Cyprus: City of Ammochostos - Part 4

Avgorou village

Avgorou village is situated 20km north of Agia Napa, has many Byzantine and post Byzantine churches. The main church of the village is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Inside the church are two double-sided 17th-century icons, one of St. George and the other featuring ST. John the Baptist. There is also an icon of Christ dating to 1629. Other churches include the chapel of Agios Georgios and the chapel of Agios Georgios Teratsiotis.

The Avgorou Ethnographic museum is situated in an old two storey house. Its exhibits depict the way of life in the area of bygone generations.

The Potato Festival is dedicated to the tasty potatoes of Kokkinochoria, where guests will have the chance to taste their favourite potatoes - whether cooked in traditional or alternative ways of cooking. At the festival, there will be many innovative products, made with main ingredient - the potato, such as soaps, face masks, etc.

Xylofagou village

Xylofagou village is 14km west of Agia Napa. The village church of Agios Georgios was built and decorated in the late 15th century. A new iconostasis was built in 1770 and later the church was turned into a monastery. The Annunciation and the Nativity are amongst the church’s most important wall paintings.

Liopetri village

Liopetri village is 13km west of Agia Napa. In the village of Liopetri there are a 16th-century church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and one 15th century church of Agios Andronikos with an octagonal dome and the remains of murals which can still be detected in the apse. Liopetri has an ongoing tradition for basket making. A barn near the centre of the village was the location of a long battle again British troops on 2 September 1958. This is now one of the most revered memorials to the 1955-59 Liberation struggle.

Potamos Liopetriou

Potamos Liopetriou Is situated 15km west of Agia Napa, the estuary of Potamos, is a picturesque fishing shelter. The remains of a Venetian period watch-tower are nearby. Arthur Rimbaud, the French poet whose work influenced the surrealists 1854-1891 worked in this area in the early 1880’s.

Fishing here has pretty much gone unchanged for decades and the river is home to an eclectic mix of traditional and modern fishing vessels. A small sand and rocky beach and 2 excellent fish restaurants make this area well worth a visit. In springtime, the surrounding countryside is abundant with wildflowers and it is easy to forget that the hustle and bustle of the centre of Ayia Napa is just a few miles away.

End of part 4