An Island of Sea and History: Kefalonia

Our summer holiday (2008) we decided to spend in Greece.

As the first stop we decided to aim for Kefalonia, a splendid island easily

reachable from Italy by direct ferry from Brindisi.

Surfing the internet I had read very positive things about this island, and so

fortunately it was, so much so that among all the places we saw in Greek lands,

this place — the set of Captain Corelli's Mandolin starring Nicolas

Cage — was certainly the most beautiful.

The island, not very crowded and not very well known to mass tourism, offers views

that are always exciting; coming across ugly or sad beaches is practically impossible.

The sea is exceptional everywhere, transparent water and unspoilt beaches, a true

paradise for those who love to relax and contemplate nature.

Truly pleasant little harbours and castles to explore are many, but if you come here

looking for a shopping street full of people, this isn't the place for you.

Kefalonia, destroyed several times over the centuries by terrible earthquakes, was also the theatre

of one of the saddest pages of the Second World War; in fact here about 10,000 Italian

soldiers were killed by their former German allies.

This historical event known as the Kefalonia massacre took place in 1943 after

Italy signed the armistice with the British, Soviets and Americans.

From that moment on the Germans, who had arrived earlier on the island to help our

Italian soldiers engaged in the conquest of Greece, saw the Italian no longer as an

ally but as an enemy. Thus a conflict between Italians and Germans began, and on the island

about 10,000 Italians fell.

Valentina and I therefore visited the memorial monument to the fallen soldiers

and the pit where 136 officers of the "Acqui Division" were shot.

We were in Kefalonia for 4 days; we stayed in a campsite, certainly not

wonderful, but it had all the essentials. The only jarring note was the heat,

truly devastating!!!

Don't miss the trip to Lake Melissani and the visit to the nearby caves; visit Assos and

Fiskardo, you won't be disappointed. Myrtos Beach is absolutely a must-see, but

other beaches deserve it too.

A shame for us that we were there only a few days; a few more would have made us

very happy, but our tour in Greece is long and Corinth, Athens and many other places are

waiting for us...

Bye from the travellers Claudio and Valentina

KEFALONIA (JUNE - JULY 2008)