Vathi.
From Anogi, we will walk down to the gorgeous seaside village of Kioni for a good late lunch by the sea. From there we will transfer to Vathi by rib.
Walking hours: 3 to 6
Total distance: 4 km to 7km
Difficulty: rough path, some steep parts, rocks
Starting point: Vathi
Painting & Walking Holiday
June 2024
Alan Dedman and I will be running a painting and walking holiday in June. Alan is an experience art coach having work among other places at the London College of Art. The holiday will combine painting in all types of media, walking and free time.
Based in Vathi
For more information, please go to:
Ithacapaintingholidays.com
