Fos Ithaki
Discover experiences & activities that we have selected for you.
Experience the magic of a traditional Ithaki Olive Harvest
Each November we offer a rare opportunity to be part of the old ways of the olive harvest here in Ithaki. You will join an unbroken family tradition, going back at least 500 years. Hosted by the renowned Shepard, Panagis and his wife Brigette who have some of the best olive growing valleys and hilltops above Kioni. You will help harvest pure organic olives by hand and be part of the olive-making process from the tree to the olive press where you can taste the olives you’ve harvested.
Typically, your olive picking day might begin with an early coffee and breakfast in a Café in Stavros. Then a stirring car ride through ancient pine forests in golden autumnal sunshine to be met on a hillside trail by Panagis and guided to the trees that are ripe for harvest today. Usually about a 20-minute walk. It’s all about teamwork but you’ll fit right in simply by removing the olives, branch by branch with a simple hand tool.
Being part of this ancient tradition in a beautiful, serene olive grove surrounded by nature, the occasional goat and birdsong with dramatic Ithaki mountains, seas and skies is one of life’s great experiences. You’ll never forget it. Included is a rustic picnic lunch, local breads, meats, cheeses, wine and olive oil of course under the shade of an old olive tree. It will taste like no other food you’ve ever had.
We often end the day with a cool beer or chilled wine somewhere special that locals love to go. There’s a feeling as your leave the olive groves, a good day’s work done, the bluest blue Ithaki sky above, a still inviting azure sea below that only some ever get to know. It will lift your spirits and fill you with joy.
And on the final harvest day, we usually arrange a feast and you get some of that precious, organic Ithaki olive to take home. What tales you will have to tell as you share the Ithaki olive oil you harvested with your family and friends.
We’d love to share this unique and ancient way of harvesting olives with you.
Time: The month of November
For further information contact us
Walking the old paths
Going through the old paths, is walking back in time, the story and the hardship unravelling in front of your eyes, besides the stunning scenery. Most of them, stone paved, were serving to connect villages and places.
After a recent significant effort of clearing them, there is an extensive network leading you to magical places.
More information here
My favourites:
- Anoghi – Kioni. 6km, easy, all downhill. (The return is uphill if you choose it this way). Very well cleared, in a way that is shaded most of the way. As it used to be a highway for carriages in the past, there are no steep slopes, following a windy route, crossing the slope smoothly. When walking this path, there is no proper road in sight. It is only the sky, the sea and the land. Every noise is only from nature.
- Exhogi – the Old Mills – The Monastary of Pernarakia. 4km. After a steep uphill of 400 m, one reaches the top of the mountains, to continue along the ridge of the mountain. The view is panoramic, having the hole horizon. Looking at down, at everything which was considered high before. On the way, the ruins of 3 old mills, which were used to grind the wheat. My goodness, what an effort for a loaf of bread!
- Circular road of the northernest part: Frikes-Panagia-Marmagas-Frikes. Not exactly a path, it is quite a road, part of it paved for car. One walks through olive groves, sheep and goat farm, passing a church, a beach, a salt reservoir and amazing scenery alternating from East to West North to South, combining mountainous and sea views. Not too long but with so much to see and do, it can take from 2h to a day.
- Marathias to Panagia Spiliotissa. A beautiful chapel built inside the stone, hence its name, is the destination of this old path. The walk is easy and short. The view is magical in the southernest part of Ithaki. Particularly in the spring time you will be amazed by the variety and abundance of the plant life.
Greek "PANYGIRIA"
These Greek festivities origins are lost in time. Panygiria may be celebrated in a touristic way today, but it is an ancient custom, shaped by the historic rhythms of island life.
In the old days, when life was so hard, people did not have the opportunity to scroll down to a café to chill out and meet their friends. Everyday life responsibilities gave little room for much social interaction. The panygiri was the once a year gathering, were everyone could meet. It was intimately associated with religion, celebrating the saint of the village, and the name day of many people. Preparations lasted a year. It was essential for the honour of the family to wear your best clothes, share your best food and finest wine. After a short church service, the feast would start. Everybody was included and participated, from two-year-olds to the most elderly. Just as it is today. An event that brings everybody together, tourists and locals, young and old, rich and poor. They are organised by the village community, proceeds go directly to the village, who in turn directly fund communal needs. Most often the people work as volunteers.
The most well know are:
July 12 – Exhogi
Aug 5 & 6 – Stavros , the most famous one, lasting two days.
Aug 14 – Anoghi
Aug 15 – Platrithias