ASK THE EXPERT
Noel Josephides, managing director, Sunvil “In the late 1980s, villagers began renovating their houses to accommodate the more enlightened tourist. It is now fashionable for Cypriot city dwellers to return to their village roots and restore traditional culture.
Once-dying industries, such as lace-making, pottery, boutique wineries, cheese production, traditional bread baking, carob and olive harvesting, can be observed and in many instances shared with the visitor. To ignore this renaissance of Cypriot culture and fail to visit the interior is to miss 90% of what the island has to offer.”
lace-making, bread-baking, wine-tasting, pottery-turning and plenty more – all while helping you sell the shoulder seasons with activities that can be done come rain or shine.
w GETTING CRAFTY With its historic architecture, proximity to picturesque villages and pottery heritage, Larnaca makes an excellent start for visitors on a cultural quest. “It’s an incredible place to try local activities all original to the region,” says Chelsea Saunders, product and commercial executive at Monarch. For the best insights, suggest heading there in winter, when the Larnaca Tourism Board hosts its annual programme of free cultural excursions, open to anyone staying at a hotel in the city. Activities include basket weaving at Voroklini Lake and tours to local villages such as Lefkara, known internationally for its lace embroidery, which dates back more than 600 years. Today, local women continue to produce elegant lace items, which visitors can browse and buy from quaint boutiques dotted along the cobbled alleyways. Beyond Larnaca, Olympic
Holidays recommends the Avgoustinos Pottery Centre in
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travelweekly.co.uk 18 May 2017
ABOVE: Lefkara
Handicraft Centre
RIGHT: Casale
Panayiotis
Olive mills, honey farms, cheese-makers and monthly markets let visitors pick up fresh, local produce
the coastal town of Geroskipou, east of Paphos, for private sessions at the wheel (from €50), alongside group kids’ lessons with English-speaking guides (from €10) in July and August. Or, for a taste of the island’s
iconic basket weaving heritage, suggest the small Inia Village Basket Weaving Museum near Paphos, or make a beeline for Livadia. At the latter, craftsmen draw on techniques used in the 19th century, splitting reeds to create baskets and straw mats – a tradition now recognised by Unesco as an intangible cultural heritage.
w MOUNTAIN VILLAGES For an even more local village experience, look to the Troodos Mountains, where quaint old settlements offer traditional, slow-paced tavernas and sweet Cypriot delicacies served
up among dramatic, pine tree-covered slopes. Do Something Different offers
a Troodos 4x4 safari from Ayia Napa, Larnaca and Protaras, taking guests on an off-road adventure through the villages, where they’ll see ancient stone architecture, visit a ‘kafeneion’ for local coffee, and wander along forest trails towards a towering mountain waterfall (from £64 including a traditional lunch). For those less keen on doing
it by foot, Tui Collection – the excursion programme from the mainstream operator – runs a Troodos Kykkos Select coach trip up to the mountains from Paphos. Clients wind their way up the stunning landscapes before reaching the remote village of Treis Elies, home to a population of just 57. They’ll also stop off at the colourful Kykkos Monastery, known for its elaborate gold decor and lavish mosaics, before tasting herbal teas and watching a pottery demonstration in the small, friendly village of Foini. If clients are looking to linger in the area, recommend a stay at Casale Panayiotis. This luxury resort, set on the slopes in the ancient spa village of Kalopanayiotis, was created by civil engineering magnate John Papadouris to revive the area –
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