Get to know Elafonisos: its history from Pavlopetri to today, its myths and its name, its nature, food and dialect, and its customs and festivals through the year.
The island
The history of Elafonisos
From prehistoric settlements and the Athenians to pirates, a thousand empty years and union with Greece in 1850.
Myths and legends
Aphrodite and the Graces, Paris and fair Helen, Odysseus in the strait: the myths around the island.
How the island got its name
Elafonisos, Lafonisi, Isola di Cervi: the island of deer, and the doe that swam here.
Nature: plants and animals
Sea junipers, sea lilies, rare endemic plants, dolphins and turtles: the nature protected by Natura 2000.
What to eat: the island’s food
Fresh fish, kakavia soup, lobster pasta, pies, samousades, thyme honey and olive oil: what to try.
The local dialect
Lafonisi, pountiasma, alatsogournes: island words shared with Vatika, the Mani, Kythira and Crete.
