HISTORY: Settled since the neolithic era,, Lefkada is identified by some scholars as Homer’s Ithaca. It was colonised by the Corinthians in the 7th century BC and .took part in the Peloponnesian War. Later conquered by the Macedonians, Pyrrhus (king of Epirus), and the Romans, it shared the fate of the neighbouring islands during the Middle ’ Ages, and later succumbed to a succession of foreign rulers: the ltalians, Angevins (14th c.), Turks (1479) and Venetians (1684). It also saw a brief period of French supremacy (1797) foliowed by Bntish domination (1815) before being united with Greece in 1864. Two major Greek poets were natives of Lefkada: Valaoritis and Sikelianos.

SIGHTSEEING: Lefkada, the capital, is a pretty town on the northeast coast of the island. It is separated from the mainland by a causeway watched over by the Venetian castle of Santa Maura (open to the public), originally built by the Orsini in the 13th century. IVorth a visit are Lefkada’s Italianate churches (Agios Minas, 1707; Agios Spyridon, Pantocrator), and the Folk Museum, the Public Library and Archaeological Museum (in the same building). Slightly outside of town to the south are two interesting monasteries, the Faneromeni and the Virgin Megalovrisiotissa.

The drive south goes past Kalligoni, the ancient capital with a ruined acropolis; Kariotes, Lygia, and Nikiana to Nidri, the mos! frequented spot on the island, second to the capital. Nidri is. a modern town with a pleasant beach from which one can take a boat to the off-shore islands of Helonaki, Madouri, Skorpios (belonging to the Onassis family) and Meganisi. Across from the harbour stands the peninsula of Agia Kyriaki with its church of the same name occupying the site of an ancient temple. Continuing south one comes to two of the most attractive beaches on the island, Poros and Vasiliki, and the enclosed bay of Syvota. The endless stretches of white sand on the west side of the island are even more impressive, at Agios Nikitas, Athani and all the way down to Cape Lefkata, also known as Sappho’s Leap. The poet is said to have killed herself here ? her example has been widely imitated since - near the now ruined temple of Apollo, one of the most imporlant in the ancient world. The inland mountain villages of Karya and Eklouvi are also well worth a side trip. Lefkada is equipped with tourist amenities and a good road network. A charming and lush island, with its share of historical monuments, it shares its quiet pleasures with a host of holiday- makers each year.

MEGANISI