ASPROGIALI beach in KALAMOS ISLAND (LEFKADA) Featured
Asprogiali is a marvelous small beach with transparent emerald green waters and a unique pine forest coming all along down to the sea! A pure landscape visited only by boaters. Located at the eastern coast of Kalamos, very near Mytikas village (in Aitoloakarnania Perfecture).
Very close, there are two other similar beaches: Myrtia and Ag. Konstantinos (see separate listings).
Kalamos is a small island which looks like a tall mountain range which floats on the sea, its northern side overgrowing with marvelous thick pine trees of a special species. They perch everywhere, even at the most precipitous points, sprouting from the rocks and reaching as far as the edge of the sea, as though they insisted on demonstrating their superiority over the place. Kalamos captivates visitors with its unusual, wild landscape. It has a surface area of around 20 square km and a highest mountain peak of 200 metres.There are around 580 permanent residents, increasing in the summer.The centre (town) of the island is the port of Kalamos, which is on the eastern side. This is where many people cruising the Ionian moor their boats in order to visit the island, enjoy some seafood at a seaside taverna or seek refuge from bad weather. Work being carried out for the widening the port will increase the number of boats that can be moored here and ease sea transport, which is the island's only means of communication with the rest of the world. A caique makes four to five connections to and from Mytika daily in the summer, bringing passengers and all types of goods to cover the needs of the island's few residents. The island has a simple, rural atmosphere and it is not at all touristic.The town (port) is quite picturesque and traditional with many stone built houses with tiled roofs clambering high above the port, built tightly-packed next to each other and intersected by narrow, winding lanes.The road which connects the port with the village rises quite steeply and has many bends. A new road starting at Kalamos ascends high into the mountains and passes through an amazing pine forest, terminating at the island's other small village named Episkopi. Episkopi has few houses, worn by time, used mainly as summer residences. It is as though time stopped 50 years ago. The residents' boats, a vital means of transportation and communication with the rest of the world, are kept at the small, new port. Episkopi is only ten minutes from the port to Mytika the mainland coast of Aitoloakarnania... The road from Kalamos to Episkopi also leads down to the little beach of Agios Konstantinos. There, right in front of the sea, there is a small and pretty private church dedicated to Ayios Donatos, a saint encountered mainly in the Ionian Islands. Built in stone with a ceramic tile roof, it stands alone.Agios Ioannis, which is one of the oldest churches on the island, is almost completely ruined. A plaque still remains with an inscription (1648) of the date when the church was most likely built. Other churches are the church of Agios Minas, the church of Episkopi, and Ayios Georgios in the cemetery. The island has long been farmed. Its mountain is lower in the centre and towards the south and is much easier to farm at this point. In the past there was also vine cultivation, but all that remains of this today are the walls that were used to hold the earth in. There are many olive trees and three windmills at Agriapidia where the whole harvest would be gathered. Kalamos has small, mainly pebbly, beaches with brilliantly clean waters, access to which is mainly from the sea. Some of them are marvelous! Near the port are found the very beautiful beaches of Myrtia and Asproyiali. Further south are Agriapidia, Pefki and Kefali and Kedros, Alexaki, Kipi and Trachilos to the west. The island also has some interesting caves.The road that goes from Kalamos to Episkopi is ideal for all those who delight in rambling through a beautiful natural environment. The island has only a few cultural monuments. It does, however, have a remarkable natural landscape and an authentic atmosphere.