Vathy is one of the more spectacular natural harbours in Greece. Almost invisible from the sea, its narrow fjord-like entrance, guarded by twin headlands, each with the ruins of Venetian gun emplacements, is protected by the huge bulk of Mt Neritos, the islands highest peak. Once inside the bay opens up to reveal a small town clustered around the far shore.
Although much of Vathy was devastated in the great
earthquake of 1953, when many of its classic Venetian style
mansions were destroyed, planning controls have ensured that
the town has kept its character with well-proportioned houses,
carefully painted facades and traditional roofs. It is the
administrative capital and main ferry port for Kefalonia and
Patras on the mainland.
The countryside in the immediate vicinity is glorious. Quiet
lanes and tracks lead up the fertile valley behind the town from
where newly opened footpaths can be taken to places straight
out of Homers Odyssey.
The town itself contains fascinating alleyways and stepped
paths often lined with the walls of elegant ruins, their archways
and windows covered in wisteria.
On summer evenings everyone makes their way to the plateia
beside the harbour, the road is closed off to traffic except where
children on their bicycles race ahead of their parents enjoying a
traditional volta or stroll before their evening meal.
