It is a big island of the Ionian sea, situated opposite of the Peloponnesian Kyllini with which is connected by coaster. In 1953, a disasterous earthquake destroyed the majority of the Venician manor houses. Nowadays there is a great touristic development and many modern hotels. Zakynthos is also renown for the turtle caretacareta which takes refuge in one of its beaches.
How to go there:
a. By plane : (local O.A. office tel. 0695 28611) From Athens daily flights. More flights during the summer. Daily arrivals and departures by charter from most Northern and Central European cities.
b. By boat : (local port authority tel. 0695 22417) From the port of Kyllini in 90 minutes, daily.
 

Zakynthos – Towns & villages
-Zakynthos: "The Flower of the Levante" is a big harbour at the feet of a wooded hill which accommodates picturesque churches and a Venetian castle. The city of Zakynthos is renowned for its traditional architecture, although only few of the old buildings are preserved up to date, due to the strong earthquake in 1953, which caused much destruction to the Ionian islands. The symbol of the city is the historic church of Aghios Dionysios with its bell-tower, in the interior of which the Saint's relics are kept. The square of Dionyssios Solomos is situated a little further, decorated with the statue of the latter, an indication of the significant literary tradition of the island. Another indication of the above is the City Library with 50,000 books. The historic church of Aghios Markos, the Catholic cathedral, is situated the sea.
-Laganas: It is the most important tourist site of the island, ten kilometres southeast of Zakynthos. Here the Laganas beach extends over several kilometres, and it is rather densely built by modern hotels. However, a certain isolated area of the beach is fenced and well protected since it is the usual refuge of the sea turtle carettacaretta.
-Agrassi: It is one of the oldest tourist destinations of the island, with huge hotels along a beach with dark pebbles. Another smaller beach, which remains quiet and less exploited, is situated to the right end of the settlement.
 

Zakynthos - Beaches
-Navaghio: It is considered the most enchanting beach of Zakynthos. Its photograph is used as the island's most representative site in many rough guides. The beach is accessible by a difficult and rather tiring descent. It is also accessible by kaique from either Lagana or Zakynthos. During the boat-trip, visitors have the opportunity to admire the hidden beauties of the island.
 

Zakynthos - People
The islanders are considered active and industrious, and adore music and the theatre. They sing serenades in the narrow alleys, deliver " speeches", that is theatrical performances which are a combination of ancient theatre with western influences. They also perform "The Dance of Thesseus", a dance which dates back to antiquity.
The islanders are generally highly cultivated. They also engage in the manufacturing of "eau de cologne" and in the cultivation of olive-trees, citrus-trees and grapes. Women specialise in cooking braised rabbit, and chicken and fish with garlic.
Significant local celebrations:
*The "Funeral of the Mask" with dance, wine and artistic performances (Carnival - Zakynthos).
*The Panaghia Keriotissa festival, which includes a procession and a feast (The first Monday following Easter - Keri, Laganas).
*The Aghia Mavra festival (the first Sunday of July - Macherado).
*The International Meeting of Medieval Theatre (August - Zakynthos).
*The celebration in memory of Aghios Dionysios, which includes a procession, artistic performances and fireworks (the 24th of August and the 17th of December - Zakynthos).
*The wine festival (from the last days of August until the first days of September - Zakyntos).

Zakynthos-Shopping
-Folklore items and especially tablecloths, curtains and handmade woven sweaters can be found in the market place. Furthermore in Zakynthos the Folklore Association is in operation, which is based in the capital, at 42, Lomvardou street, while a branch of the Association operates at Volymes as well.

Zakynthos - Food
-Saltsa: It is a kind of braised veal, which in a way could be considered similar to the renowned goulash.
-Rabbit barbecued on coals.

