Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the local ancient grape variety, decimated by phylloxera some decades ago. Because of
the altitude (300m) and sulphur-rich soil (you're in a volcanic caldera), their velvety,
high-alcohol, oak-aged red can be produced organically; 2007 saw the introduction of
bottled white wines. Proprietor Ioannis Lambrou gives a highly worthwhile twenty-
minute tour of the state-of-the-art premises in English.
9
Digital Art Museum of George Jakobides
Tues-Sun: July & Aug 11am-7pm; Sept-June 9am-5pm • €2 •
T
22530 51128,
W
jakobides-digital-museum.gr
The fancy name of the
Digital Art Museum of George Jakobides
is a slight misnomer in
that it is not about anything hi-tech and the artist to whom it is dedicated, a native of
Hídhira who lived from 1853 to 1932, predated the computer age. Yet the short digital
film and copies of seven of his most famous works, such as
Children's Concert
and
Naughty Grandson
, are worth a peep.
Monastery of Perivolís
Daily 10am-1pm & 5-6pm • Donation • No photos
Some 8km beyond Vatoússa, a short track leads down to the thirteenth-century
monastery of
Perivolís
, built amid a riverside orchard (
perivóli
), with fine if damp-
damaged sixteenth-century frescoes in the narthex. An apocalyptic panel worthy of Bosch
(
(The Earth and Sea Yield up their Dead
) shows the Whore of Babylon riding her chimera
and assorted sea monsters disgorging their victims; just to the right, towards the main
door, the Three Magi are depicted approaching the Virgin enthroned with the Christ
Child. On the north side there's a highly unusual iconography of Abraham, the Virgin,
and the penitent thief of Calvary in paradise, with the four heavenly rivers gushing forth
under their feet; just right are assembled the Hebrew kings of the Old Testament.
Ándissa and around
ÁNDISSA
, 11km west of Vatoússa, nestles under this parched region's only substantial
pine grove; at the edge of the village a sign implores you to “Come Visit Our Square”,
not a bad idea for the sake of a handful of refreshment options sheltering under three
sizeable plane trees.
Gavathás and around
Directly below Ándissa a paved road leads 6km north to
GAVATHÁS
, a village with a
shortish, partly protected
beach
and a few places to eat and stay
.
A side road leads one
headland east to huge, dune-dominated, surf-battered
Kámbos
beach, which you may
well have to yourself, even in August.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
ÁNDISSA AND AROUND
Paradise
Gavathás
T
22530 56376.
This pension-cum-
restaurant, 300m back from the seafront, has simple but
adequate rooms and s
erve
s good fish and locally grown
vegetables. May-Sept.
€30
Ì
Pedhinon
Ándissa
oldest and best taverna, shaded by the largest plane tree, is
very friendly and rustles up excellent
mayireftá
, such as
lamb fricassee and okra. You may even run into local
octogenarian
poet
Panayiótis
Petréllis.
Daily
T
22530 56106.
The village's
10am-midnight.
Monastery of Ypsiloú
Museum daily 8.30am-3pm • Donation
Two kilometres west of Ándissa there's an important junction. Keeping straight leads
you past the still-functioning, double-gated monastery of
Ypsiloú
, founded in 1101
atop an outrider of extinct Órdhymnos volcano. The
katholikón
, tucked in one corner
of a large, irregular courtyard, has a fine wood-lattice ceiling but has had its frescoes
repainted to detrimental effect. Exhibits in the upstairs
museum
encompass a fine
collection of
epitáfios
(Good Friday) shrouds, ancient manuscripts, portable icons and
- oddest of all - a
Deposition
painted in Renaissance style by a sixteenth-century Turk.
