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Campo Antissa and
Gavatha are the beach and fishing port of the
village of Antissa, in the mountains above.
Almost completely undeveloped the only rooms to
rent are in the Paradise Restaurant in town and in
a few private houses scattered throughout the
valley. There is a small harbor full of fishing
boats and a long beach with a few trees that offer
shade. Gavatha is built upon a peninsula that
shelters the main beach and there are rocky
beaches on the other side that are good snorkeling
areas when the sea is not too rough. there is a
small Church of St. Pandelemon on the rocks above
the village, guarded by a rusted old tank with
it's gun pointed at Turkey.
Most of the
tourists who come here can't be called tourists
any longer because they have been coming for years
and are almost a part of the village. Many have
bought homes in the area. It's a very quiet place
with virtually no nightlife beyond whatever may be
happening at the Paradise Restaurant or one of the
other small cafes. The Paradise is one of the best
restaurants on the island and people come from all
over to eat and enjoy the view. The owner is an
extremely hard working woman named Stacy, who
moved to the island from New Jersey fifteen years
ago.
She has been closed
the last couple years they say because her
beautiful daughters have gotten married and moved
to the city and she does not have the help she
needs ro run a restaurant of such high quality.
Hopefully she will be open when you come. If not
the Aigaio down the block is also great and can
get pretty lively day or night.
The beach is a good one. There was a lot of
seaweed which washed up on the shore but the
villagers made a valiant effort to get rid of it,
perhaps believing it makes the area undesirable to
tourists, and have been pretty successful. But the
truth is that even when there was a lot of
seaweed, once you walk out a few meters the sea is
as clear as anywhere. The best place to swim is
the far end of the beach. Snorkling along the
rocks is fine though there are not a lot of fish.
If you go far enough you will come to the rocky
beach at Campo Antissa where most days you can
have the mile long stretch of pebbles and sand to
yourself. You can also drive there by
following the signs through the valley. The area
is full of olive trees, orchards, farms and
gardens and the dominant color is green.
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In nearby Campo
Antissa there is no village but the center of the
area seems to be the two tavernas across from each
other in the paved riverbed that leads to the sea
and the long empty beautiful beach. When the wind
comes from the north east there are great waves.
When it blows from the south the sea is calm and
when there is no wind at all it's like a mill
pond. The valley is a collection of farms and
gardens. Directly across the sea Turkey is close
enough to be clearly visible every day. If you
follow the riverbed which has been paved it will
take past Kostas Taverna on the ight and down to
the beach. There is a pond at the end that is full
of eels, frogs and turtles and there are lots of
interesting birds around. One you get to the beach
you can choose to drive to your right or walk to
your left where the promontory that seperates
Campo Antissa from the beach of Gavatha begins and
you can have as much privacy as you
like.
If you follow
the road east past Campo Antissa you will pass
brilliant green fields of clover and drive
alongside a river. The road actually crosses the
river (no bridge but it's not too deep and the
kids love it) and goes through a small settlement
before coming to the ruins of ancient Antissa on a
promontory. It's an interesting area with ancient
stones scattered around and some big walls still
standing. The beach is secluded and there is a
very pretty church that sits above it that
provides shade for the hottest part of the day.
There is also a taverna nearby that has live music
on Saturday nights during the summer, though
finding your way back after the party could be
tough. The road is hell on small cars and should
be taken slowly and sober.
The town of Antissa sits on the side of a
mountain and is the regional center for the
villages of Vatousa, Xidera, Gavatha, Liota, Rema,
Zithra and Pterounda. There is a large and
beautiful platia with not one, but three enormous
platanos trees that make the village a very cool
place to come on a hot afternoon. There are
several restaurants in the square and an equal
amount of cafeneons. There's a pharmacy, something
that none of the other villages in the vicinity
have and a post office. There is also a medical
center which serves as a hospital for this part of
the island. The only drawback to the area is that
besides the rooms at the Paradise in Gavatha,
there are few if any places to stay. But it's a
nice place to come for a day.
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One
of the best restaurants in the
area and a great place to stop for
a drink on a hot afternoon is
Pedinon, in the platanos shaded
main square in Antissa. People
come from all around for his
paidakia (lambchops). |
The
Perivoli Monastery between Antissa
and Vatoussa is a garden paradise.
The caretaker is quite nice with
an ability to speak in rhyme a
good portion of the time. |
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The
village of Zithra between Antissa
and Vatousa has known better
times. Most of the houses are now
in ruins and this old couple are
two of only a handful of people
still living there. |
What
will happen to Zithra is anybody's
guess. It may end up being totally
deserted or bought up by
foreigners and there is evidence
of some houses being fixed,
perhaps by relatives. |
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The
whole island is full of
Greek-Americans and Australians
who have returned to their home to
retire or start new businesses.
Panagiotis Papamichael is one of
those. He and his wife Despina
have the excellent sea-food
restaurant-ouzerie called The
Aigaio in the town of Gavathas
overlooking the harbor. |
Lunch
at Kostas in Campo Antissa is a
tradition. Just find the paved
river-bed and follow it down till
you see it on your right up a
small hill. His family came back
to Greece from Melbourne,
Australia. |
More
from In Search of Sardeles Pastes |