village Archives

Armou Village, the place where you can enjoy spectacular views of Paphos Town

It would be unfair not to write something about Armou Village, the village I grew up and lived there for many years. Armou is a village in Paphos located a few minutes away from Paphos City Centre. You can enjoy the spectacular Paphos town view and horizon sea views from almost every point in the village both day and night. When googling Armou you cannot find enough information apart from properties that are advertised to be sold or to be rented. Apparently is a village which has been modernized over the past few years and a lot of new properties have been built almost everywhere. I was told by my grandparents that the name of the village came from the fact that Aphrordite’s chariot passed from the village (chariot in greek is Αrma – Άρμα). The village is accessible from the Paphos-Limassol highway either by taking the Geroskipou-Konia exit or by reaching the Paphos roundabout and taking the exit to Konia. It’s about 5km away and you can reach the village in 10 minutes. There’s also a bus you can take from Paphos Town. Armou used to have around 460 residents back in 1946 however today there are around 670. Most of the people have left the village and moved to a different town. A large number of the current residents are English people staying there permanently. There’s a primary school that used to work years ago but since there are not enough children it’s not operating for teaching, instead, the children go to Konia primary school or primary schools located in the City Centre. However, the school is used for Theater lessons and also for selling used books now and then. Agia Varvara church is the only church in the Village. The Church gets quite busy during Christmas and Easter when all village emigrants come back for a short break. I would say that the busiest period of the year is Easter. During the Easter period, an air of festivity envelops the village. On Easter Monday, after lunchtime, the village square hosts an Easter celebration by organizing traditional Easter games, theatre, [...]

Vavla, a hidden village in Cyprus

I'm Cypriot, I live in Cyprus but hence there are a few small villages that I don't know yet, and one of them was Vavla. I was searching for a place to stay for the weekend with some friends, something traditional with a fireplace, away from the city center, something for Argotourism. I came up with a few results in various villages but this particular accommodation caught my attention - Vavla Rustic Retreat in Vavla village. I checked the map and it's located within the Larnaca district, in the foothills near Kato Drys and Lefkara, only 30 minutes away from Limassol. It’s an authentic Cypriot village in the countryside suitable for a quite holiday. The Village Vavla is a small village built with white stone from Lefkara and combined with traditional features. It has been declared by Town Planning and Housing Department as a "preserved" village. The architecture is very similar to its neighbouring village, Kato Drys and Lefkara. The few inhabitants used to grow carobs and were mainly engaged in other agricultural occupations. During the first decade of the 20th century, most of the population left Vavla and immigrated to the UK, US and Australia. We asked a lady how many people live there and she said only 30. The natural environment of the village as well as the hospitality and kindness of the few residents make Vavla an ideal destination for any visitor. Walking around the village you'll notice that it’s very quiet and you might see a few people. The coffee shop is located in the entrance of the village on your left. There's a staircase which takes you up the coffee shop where you can make your own coffee and pay by leaving your money there. In June 2000 there was a big fire in Vavla that destroyed the natural environment of the village. In memory of this, there's a burns wood and plants which symbolize death and new life. There are 3 churches of Saint George, Archangel Michael, and Panagia tis Agapis. This raises a lot of interest because of [...]