Kolossi Castle

Kolossi is a single square keep of honey-coloured stone, three storeys and a roof terrace, rebuilt in the fifteenth century on the site of an earlier castle held by the Knights Hospitaller, whose regional headquarters, the Grand Commandery, gave its name to the wine produced on the surrounding estates. Commandaria, a sweet wine made from sun-dried grapes, is often claimed as the oldest named wine still in production, and the connection is the castle's chief distinction. Inside there is a spiral stair, vaulted rooms with a fireplace and a fresco of the Crucifixion, and from the roof a view over sugar-cane country to the sea. Beside the keep stand the remains of a sugar mill and aqueduct from the period when this was a sugar estate.

The main sights

• The keep - three storeys and a roof terrace with views to the sea.
• The Crucifixion fresco - the surviving wall painting in the vaulted rooms.
• The sugar mill - the ruined medieval mill and aqueduct beside the castle.
• The Commandaria link - the wine named after the knights' commandery here.

When to go

April to October, though the castle is open year-round and there is little shade; mornings are cooler for the climb to the roof. The visit takes under an hour, so it pairs naturally with Kourion or a Commandaria tasting in the hill villages.

What to expect

It is small, and an hour covers it comfortably, so it works as a stop rather than a destination. The interior is largely empty rooms with limited interpretation. The setting, hemmed by modern roads and industrial edges of Limassol, is unromantic. The wine itself is not made or sold at the castle.

Nearby

Kourion's Roman theatre is along the coast; Limassol and the wine villages are close.

Key facts