Anemotia is a charming mountainous village 55 kilometers away from the Lesvos capital of Mytilene. The third village to be encountered on the route from Kalloni towards Sigri and Eressos, it is perched on the eastern side of Mount Kouratsonas. Anemotia is situated on the caldera of one of the major volcanos of Lesvos (the same volcano whose eruption millions of years ago created the Petrified Forest of Sigri).
With an altitude of 360 meters, it affords some wonderful countryside
views stretching from the rich pine woodland in its surroundings to the
nearby ravines of the Taxiarches and Potamia streams and all the way to
the Bay of Kalloni. As its name suggests, Anemotia is subject to strong
winds.
The area is steeped in rich
history and a number of Byzantine or Medieval chapels, flowing springs
and hundreds of chestnuts and pines adorn the mountainous landscape
around the village. The valleys of Taxiarches and Potamia, in
particular, are areas of huge botanical interest. The ever-presence of
water creates a wonderfully fertile landscape defined by the rarity of
its flora and outstanding natural allure and highly inviting of
prolonged exploration. If you come to Anemotia, do make sure to enjoy
the limitless views and take a trip to the ravine below: you will have
the chance to observe a number of Rhododendrons luteum sweet, which can
only be encountered on Lesvos, together with a variety of water-loving plant species.
Anemotia's Attractions
Anemotians
are a warm, welcoming people engaged mainly in agriculture and farming,
occupations that have shaped the surrounding landscape, making it rich
in watermills (in the northern side of Parakila),
growing fields, beautiful bridges and quaint stone-built cottages. The
majority of the area is served by a network of footpaths giving access
to the locations of Zoodochos Pigi and Monastireli (both are organized
resting spots for visitors) and numerous panoramas to the valley and
Kalloni Bay.
The village grew out of
the coming-together of a number of smaller settlements (Fkolia,
Ksenotafia, Limochori and Mitropoli Agiou Georgiou) whose ruins may
still be seen in Anemotia. Visitors to the area once occupied by Fkolia
will be able to observe the surrounding walls of an old Medieval
fortress and, within the enclosure, the foundations of numerous small
residences, cobbled alleys, millstones and graves.
Anemotian Products
The
residents of Anemotia are mainly olive farmers and producers of fine
olive oil, however Anemotia is best-known for its grapes. Different
varieties of grape have been grown in the village since antiquity and
are considered the finest on the island.
The
local Women’s Co-operative was established in 2000 and has been
producing fine handmade pasta, spoon sweets, jams, traditional beverages
and cookies ever since. Together with the Women’s Co-operatives of
Parakila, Asomatos, Skalochori and Mesotopos, the Women’s Co-operative
of Anemotia worked to create the Lesvoshop outlets encountered in a
variety of locations on Lesvos.
Anemotia’s
long history in the craft of stonecutting and sculpture is evident
throughout the village. A spot once inhabited by many a renowned
stonemason or sculptor, Anemotia is teeming with beautifully adorned
stone-built houses and flower gardens that douse the village with their
colors and flowery aromas whenever in bloom.
While
in Anemotia, do make the trip to the village’s Ecclesiastical Museum
and admire the religious treasures (old Bibles, clerical vestments and
icons) on display, or wander around the area and discover the old
Secondary School (circa 1898), the old Turkish bathhouse and the
beautiful basilikas of I Metamorphosis tou Sotirous (The Transfiguration
of the Saviour) and Zoodochos Pigi (Life-giving Spring).
Saint
George (1702) is the main village church. It came to existence as a
small chapel built to replace the village church of Saint Katherine the
Wise, which the Ottomans had converted into a mosque. Situated at the
lower end of the settlement, it boasts some truly stunning iconography
depicting the martyrdom of Saint George and numerous scenes from the
Apocalypse.
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