Zakynthos - Art
The absence of the Turkish rule and the long-lasting influence of the West were the main reasons why the arts and letters were so much developed both in Zakynthos and in the rest of the Ionian islands, to such an extent that they are considered important cultural centres in Greece.After the fall of Chandakas (Iraklion in Crete) in 1669, many Cretan artists found refuge in Zakynthos, which was under the Venetian rule, bringing along their experience and knowledge. The most significant ones were painters Emmanouel Tzanes, Victor, Angelos, L.Moskos and others. The local painters Nikolaos Kalergis and Gheorghios Griparis became their students. Famous Zakynthos painters were Panaghiotis and Nikolaos Doxaras, Nikolaos Koutouzis, Ier. Plakotos and many others.
In the mid 19th century, silver and goldsmiths from Epirus settled in Zakynthos, where they became renowned, such as Bafas, Tsimouris, Varsamis and Bloutsos. This art was so much developed that the artists formed guilds, while their works used to decorate churches and mansions of the time. The silver cover of Gospel at Chrisopighi and the shrine with the relics of Aghios Dionisios, with representations of the saint's life in silver, both works of Bafas, are celebrated for their beauty. Embroidery was also developed on the island. The laces and white embroidery are very much influenced by the western works as far as designs are concerned. The island was also the one of the two centres of ceramic production, while the art of wood-carving was expressed through impressive works of ecclesiastic use, from the 17th to the 19th centuries, highly influenced by the baroque. The following artists were renowned in woodcarving: Gropas, Sklivas, Raftopoulos, Tortorelis and others.
As far as architecture is concerned, the prevailing styles were the rococo and the neo-classic one; unfortunately, the earthquakes and the fire in 1953 destroyed most of the mansions and practically all the beautiful buildings in Zakynthos.
 

Zakynthos - History
The first inhabitant of Zakynthos is said to have been Dardanos, the son of the king of Troy. He abandoned his homeland and first settled in Arkadia. After being accepted by the Achaeans, he moved to Zakynthos. Later, the islanders, being subjects of King Ulysses of Ithaka, participated in the Trojan War. Following Ulysses' return and the murder of his wife's suitors, amongst which were 20 young men from Zakynthos, the island rebelled and gained its independence. Zakynthos quickly flourished and founded colonies all over the Mediterranean.
During the Persian wars, it remained neutral while it tried to foresee the winner. When a Greek victory appeared to be certain, they entered the war in the hopes of enjoying the privileges of victory. During the Peloponnesian War, Zakynthos initially took the side of Athens, but afterwards allied with the Spartans.
Later, it signed a treaty with both sides and remained neutral until 217 B.C. The island was then occupied by the Macedonians, who granted it to the king of Epirus. In 150 B.C. Zakynthos fell under Romans rule. The church believes that Mary Magdalene, while on her way to Rome to denounce Pontius Pilate, introduced Christianity to the northwestern area of Zakynthos. Others attribute this honour to Saint Veronique, but according to the most acceptable version, Christianity was introduced to the island from other areas of Greece in the late 2nd century.
 

Zakynthos - Ecology
A.ECOLOGICAL SIGHTS
a. On its sandy beaches, especially in Laganas Bay, the endangered species of the turtle careta careta turtle lays its eggs. The Society for the Protection of the Sea Turtle is active (Tel:01 3644146) and it can give all sorts of information and also assist you to observe the birth of young turtles on the beach, during the night.
b. Observations have been made of the flying falcons "xefteri" (falco subuteo) and "kirkinezi of the rocks" (falco tinnunculus), along with the predatory milvus migrans.
c. The Galazia Spilia, consisting of the caves Megali and Mikri on the northeast side (Skinari Cape), is one of the most beautiful ones in Greece.
B. SUBJECTS OF SPECIAL CARE
The beaches where the turtle careta careta lays its eggs. Independent camping is strongly discouraged, as is any type of noise pollution near the beaches, especially during the night. The beaches preferred by the turtles must be avoided. These are: Kalamaki, Sekania, Dafni and Gheraki along with the small island Marathonisi, which is situated in Laganas Bay. Unfortunately, all the appropriate measures have yet to be taken, although the program for the protection of the turtle is financed with European and Greek-government funds.
 

