Fiskardo

The earthquake of August 1953 destroyed almost every settlement on Kefalonia, and Fiskardo at the island's northern tip was the notable survivor, which is why it alone keeps a full ensemble of eighteenth and nineteenth-century Venetian-influenced houses in pastel colours around its small bay. That accident of geology made its fortune: the village is now the island's most expensive harbour, filled in summer with yachts and charter boats, its waterfront a line of restaurants and its lanes lined with boutiques. Behind the harbour stand a ruined Norman-era church and a Roman cemetery, and a path leads out to the lighthouse on the headland, a Venetian tower beside a nineteenth-century one. Small pebble coves lie within walking distance on both sides.

History

Fiskardo has been identified with the ancient town of Panormos mentioned by Herodotus, and in late 2005 builders near the harbour found a plaque in which the people of Athens thanked the people of Panormos for letting them hunt here. Under Norman rule the village was renamed after Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, who died at Atheras beach in 1085; in the 18th century the port served as the commercial harbour of Erisos, and unlike most of Cephalonia it escaped destruction in the 1953 earthquake, keeping its old houses (Wikipedia, Fiskardo).

Highlights

• The pastel waterfront - surviving Venetian-era houses around the bay.
• The yacht harbour - the island's busiest mooring in summer.
• The twin lighthouses - Venetian and nineteenth-century towers on the point.
• The nearby coves - pebble beaches at Emblisi and Foki.

When to go

May, June and September for the village at its best; July and August fill the harbour and prices peak. Out of season many restaurants close, though the village stays inhabited.

Before you go

Fiskardo is expensive by Greek standards, particularly on the waterfront, and in high summer it is crowded and hard to park in. The beaches are small and pebble. The appeal is architecture and atmosphere rather than sights.

Nearby

Assos lies down the west coast; ferries connect to Lefkada and Ithaca from the harbour.

Key facts