Plomari – Agios Isidoros

Description

There is a combination of peaceful and enjoyable recreation in Plomari. You will find well-appointed hotels, each with all the services or categories, restaurants by the seaside, traditional bakeries and nightclubs with modern and traditional music. You will also find many distilleries with a long tradition in the production of ouzo.

Plomari experienced strong economic growth since the late 19th century until the II World War. Many industries were built during this period (oil mills and soap factories, tanneries, mills and ouzo distilleries) particularly along the coast because the proximity to the sea facilitated both production and transportation of the products. However the olive oil production and the industries that are interwoven with the olive production remained always the base of the economy. The olive tree was in Plomari monoculture and large landowners were more affluent city residents who often extended their activities in the field of industry and commerce.

Main sightseeings are: The church of Agia Paraskevi at the entrance of the town, the Cathedral St. Nicholas: a towering triple lesbian basilica, founded in 1847, the Church of the Holy Virgin Kripti located about 3 kilometers west of Melinda and about 10km from the center of Plomari and the church of Prophet Elias at the highest point of Plomari. Also beautiful is the church of St. Magdalene, the building of the highschool, the house Hatzidimitriou, old fountains, the old aged plane tree which was planted in 1813 in the old quarter of the town with its mansions, the renovated soap factory of I. Poulia, a building with significant architectural importance that now serves as the cultural heart of the City of Plomari. There is also the “Trade Industry and Navy Plomari at the beginning of the century” exhibition.

There is the folklore and ecclesiastical museum where local costumes, coins, church relics, utensils, etc. are exhibited, the library and museum of ouzo which is located in the ouzo factory of Varvagiannis. It is worth visiting the Olive Press – Museum «Aegean Gold» in Trigona where visitors can create a complete picture of the trip of the olive, from early times until today.

The natural beauty of Plomari is gathered around the crystal clear seas, “Plakakia”, the Ammoudeli beach and the beach of Agia Barbara. Agios Isidoros with its unique pebbles is one of the largest and cleanest beaches on Lesvos having everything for the visitors. The beaches Drota and Melinda are also in this region.

Demographic and historical data

The Municipality of Plomari has 6,698 residents and 122,352 acres of land. Location of the municipality is Plomari and it includes 8 Municipal Districts: Plomari, Akrasi, Ampeliko, Neochori, Paleochori, Plagia and Trigona.

Sightseeing

Ouzo Museum “Varvagiannis”

The Varvagiannis Museum is located in Plomari. It is in front of the ouzo distilleries of the Varvagiannis factory, the 1st km on the provincial road Plomari – Mytilene, heading to Agios Isidoros. Walk to the Museum by taxi or bus. There is a car park next to the Museum (no extra charge).

Technology coexists with the history and tradition even today in the picturesque Plomari. Next to the modern, privately owned distilleries of Varvagiannis is the Museum of Ouzo of the family Varvagiannis.
The museum exhibits the first tools that were used for bottling and pasting the famous blue label and the first boiler was built in 1858 in Istanbul, which tested tips and techniques for centuries until the recipes of the family Varvagiannis were born.

The Ouzo Museum devoutly embraces tradition and hosts the secret that continues to give quality and taste in the Ouzo Varvagiannis.

Olive – Museum “Aegean Gold”

In the factory in Trigona we cared to preserve the old culture in a museum and to marry her with the most modern technology available in olive factory. There is our Museum «PAST AND PRESENT » all year round with guided tours in English and German and simultaneous videos.

Visitors can develop a complete picture of the trip of the olive, from early times until today.

Taste the AEGEAN GOLD and BIOLOGICAL AEGEAN GOLD and if you wish buy the products. In 2004, the family Protouli acquired the second olive press in the village of Trigona, just before Plomari. It is one of the oldest olive presses founded in 1928 by a family of American expatriates.

The mechanical equipment is from the latest generation with a capacity of 4.5 ton. /h with 20 checking points for the final product, ensuring athermic treatment. It has stainless tanks capacity of 400tons and controlled temperature .

St. Nicholas Cathedral

This is an impressive Lesbian three-aisled basilica that was created in 1847, as we know from an inscription. It retained the designation as metropolitan of this period, which established Plomari as Episkopis of the Metropolis of Mytilene.

The most impressive feature is the decoration of the roof, running the usual motifs of the season, but it stands for the harmony of colors and a bit special. The roof of the central aisle of the nave is vaulted and decorated with the twelve apostles, portrayed in full length. In the center of the roof Christ has been executed as the Pantocrator, but not in a normal form, but in full length to show “the cloud from the sky” surrounded by cherubim. The sanctuary roof pitch is an excellent cosmetic plaster decorative circular area in the center of which is distinguished embossed dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit.

The tomb of the Bishop of Larissa Annan is in the courtyard, one of the most important juveniles of Plomari.

Church of Virgin Kripti

The church is hidden entirely on a large rock cave located 10 km from Plomari. The best way to visit it, is to get there by sea with the help of a boat, alternatively you have to follow a path for approximately 3 kilometers west of the Melinda Beach.

It is a unique landscape with steep rocks where according to tradition, in a rock groove, refuge of a mother with her child chased by Turkish took place and they gave the Virgin Mary the promise to make a church in the cave. From early times, the inhabitants of Plomari and surrounding areas went to venerate the image of the Virgin Mary and to be cured of rheumatism in the mineral waters that gush from the southwest of the bay.

Plane tree of Plomari

The old aged plane tree of Plomari is situated in the old quarter of “Archontomachala” near the church of St. Nicholas. Today, with its rich foliage it casts a shadow across the square, which is the old tourist center. There are taverns and cafes and organized music evenings every summer.

It says the plane tree was planted in 1813 and they built the hotel and the café in the region Emmanouil l Xyptera and also a fountain. A second perennial plane tree in Plomari is opposite of the Folklore Museum and the old fountain, which was created in 1817 by Toparchis of Mytilene Kolaxiz Zades. There is a wall plaque bearing an inscription.

Folklore Museum

It is housed on the top floor of a building where the ground floor is a cafe. From the collections of the museum the following is standing out: Local traditional costumes, household utensils, coins, historical documents, such as documents and books and the library of Irini Nafpliotou, the first doctor of Lesvos.

Beaches

Agios Isidoros

Agios Isidoros is located 2 km away from Plomari in a touristic area with hotels and restaurants. It is about 1500m long and it is a beach with small pebbles. It is an organized beach and one of the cleanest beaches on Lesvos with very clean water. The beach has a blue flag.

Agia Barbara

Agia Barbara is located after the village of Saint Isidoros. Just at the end of the village, passing the bridge is a major turn towards Mytilene. Just turn right there and the road leads to the beautiful bay of Agia Barbara. The beach has small pebbles and clear water. The area has restaurants.

Melinda

Melina is a pretty big pebbled beach, clear waters and has an impressive rock in the middle: 20 meters long and 10 meters high. The length of the coast reaches 1000 meters and you can access it either via Plomari or by the road from the village of Paleochora. In the area there are hotels and restaurants.

Drota

Access to the beach Drota includes the descent of the gorge of the river Priona. At the highest point of the seaside lay the remnants of the abandoned medieval village of the region and stones from old mills. The beach of Drota is 1500 meters long and you can access it either by boat or through the road that begins from Akrasi. The Drota beach, with pebbles and crystal clear waters, is one of the most beautiful beaches on Lesvos.

West of Drota there is a mountainous region that separates the beach from the area of Vatera, while the east coast results in a steep cliff of gray-green slate, which hides behind and guards the Virgin Krifti Church.