Description
Our first visit is to an immigrant village, Nea Koutali which was built in order to receive the flood of refugees from Marmara’s Koutali.
These immigrants were mainly seamen and sponge divers who used their profession to surpass their problems and later contribute to the development of the island. Nowdays, Nea Koutali is a lively village where visitors can enjoy a visit to the sponge gallery and the very interesting Museum of Maritime Tradition & Sponge Fishing.
Our next stop will be to the village Portianou. A beautiful village with the stone mansions preserving nowadays a significant museum with many exhibits from the folk tradition of the area. During the 1st World War, Whinston Churcill used to live there, as the lord of the English Admiralty and led the operations of allies for the conquest of Kallipoli in 1915.
After Portianou we will visit the village of Kontias and the very interesting gallery. The works on display are mainly inspired from the island itself and they are the creations of significant artists coming from Greece, Albania, Fyrom, Montenenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey, mainly from Balkan countries. The gallery boasts of a unique collection of paintings not only from Lemnos but from Greece, as well. Here we see also well-built stone houses, the traditional mansions and the narrow streets. The folk architect absolutely respects the natural environment.
Kontias is a traditional settlement of genuine architectural beauty. Its main places of interest are the renovated stone houses, two fully restored windmills and the Gallery, where works of the Balkan painting art are displayed. The gallery is working since August 2007, in a beautiful restored stone building and it has been called ‘Gallery of Contemporary Balkan Art’.
Kontias is one of the villages of Lemnos with Byzantine origin. You can discover the beauty of the village while walking through its narrow streets. Many old mansions belong to wealthy ship owners. There, you can also take a look at the two stone fountains which were built in 1910. The small church of St. John the Baptist of the 16th century resembles a fortress. For a few decades it operated as a museum.
In recent years Kontias attracts more and more tourists. This is due to the fact that the village retains its traditional character. The second reason why this village is so popular are the beaches in the bay and you can find rooms to rent without any problem. Not far from the village, you can also find a distillery producing the old and famous ouzo “Kontias”.
Our last stop will be the wonderful beach of Nevgatis with very nice tavern for lunch-time.
