CHOIROKITIA – LEFKARA TOUR 

OPTION 3

ROUTE

  • CHOIROKITIA – visit a remarkably well-preserved settlement from the Neolithic Agelisted as an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.
    • Find out about the Art of the Traditional Basketry
    • Watch how to make Halloumi Cheese
    • Enjoy a Cypriot Brunch at a traditional house.
  • LEFKARA – visit a picturesque, unspoiled little village, with lots of history and tradition, in the southern foothills of the Troodos mountains. Lefkara boasts a unique architecture preserved to this day and its famous for its lacemaking tradition (Lefkaritika Kentimata).

TRIP DETAILS

Price per Person: €62.00 per person

Date: 10 November 2024

Departure / Return time: 13:00 – 19:00                                                            

Above Package includes:

  • Bus transportation from and to hotel
  • Licensed English-Speaking tour guide
  • Entrance Fees to Choirokitia Settlement
  • Halloumi Cheese and Basket weaving Demonstration
  • Cypriot Brunch

CHOIROKOITIA – Neolithic Settlement

The archaeological site of Choirokoitia is a remarkably well-preserved settlement from the Neolithic Age that has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. because the archaeological findings have shed more light on the development of society in this key area. The significance of those findings has established Chirokitia among the best-known prehistoric sites in Cyprus and worldwide.

Remains from all phases of the Neolithic Age are evident in the settlement and provide an insight of living conditions in the region during prehistoric times, as well as how the Neolithic culture was spread throughout the region.

Five characteristic cylindrical shaped dwellings have been reconstructed near the settlement, using the same construction methods and materials used in Neolithic times. The dwellings are fitted with replicas of household objects found inside the original dwellings, thus providing a vivid representation of how they actually were in the past.

THE ART OF THE TRADITIONAL BASKETRY

Following the Choirokoitia archaeological site, our group will be welcomed by the owner of a traditional house in Choirokitia village, who turned his house into an establishment for working with the art of the traditional basketry made from types of grass found on the banks of the rivers.

HOW TO MAKE  HALLOUMI CHEESE

After a briefing on how the traditional baskets are made, you will have the opportunity to watch how the traditional halloumi cheese is made and be offered a Cypriot Brunch that includes Cypriot coffee, home-made lemonade, halloumi cheese and anari cheese, oven baked bread, olives, bee honey and carob honey.

LEFKARA – Home of Cyprus’s traditional embroidery

Lefkara is a beautiful village with a long tradition in the art of lacemaking and silversmithing.

Arriving at the village you will undoubtedly be impressed by the picturesque narrow alleys and the impressive architecture of the houses built amphitheatrically around the spring of the village and surrounded by large  courtyard walls and tall wooden doors.

Wandering around the beautiful alleys of the village, take a break to enjoy a traditional cup of coffee or a homemade lemonade.

The history of the village dates back to the Byzantine times and the main attraction from this era is the church of “Timiou Stavrou” (Holy Cross church – 14th century). What makes Lefkara famous though is their Cypriot lace embroidery known as “Lefkaritiko”.

The tradition of Lefkaritiko embroidery began during the Venetian period (15th-18th century). During this period, Lefkara was a popular summer holiday resort for the Venetian ladies who taught the women of the village embroidery.

Over the years, the women of the village enhanced the lace designs by incorporating local characteristics inspired by nature. Legend has it that the famous painter, Leonardo da Vinci, himself visited the village of Lefkara in 1481 (during the reign of Katherine Cornaro, queen of Cyprus).  He was so impressed by the Lefkara laces that he bought a lace altar cloth, which he donated to the Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milan). On 19 October 1986, the Mayor of Lefkara presented the Milan Cathedral, in honor of the 600th anniversary of its foundation, a new altar cloth on which three lace makers from Lefkara village had worked full-time for six months.

It is worth visiting the Handicraft Centre as well as the Local Ethnological Museum of Traditional Embroidery and Silversmithing, where traditional costumes,   silversmithing   items   and   an interesting collection of Lefkaritika embroideries are on display. Other important attractions include the Folklore Museum, the old fountain, and the old oil mill.

Lefkara is included in the World Tourism Organization’s list of the world’s best tourist villages and in 2018 the Japan Travel Agents Association included Lefkara in the 30 most beautiful villages in Europe.