Kioni

Kioni is a small village on the northeastern coast of Ithaca, built amphitheatrically on slopes above a narrow, sheltered bay. Tiled-roof houses climb the hillside from the waterfront, and the settlement is often ranked among the most picturesque harbours in the Ionian Islands, its layout largely unchanged since it was first laid out above the water.

From Anogi Down to the Sea

The village was founded in the late 16th century by settlers from the mountain village of Anogi, high on the flank of Nirito, who came down to the coast for access to the sea. The two places stayed administratively bound together for centuries: until 1914 they formed a single municipality known as Niriteon. Living on the water carried a cost. In the 17th century the villagers fought off a pirate raid in a pitched battle at Rachi, the high point on the road into Kioni, which is also where a monastery of St Nicholas once stood; the small church on the site still incorporates ancient columns in its altar.

The Windmills and the Wheat

Three windmills stand at the entrance to the bay, semi-ruined now and floodlit after dark, and they are the first thing most crews see on the approach — a recognisable landmark for boats coming in from the sea. They were working mills for as long as Ithaca grew wheat in any quantity, which was until the early 20th century; when the terraces went out of cultivation the mills went with them. They survive as the village's defining image rather than as working machinery.

Rebuilt After 1953

Much of the older building stock was damaged in the 1953 Ionian earthquake, which struck on 12 August 1953 at a moment magnitude of about 6.8 and flattened large parts of Kefalonia, Ithaca and Zakynthos. Death tolls recorded across the Ionian islands range from roughly 445 to 800, and the aftermath set off an emigration wave that permanently cut the population of the region. In Kioni only a handful of pre-quake buildings came through intact, though those that did show the modest, provincial take on the Renaissance-era architecture found elsewhere on Ithaca, and a number of houses were later restored using original materials and techniques. Strict planning rules since then have kept the waterfront's scale and character largely as it was. Fishing and small-scale trade sustained the community for generations before tourism gradually took hold from the late twentieth century onward.

Churches, Ruins and the Walk Back Up

The village church of Agios Ioannis holds wood-carved altar screens, and the church of Evangelistria, built in the late 19th century, has another worth the detour. A short walk from the quay towards the neighbourhood of Loutsa brings you to the ruins of the family home of Georgios Karaiskakis, one of the commanders of the 1821 Greek uprising. The old paved path between Anogi and Kioni is still walkable and makes the best half-day on foot from the village. Every 20 July Kioni marks the feast of the Prophet Elias, with boats ferrying people round to the chapel and the celebration carrying on in the square that evening.

The Bay, the Beaches and the Season

Kioni's deep, well-protected anchorage has long made it a favourite among sailors: there are roughly 20 berths along the quay, the seabed of sand and pebble holds well, and the small cove of Mavronas just outside gives fishing boats and shallow-draught craft a second option. Quayside cafes and tavernas fill with visitors through the summer months. Four pebble beaches — Katsikouli, Sarakinaki, Plakoutses and Filiatro — lie within easy reach, all with the clear water this coast is known for. The village is 24 km from Vathy by road and about 5 from Frikes, so it slots easily into a coastal circuit, and many gulet cruises in Greece call in here.