By Isabel Conway ‘Yamas!’ Elias Lambidis looks like he is about to jump on the table and do a lively dance to accompany his toast with a tiny glass of legendary Cypriot firewater Zivania, poured from a crystal decanter, inviting us to join him in a salute to the warm winter sun. Encounters like this one – the shy invitation by his wife to join them in a midday snack – turns out to be a feast of delicious country food which we scoff down bathed in sunlight and generosity. Elias, a jolly man with a bushy moustache and flashing eyes and his petite fair skinned wife Anastasia are passionate about their native Cyprus and preserving the island’s traditions and culture.
Fearing that the old ways would be lost forever to future generations, they and other inhabitants in the village of Steni, created a Museum of village life reflecting its past with a huge array of exhibits. The accolades from the holidaymakers who have forsaken their beach beds to see something of the ‘ real’ Cyprus,in the Museum visitors book says it all. “So glad to have come” “thank you, fascinating”. As he pours copious quantities of robust local wine and urges us to have more of the local Anari (soft goat’s cheese) slathered in a rich carob sauce accompanying St John’s bread Elias, who happens to be the Mayor of this small place , emphasizes “we must bring the foreign visitors to the island up here to these villages and in contact with the people, it is our richest resource, friendliness and wiliness to share our history, traditions and hospitality”.
I am awoken at the crack of dawn by a crowing cock and the tolling of church bells in a village called Kalopanayiotis, better pronounced with a couple of shots of the super strong ‘ Zivania’ somewhere in the heart of the island. We have taken the ’ road less travelled’ far away from the recognizable names of Pafos, Limassol and Ayia Napa down on the coast. Welcome to a heavenly place ,whose steep cobbled streets are wide enough for only one vehicle. The Casale Panayiotis guesthouse is a restored traditional building listed by Cyprus Agrotourism Company www.agrotourism.com.cy who offer off the beaten track accommodation all over the island. My lodgings, a medieval stone and timber dwelling has been transformed into an oasis of luxury, furnished with local traditional furniture and delicate hand woven textiles. A cobbled pathway leads to Kafenion where housekeeper Mrs Andigoni serves a delicious organic breakfast laid out on village pottery. There is even a spa, cunningly concealed in a centuries old building where the grapes were once pressed and wine was stored.
The third largest island in the Mediterranean, Cyprus attracts over 2 million tourists annually. Most are lured by splendid beaches, a glorious climate, and younger holidaymakers usually head for purpose built resorts on coastal strips with their throbbing night life and great swathes of promenade crammed with bars and clubs.
Special interest, cultural and heritage tourism were once the mainstays of Cyprus. But rapid development of beachfront infrastructure has steadily enticed tourists away from the archeological sites and cultural attractions in modern times. Daring to be different, Cyprus has taken a brave stand on sustainability, developing what is known as the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative so that holiday makers can find the real Cyprus beyond the crowded international style beach resorts, where everything is tailored to mass tourism expectations.
Philippos Drousiotis Chairman of the CSTI reports that the mountain of plastic cups and bottles used by resort hotels has been radically reduced, hotels have been encouraged to install shower heads that break the atom of the water, reducing usage, along with other energy saving and environmentally sound practices. Now they hope that tour operators will offer vouchers to’ all inclusive’ guests so they leave hotels and eat out locally at some stage during their holiday. The ‘- ‘ all inclusive’ concept, especially popular with families, often discourages holidaymakers from venturing out of resorts and local businesses and communities lose out, he explains.
Cyprus’s hidden gems features villages like Foini, hidden away in a valley and its Pilavakis pottery museum in a 400 year old house, whose curator retired tailor Mr Pilavakis is a famous character known all over the island and beyond. Now rural areas and de-populated villages are blossoming once more thanks to a series of six routes which encourage holidaymakers to discover the real Cyprus, helping to boost the economy and regenerate people’s lives in villages which lost out due to tourism in coastal areas.
The CSTI ( Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative) received EU funding and were also helped by the UK based charity, Travel Foundation set up to manage tourism more sustainably. The routes introduce holidaymakers to attractions like the Museum of village life in Steni and to many more ‘authentic’ attractions including crafts, architectural heritage and ancient history, all accessible from the island’s main resorts. Wine tours by car through the island’s major wine producing regions offers pleasures like wine tasting, lunch at quaint taverns and accommodation in rural agro tourism hideaways. You find yourself in charming out of the way locations like the tiny village of Lemona where Tsangarides Winery has been cultivating vines for generations and winning prizes for its fine wines around the world. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, sitting outside watching the Christmas decorations being put up we meet George Demetriades, an island authority on gastronomy (meaning the law of the stomach in Greek) whose “Seven St Georges Tavern” on the outskirts of Pafos is world famous.. “My life’s work has been getting tourists away from ‘package holiday fare’ to find the true meaning of gastronomy here in Cyprus”, he reveals. George only serves “the authentic version “of Meze (complete with sautéed island snails in garlic he has personally foraged). The best known speciality of Cyprus, Meze , delicious and different everywhere we sampled it at number of times, is an endurance test, but a memorable one, as plate after plate of meat, fish and vegetables are presented with a flourish.
We pass vineyards, citrus and olive groves, reaching the picturesque village of Miliou. Here, life still revolves around the coffee shop where the men of the village sit in the shade playing backgammon, putting the world to rights while some of the older women work on the old fashioned looms. Below us, surrounded by orange groves is a stunning rural retreat, the Ayii Anargyri hotel and Spa resort,(www.aasparesort.com) where tradition, sustainability and all the modern comforts co-exist and guests take ‘ the waters’ thanks to (odorless) sulphur water on tap in most bedrooms and if they wish also in the Spring of Life spa in a complex of pools with diverse jets and treatments. The springs were discovered here hidden away behind wooded hills and valleys, by two doctors in the 17th century and it has been a centre of healing ever since. Eva Chrysanthou and her family, local people ,own and run the 5 star Ayii Anargyri Hotel and spa resort, a 10 minute drive from Polis, committed to sustainability and eco-friendly creature comforts and cuisine.
Driving towards the Larnaka region more villages beg discovery Kalavasos village is off the beaten track but facing St Mary’s Tetiotissa Church on a quiet street a couple of nineteenth century buildings conceal a elegant hostelry “The Library Hotel” (www.libraryhotelcyprus.com). The boutique hotel is owned by a philosopher and philanthropist Savvas Varnavides. The stylish rooms and suites are all named after poets and writers, with one devoted to Oscar Wilde. There is also a extensive library as the name suggests and a wellness centre based on ancient Greek bathing techniques and healing methods. The perfect finale to a discovery of’ the real Cyprus’
Further information on sustainable and agro tourism on Cyprus see www.visitcyprus.com and www.agrotourism.com.cy
Contact Cyprus Tourism Organisation, Ireland at 01.6629269 e mail cyprusinfo@eircom.net
