Lakones

On the slope of the mountainous massif of Araklis, just above Palaiokastritsa, is one of the oldest villages of Corfu, Lakones. A picturesque village built on a green slope, with narrow streets, with the famous spot Bella Vista, which as it is called, overlooks one of the best landscapes of the Mediterranean, the picturesque coves of Paleokastritsa, the imposing monastery of Theotokos and Angelokastro, one of the most important Byzantine fortresses in Greece.
The name of the village betrays the origin of its founders. These are Peloponnesians (from Lakonia) immigrants who settled here. The first written references to the village date back to 1387.
Without being officially recorded in precise detail, the oral testimonies that go so far tell us that earlier a group of Lacones moved here.
More specifically, according to one version, the Michalas family from Oitylo in Mani left their homeland and arrived here and founded the village, several residents of which bear this surname until today.
Of course, according to another version, at one time (it is unknown when exactly) three families from Sparta decided to move to Southern Italy. However, a storm seems to have blocked their path, resulting in only one of the three families finally arriving at their destination. Of the other two, one seems to have gotten lost in the sea turmoil and the other came out in the bay of Paleokastritsa. The village was originally founded on the coast, but after pirate raids it moved higher, that is where it is today.
In his book “Prospero’s Cell”, Lawrence Darrell in 1942 describes the red wine of the village as “volcanic blood”.
The village square is very small and adorable. It is located in the middle of the narrow road that crosses the village and the only elements that give it the status of a square is a unique plane-tree that stands in the middle of the road and the few tables that sometimes lay out the traditional coffee shop of Eftichis.
Just after the square, the road narrows even further, while stone houses of the 18th and 19th centuries stand to the left and right of the road.
The promenade here is a wandering in the history of the Mediterranean of the 1700s. Walk through the narrowest paved alleys of the village with its picturesque walks and the ancient traditional Corfiot houses, some renovated, some not, and most with the characteristic cypress port windows.
Look for the building of the music group “Lakonites”, where the folklore museum of the village is housed. The Museum's Collection includes archives, old photographs, music books, traditional costumes, everyday items as well as miniatures of “papyrela” (prehistoric boat in the shape of plava, moving with a paddle).
Lakones is an ideal place for hiking, running and cycling in the surrounding area. Apart from wandering in the alleys of the village, there are several paths you can follow.