The Little Paradise of a Great Greek Poet
An island, a beach, a retreat, a really unique place. A stripe of sand and a little church of Saint Nicolas on it. That was the secret retreat of the great Greek poet, Angelos Sikelianos.
Sikelianos was the closest friend of Nikos Kazantzakis, another renowned Greek writer. He lived on this little piece of land with his wife Eva Palmer. After their marriage in 1907 in USA, they decided to live on this little island as they both shared the same beliefs. Actually, he and his wife were in love with this magic place. On this little beach the couple, their son Glafkos and their servant, lived altogether under a tent like survivors of a shipwreck. In particular, they lived by fishing in the morning with their light canoe called “monoxylo” and by hunting in the evening on their beautiful horses. Even their son Glafkos, learned how to swim there just by the age of 1 year old. Of course, little Glafkos loved swimming and to be naked all day long on the islet.
But most of all this paradise beach surrounded by shallow waters, inspired Sikelianos to write some of his best poems. He was nominated five times in a row from 1946 to 1951 for a Nobel prize in literature. Finally, he died in Athens in 1951 and his house in Lefkada became the Museum of Sikelianos with exhibits of his life and work.
An Island, a Beach, a Retreat to Inspire.
This magic piece of land is right at the entrance of Lefkada island. The little church of Saint Nicolas on the islet, was built according to the historians, over an ancient temple of the Greek goddess of beauty, Aphrodite. Today the Saint is honoured on the islet every year on 10th of May by the local community of Lefkas island. The islet’s surrounding shallow waters still remain a fishing place for the local fishermen. But most important is that the visitor’s surprise and a beautiful feeling remain the same through the years. This little paradise islet still inspires every summer kite surfers and visitors from all over the world.