At the time of writing for those coming from England Kefalonia’s one of the few free from Covid quarantine restrictions and still eligible for the ‘travel corridor’.
The island will be familiar to some for the wonderful novel ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ by Louis de Bernières. It tells of a young Italian officer as part of the occupying forces. He wants a peaceful war and suffers initially from being ostracised by the locals before entering into a fragile romance with a local Greek girl. It‘s both tragic and light and became a magnificent film starring Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz.
I reached my destination, a northern fishing village called Fiscardo (for a complete guide go to www.fiscardo.com).
It faces Ithaca, the home of Odysseus, and is a yachties’s paradise. There are no nightclubs here. It’s a place for relaxation and repose.
This delightful harbour is the only village on the island not damaged by the catastrophic earthquake of 1953. Bougainvillea adorns the evident and satisfying Venetian colours and architecture. Though there are less than fifty residents off-season it’s a working village with locals busying themselves sweeping up from and hosing down the pavements. The locals are warm and engaging allowing tourists to come to their shops and restaurants of their own accord without any hassle or enticement.
To dispel any thoughts of mosquitos I always recommend the natural Canelle Spray (www.cinnamonhill.com) that is very effective and has a cinnamon aroma far preferable to that of the citronella variety.
That night in Fiscardo I ate out at Panormos, a terraced restaurant with a hip, cool vibe. The menu is trendy and modern with ‘supergreen’ dishes chosen for the palette of healthy-minded types. I chose the delicious and very generously portioned ‘Super Food Salad’ comprising of crispy lettuce, pomegranate pearls, pine nut, white and red quinoa, wild rice, grilled goats cheese and lemon vinaigrette. As another l starter I had spicy shrimps, chilly oil, vongole shellfish and feta cheese. Then came the seabass fillet with lemon and thyme sauce followed by the ‘Magic Muffin’ an orange chocolate soufflé with bitter chocolate ice cream.
I stayed at the Almyra Hotel (www.almyrafiskardo.gr). Almyra means ‘the sensation of the salt water of the sea’ and opened in 2002 as a family concern. The furnishing in the spacious sitting room is modern and chic. There’s a healthy range of coffee table books on Greece, the Ionian Sea, Kefalonia and photographs of Fiscardo’s fishermen. Thankfully at Almyra they are spared the usual gaudy paintings. After all the view says it all: overlooking its swimming pool, the sea beyond and Ithaca further into the distance, not to mention the magnificent dawn, sunset and starlit nights.
It’s a perfect boutique size: intimate, well-designed and ideal for its staple clientele of couples though typically they bring their children in August. 80% of the guests who return regularly are British so it’s no surprise that the three flags beside the driveway promote not just Greece and the European Union but the Union Jack. There’s a minibus shuttle to deliver and collect from the harbour the guests who are equally keen to have come from other routes down different beaches and coves and share their adventurous discoveries with each other.
The menu in the restaurant, with its modest number of tables inside and out, is a combination of British and Greek tastes. I had, as a starter, roast potatoes with garlic, oregano, mustard and lemon followed by octopus cooked in red wine and sun-dried tomatoes served with chickpeas.
As Emblisi only has a canteen I walked back up (a healthy, but not too hardy task) to reach Mirella’s, a roadside restaurant. With authentic white wooden tables bedecked with potted plants it boasts a truly picturesque view of the sea beyond. Here I chose a Caesar salad, as well as feta with honey and filo pastry, followed by a chicken fillet à la crème with mushrooms and peppers. It’s very reasonably priced and authentic.
Another night I had supper at one of the waterfront restaurants called Roulas. It has its distinctive floral motive with calming white neutral colours as a backdrop. The lovely elephant breath, warm mid-grey exterior is extremely elegant as are the white chairs, tables, shutters and windows with their delicate Greek lacework. There was even a small shop to lure me inside beside the kitchen where the magic happens.
Next door, and for another night’s feasting, I went to the restaurant Tassia (www.tassia.gr). It’s linked to the Almyra hotel and the wonderful menu offers a huge variety of meat and seafood. I chose Tassia’s delicious taramasalata, a ‘Meloza Salad’ with lettuce, rocket, cherry tomatoes, almonds and sauce with honey, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. My grilled fresh tuna fillet which was fabulously succulent was followed by Tassia’s desert with yoghurt, pineapple jelly, stewed pineapple and fresh cream.
All within easy reach of Fiscardo are the coves of Dafnoudis and Kimilia. But my favourite was Alaties. I recommend going early to reserve your space. It’s a hidden jewel set in turquoise water, down past the lovely church in Antipata Erisou and then a couple of hamlets, through Magganos with its delightful eaterie called Picnic, to this small divine cove with the bluest of water and whitest of rocky outcrops.
For a wonderful full day’s excursion I strongly recommend a boat trip with Ionian Discoveries (www.ioniandiscoveries.com). The owner Fabio takes people snorkelling and one spot is the Boieru cave at Foki Bay (meaning bay of seals). It’s within the glorious setting of calm, teal water and above a small, deep, dark evergreen forest. Very reminiscent of Scandinavia and Canada. Across the day he had pointed out to me grey and white herons, a school of baby grey mullet, turtles, cormorants, octopus and starfish. He and Vassilis love sharing their knowledge as they explained to me all about the octopus and its undoubted though under-appreciated intelligence and memory.
Like all the other Brits I must go back. Whenever but soon!
Adam Jacot de Boinod was a researcher for the first BBC television series QI, hosted by Stephen Fry. He wrote The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from around the World, published by Penguin Books.
FACTBOX
Adam had support from Heathrow Express and Gatwick Express as well as from Holiday Extras (www.HolidayExtras.com).