Zakynthos - Monuments
The big earthquake in 1953 literally razed the city of Zakynthos, destroying all the churches and old mansions. The only buildings that were intact and are now considered the city's monuments and architectural examples of the old city, are the churches of Aghios Nikolaos Molou, Panaghia Anghelon and Panaghia Faneromeni, all built in the 17th century.
In the monastery of Aghios Dionisios, constructed in 1708, the relics of the Saint are kept in a silver carved larnax. The church was painted by Koutouzis and Doxaras and has a bell tower which is like the one at St Mark's in Venice.
The post-Byzantine Museum (open to the public daily, except on Mondays, from 08:30 to 15:00) is situated in Solomos Square. Among other exhibits, there are the screens of the churches of Pandokratoras and of Aghios Dimitrios, both saved from the earthquake, as well as numerous Byzantine icons by talented local artists. Inside the small church of Aghios Andreas Volimon there are icons by Damaskinos, Doxaras, Kalergis, and other celebrated painters.
In the square of Aghios Markos, there is the Dionissios Solomos and Celebrated Islanders Museum (open to the public daily, from 09:00 to 14:00) with the mausolea of Solomos and Kalvos, a collection of Venetian vestments, personal items of Solomos - the Greek national poet - the lion of Venice and other items.
 

Zakynthos -Vips
From Zakynthos come:
-Aghios Dionyssios (1547-1622).
-The ecclesiastic painter, poet and clergyman Nikolaos Koutouzis (1741-1813).
-The scholar, poet and member of the Society of Friends, Antonios Martelaos (1754-1819).
-The navigator, cartographer and novelist Nikolaos Kefalas (18th century-19th century).
-The ecclesiastic painter and member of the Society of Friends Nikolaos Kantounis (1768-1834).
-The member of the Society of Friends and politician Dionyssios Romas (1771-1857).
-The famous Italian poet Ugo Foskolo (1778-1827).
-The great poet Andreas Kalvos (1792-1869), who won recognition only after many years.
-The poet and theatrical writer Antonios Matesis (1794-1875).
-The national poet of Greece Dionysios Solomos (1798-1857).
-The scholar judge Gheorghios Tertsetis (1800-1874), the so called "sickly lion" due to his denial to follow king's Otto wish to condemn Theodoros Kolokotronis to death.
-the scholar Elisabeth Martinegou (1801-1832).
-the painter Dionyssios Tsokos (1814-1862).
-the radical politician Konstantinos Lomvardos (1820-1888), who fought for the union of the Ionian islands with Greece.
-the composer Pavlos Karrer (1829-1896).
-the poet Stefanos Martzokis (1855-1913).
-the novelist Dionyssios Romas (1906-1981).
 

Zakynthos - Excursions
Southeast tour: Zakynthos - Cape Porto Roma (16 kilometres).
It is an enjoyable drive through wooded areas and well developed beaches with all the necessary amenities, except for the Geraka beach, the last Mediterranean refuge of the turtle caretta-caretta. The beach is isolated and well protected by any possible human intervention. The drive ends at Vassilikos, only a few kilometres away from the picturesque bay of Porto-Roma, the anchorage of numerous sailing boats.
West coast.
For a complete tour of the west coast of the island, visitors have to follow the inland road network towards the airport. The road first passes by the Limni Keriou, located close to the sea caves (17 kilometres) in the south western end of Zakynthos with a magnificent view of the picturesque Marathonissi. Visitors then follow the road back to the inland, towards Lithakia. Once Kambi is reached, there are several uphill paths offering a breathtaking view of the most enchanting cliff coasts of the island. The tour ends at the renowned for its beauty and white sandy beach, Navaghio, which is accessible by foot or by kaique either from Zakynthos or Laganas.