ARGOSTOLI – the Capital of the Island



Argostoli has been the capital of the Kefalonian Region since 1757 . It is the island's commercial and administrative centre, and has beautiful neo-classical buildings.

It is a modern city with a remarkable historic and cultural tradition.

Argostoli is built amphitheatrically with a view to the Lagoon of Koutavos, overlooks the fir tree-covered Aenos.



SPOTS WORTH VISITNG ARE:



The Koryalenios library, which is one of the largest libraries in Greece in which an exciting collection of Byzantine icons are displayed.



The Historic and Folklore Museum, where the whole of island’s history is unwound through rich exhibits and lastly the historical theatre – The Cephalos.



A walk along the Lithostroto (stone-paved road) with its old and new shops,

The Church of Saint Spyidon,

The Cambanas Square,

The Central square,

The Radicals’ monument, a symbol of freedom,

And the waterfront with the palm-trees, or up the Hill of "Pharaoh" with the panoramic view of the city, are worth seeing .



At the location of the round lighthouse of Agii Theodori, built according to the Doric rhythm, one can enjoy one of the best sunsets.

In the same area at the end of Lassis Peninsula, one can visit the Katavothres and the Italians’ monument on the top of a hill.



The most frequently-visited, and tourist-attracting sandy beaches are those of Makrys and Platys Gialos and Tourkopodaro.



Major hotel units, restaurants, taverns with a hectic night life and the Cave of Saint Gerasimos are all situated on the same axis.

The road continues to unwind towards the fascinating villages of Livatho, Minies, Svoronata, which are surrounded by groves of olive trees, orange trees and tomato plantations, leading to the Church of Panagia (Virgin Mary) with the impressive entrance and the gilded carved wooden reredos, where the coffin of Gregory IV, the Patriarch of Constantinople, is kept .



I continue on my way to the villages of Kalligata and Kourkoumelata, where the neo-classical building of the Spiritual-Cultural Centre is.
The village of Metaxata is the place, where Lord Byron stayed for three months. A bit further I come across Keramies, and Spartia, both picturesque settlements with narrow, sinuous cobbled streets.

The small port of Pessada, which connects Kefalonia to Zakynthos comes next.



The wonderful conserved Venetian Castle of Saint George, the island’s mediaeval capital, built in a polygonal shape and having three battlements, dominates the area from the top of a hill at Peratata, due North.



The Village of Castro, with a panoramic view of Livatho, and the Church of Evangelistria are situated outside the castle . The Abbey of Apostle Andrews, where the remarkable Ecclesiastical Byzantine Museum shows rare exhibits of the 13th through the 19th Centuries, is situated nearby.

A road leads to Mazarakata, where the masterly carved Mycaenean tombs are located.