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Svetlana Doncheva

Kefalonia, the biggest Ionian island, with its emerald waters and beautiful beaches is like all other Greek islands. Nevertheless, its tranquillity, idyllic landscapes and the lack of huge resorts distinguish it from its more famous neighbours like Corfu, Zakynthos and Lefkada. Myths and legends accompany the history of the island and today they are another reason for tourists to visit it. It is believed that the family of Odysseus originated from Kefalonia. According to the statement of a German professor, St. Paul's ship was shipwrecked not near Malta, but actually close to Kefalonia.

The history of the island is divided into two parts, namely before and after 1953. A terrible earthquake destroyed Kefalonia at that time, razing to the ground over 90% of its buildings. The only reason why the victims were not thousands in number was the fact that the earthquake occurred during the day and the people were not at home. However, the earthquake changed the life of the island in many ways. More than half of its residents left - some moved to mainland Greece and a large part to Australia, where they created a colony of Kefalonian families. Therefore, although it is the biggest Ionian island, today Kefalonia is the most sparsely populated island and the number of its inhabitants is less than 40 thousand. Traces of the earthquake are present even today - there are entire villages that have been abandoned and the ruins of their houses are still there. That is why there are almost no preserved monuments of traditional local architecture.

Fiscardo

The only village that has survived almost intact is Fiscardo. It is located in the northernmost part of the island and is one of the most picturesque places of Kefalonia with its traditional colourful houses, surrounded by blooming wisteria and bougainvillea. It is located on the shore of a small bay with transparent waters, and the yachts of Madonna, Jon Bon Jovi and Richard Gere have berthed at its port. There is an unusual monument in Fiscardo too, that of a frog. It is believed that, seen from above, Kefalonia resembles a frog on the map.

As on each island, the beaches of Kefalonia are the most visited places. They are many and varied - covered with white sand, pebbles, red sand, and rocky. They are located in countless bays with transparent waters in dozens of shades of blue and green. 12 beaches on the island were awarded the Blue Flag in 2014, making it the leader among the Ionian Islands (formerly Corfu held the leadership but last year 23 out of 30 beaches on the island were deprived of the sign).

Myrtos

The most famous beach in Kefalonia is Myrtos. Its beauty competes with the famous Navagio beach on Zakynthos. It is surrounded by rocks and it has repeatedly been declared the most beautiful beach in Greece. Other popular beaches are Skala, Katelios, Xi that is covered with red sand, Antisamos, Platis Yialos and Makris Yialos that are close to the island's capital Argostoli.

There are not only beaches in Kefalonia. In fact, the island is mountainous and the highest mountain of the Ionian Islands, Enos, height 1,628 m, is located there too. Venetians called it Monte Nero, the Black Mountain, because of the special local pine species that covered it so densely that it looked almost black from a distance. Today the mountain is a reserve inhabited by many species. You can also see herds of wild horses that live in the mountains. From the highest point of Enos you can see the neighbouring islands of Zakynthos, Lefkada and Ithaca, and the Peloponnese peninsula, which is about 30 km away.

Drogarati cave

The particular topography of the island is the reason for the formation of many caves, some of which are among the most famous sights of Kefalonia. Drogarati cave dates back to more than 2 million years ago and it is still alive, water is still dripping and forming stalactites and stalagmites inside it. Myths say dragons lived there, hence its name. It has been open for visits since 1963. The cave hall is huge, 65 metres long; it often houses concerts because of the excellent acoustics and the relatively high constant temperature, 18°C.

Melissani

Melissani cave is very famous and very beautiful. It is located 2 km away from the port of Sami and 5 km away from the fishing village of Agia Efimia. It is unusual because there is a lake inside, its ceiling fell after an earthquake and now the sun illuminates the crystal waters of the lake. According to legends, nymph Melissani was in love with god Pan who was constantly surrounded by other nymphs. However, he rejected her and she killed herself, broken-hearted, in the cave that now bears her name. You can see the cave by boat nowadays. Scientists had longed wondered where the semi-salty and semi-sweet lake waters came from. In the 1960s an experiment revealed that the water was going underground at a place called Katavothres, not far from Argostoli, passed under the entire island and came out at the other side, in Melissani cave.

