On day 55, after a few quiet days at our beautiful campsite near Larnaka, we feel like exploring the island a bit more. So we head west along the coast and visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Chirokitia. The site is considered one of the most important and best preserved prehistoric sites in the eastern Mediterranean. Much of its importance lies in the evidence of an organized, functioning society in the form of a collective settlement of 300 to 1000 inhabitants with surrounding fortifications for communal protection. An attempt has been made to reconstruct some of the circular houses to show how they might have looked at the time.
We then drive a little further north towards the Troodos Mountains to the beautiful village of Pano Lefkara, famous for its lacework (lefkaritika) and silverwork. For centuries, the women of the village have sat in the narrow alleys, working on their characteristic fine embroidery, which was exported all over Europe and the Middle East. Sadly, there are only about 50 women left in the village who are skilled in this craft.
Afterwards we drive back to the coast and find a parking spot near the sea, about 20 minutes east of Limassol, which we want to visit tomorrow. In the distance we can already see the skyline of the “Miami of Cyprus”, which makes us very excited to see the city up close the next day…