Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
modernist Ingo Maurer accoutrements or lazing by the decadent infinity pool, you will be
casually pampered. Buffet breakfasts are every bit as decadent.
Eating
Ithaki and Vathy's food situation is fairly ho-hum, so count on people-watching for sati-
ation. For a sweet experience, try
rovani,
the local speciality made with rice, honey and
cloves, at one of the patisseries on or near the main square.
Trehantiri
TAVERNA $
( 26740 33444; mains €5-8; lunch & dinner)
Old-school good eats flourish at this tiny
backstreet taverna, across from the flower shop. Check behind the counter to see what's
fresh and gab with the locals.
Information
Ithaki has no tourist office.
Delas Tours
( 26740 32104)
and
Polyctor Tours
( 26740
33120;
www.ithakiholidays.com
)
, both on the main square, help with information. The square
has the island's only banks (with ATMs) and the post office.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Around Ithaki
Ithaki reaches back into the mythical past to claim several sites associated with Homer's
'Odyssey'. Finding them can be an epic journey of its own: signage is scant. The
Foun-
tain of Arethousa
, in the island's south, is where Odysseus' swineherd, Eumaeus, is be-
lieved to have brought his pigs to drink. The exposed and isolated hike, through unspoilt
landscape with great sea views, takes 1½ to two hours (return) from the turn-off; this ex-
cludes the hilly 5km trudge up the road to the sign itself.
The location of Odysseus' palace has been much disputed and archaeologists have
been unable to find conclusive evidence; some present-day archaeologists speculate that
it was on
Pelikata Hill
near Stavros, while German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann
believed it to be at
Alalkomenes
, near Piso Aetos.
Take a break from Homeric myth and head north from Vathy along a fabulously scenic
mountain road to sleepy
Anogi
, the old capital. Its restored church of
Agia Panagia
(claimed to be from the 12th century) has incredible Byzantine frescoes and a Venetian