The numerous churches and monasteries are another major attraction of the island. The most famous monastery honours patron Saint Gerasimos of Kefalonia. He arrived on the island in the middle of the 16th century, settled in a cave and founded the monastery that exists even today. He died on 15 August 1579 and when his coffin was opened two years later, his relics proved to be eternal. They are now kept in a glass sarcophagus in the old church of the monastery and visitors can worship them. The day of St. Gerasimos is celebrated on 16 August so as not to coincide with another major holiday, namely the Assumption, which is celebrated on 15 August. Thousands of pilgrims from all over Greece come to the monastery which required the construction of a new, bigger church, the third largest in the country after St. Andrew in Patras and Saint Panteleimon in Athens. Centuries-old sycamore trees can be seen in the area of ​​the monastery, which are marked with a white cross and it is believed that the saint himself planted them. St. Gerasimos is honoured in another way - much of the male population of Kefalonia bears his name. Locals joke that if one calls "Makis" (this is the shortened form of the name) in the central street of Argostoli, at least half of the men will turn around.

The monastery of the Virgin Mary in Markopoulo is highly revered as well. It is a nunnery and the nuns in it take care of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God. According to legend, pirates surrounded the monastery and wanted to rob it. The nuns prayed to Mary and she heard their prayers. The monastery was surrounded by snakes that chased away the pirates. Since then, snakes with a small cross on their heads appear on 6 August every year, enter the church, hang on the icons and suddenly disappear on 15 August. Pilgrims are not afraid of them and touch them without fear. It is believed that something bad will happen on the island if they do not appear or if they are late in appearing. For example, in 1953 the snakes did not appear and the island was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake. Two years ago, in 2013, they appeared with a day’s delay and another earthquake rocked the island a few months later, fortunately without serious damage and casualties.

Like everywhere in Greece, food in Kefalonia is fresh and delicious. Besides fish, seafood and local types of cheese and honey, be sure to try one of the local specialties, namely kreatopita or meat pie. The filling of the pie is rice with pork. Typical for the island and very popular are mandoles - sugar-coated almonds and pastokidono - quince cake. The island has 10 wineries, Robola being the most famous of them. It is named after a unique local grape variety that cannot be eaten but it produces the most famous local brand of white wine. Venetians called it "rock wine" because the vines grow on rocks.

The biggest attraction of the island, however, is the locals. They speak with passion about the beauties of Kefalonia and about how they do not want them to change. They are satisfied with the smaller number of tourists who come to the island and with the smaller earnings from tourism, as they want the island to preserve its authentic appearance. They have no desire to make it a cosmopolitan resort as neighbouring Zakynthos, for example. Indicative is the fact that here you will not find many huge five-star hotels and those that exist are a maximum of three storeys and have no more than 100 rooms. Tourists can stay in the numerous studios in the small fishing villages. There is no active nightlife except in Argostoli. However, tourists come here to escape from the busy daily life in the city and relax close to nature.

The islanders are proud of the fact that Hollywood blockbuster ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin'' with Penelope Cruz and Nicolas Cage is dedicated to Kefalonia. The film tells the love story between a local girl and a captain of the Italian Army during World War II. Although some of the most beautiful places on the island are used as scenes in the film, including Antisamos beach near Sami port and Myrtos beach, the residents of Kefalonia do not use it to attract more tourists (unlike Skopelos that has advertised its merits by the film ''Mamma Mia'').

How to get there

Kefalonia is located between the islands of Lefkada, Ithaca and Zakynthos, and it is 800 kilometres away from Bulgaria. One way to get there is by car to the island of Lefkada and from there by ferry to Kefalonia. The journey is long but it allows you to see other beautiful places along the way. The other way is by plane from Thessaloniki, using the services of Aegean Airlines as well as low-cost Astra Airlines that fly to Kefalonia.