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Kefalonia is the largest island of the Ionians, with an area of 781 square km. It has 254 km of coastline. The island has Lefkada on its north and Zakynthos on its south, 35 km away from the mainland.
The prefecture includes the islands of Ithaki, Kastos and Kalamos.
It has a population of approximately 32.000 inhabitants, most of them living out of agriculture, fishing and tourism.
Kefalonia is characterised by some massive mountains.
The highest mountain, Mt Ainos, is culminating at a high of 1520 metres
and it is the Mediterranean only mountain with a unique fir forest
species, Abies kefallia. For the protection of this species, the area
was declared National Park.
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The island is also known for its many fruitful plains, lakes and rivers, caves, dense forests and beautiful golden sandy beaches. It is a verdant island with many species of wild flowers.
As all the other islands of the Ionian, and with all the natural wealth the island has, Kefalonia was successively conquered by many civilisations: the Byzantine, the Frankish, the Ottoman, the Venetian, the Napoleonic and last, the British Empires.
During the World War II, Kefalonia was overrun by the Italians and the Germans. Italy’s capitulation in 1943 led to the massacre of 5.000 Italian troops by the invading German forces. This historical event was used as background for the famous novel and film of Louis de Bernieres: “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”.
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The island also has hundreds of picturesque villages and small towns. The largest town is Argostoli. It is also the island’s capital and main port.
The most famous village of the island is Fiscardo. It is a picturesque village with nice neoclassical buildings.
It is also the only village that hasn’t been destroyed by the earthquake of 1953.
The island is one of the most popular destinations of the Ionians and attracts every year thousands of visitors.
It is the kind of islands that has everything to offer to the visitors…
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