Volume 2, Issue 2
May 2009
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down the valley to the north-west of the Island. Park under the vines and discover what must be one of the best, and most authentically Greek restaurants in Corfu.
It’s only an inch on the map – three or four kilo-metres
from Roda in a straight line! – but the journey to Strinilas will take you thirty minutes by car and, over the seventeen kilometres or so, you will climb over 500 metres up the side of Mount Pantokrator. Needless to say you should go on a good day, a day when there’s a bit of a breeze from the north-west, because on that day you will see the whole of the coast looking down to Cape Drastis and across to the Diapontian Islands. At one place, for a minute or two, you will also look down on Corfu Town and all of the bay from Ipsos to the airport. So, apart from the stunning views, the olive-clad hillsides, the small fertile valleys and the plethora of woods and wild flowers, what other reason could there be for visiting Strinilas?
Apparently, the ancient Greek word ‘strinis’ meant ‘hard’, and that is exactly what life must be like here in the winter. To have lived here before tourism, on the very roof of Corfu, you had to be hard, your clothes had to be tough and your homes had to be substantial. Naturally, the people and their customs evolved a little differently from those who lived in fishing villages on the coast and this is reflected today in the resilience of the locals, their solid stone houses and, of course, their diet.
Our reason for going to Strinilas was to sample for ourselves, a restaurant with a reputation as solid and as steeped in tradition
Apparently, the ancient Greek word ‘strinis’ meant ‘hard’, and that is exactly what life must be like here in the winter. To have lived here before tourism, on the very roof of Corfu, you had to be hard, your clothes had to be tough and your homes had to be substantial. Naturally, the people and their customs evolved a little differently from those who lived in fishing villages on the coast and this is reflected today in the resilience of the locals, their solid stone houses and, of course, their diet.
Our reason for going to Strinilas was to sample for ourselves, a restaurant with a reputation as solid and as steeped in tradition
visitors. Imagine that you live in such a village, you can only visit the lowland markets once in a while, and you have to sustain you and your family on what you can grow, gather or rear yourself. Only then will you get some idea of what awaits you at ‘a la palaia’. Chanterelle mushrooms found that morning and cooked with garlic & parsley, wild asparagus tips served with home-reared pork and handmade sausages with a cheesy centre that melts onto the plate. There is wild rocket salad, homemade ‘feta’ cheese and all manner of pies that are so typical of mountain people world-wide. The list is endless and the choice difficult, but there is little doubt that
every appetite is catered for. And then there is the wine – this is the home of ‘moschato’ wine, a local variety that has become world famous and is carefully created right here in Strinilas next to the restaurant. With the perfect stoney hillside and plenty of heat & sunshine, the Moschato grape produces a wine to be savoured. It is light in nature, beautifully fragrant and very strong (14%), it is a medium sweet wine that wine-lovers everywhere need to sample.
To get to Strinilas from Roda it takes time and patience although, in the main, the roads are good. Turn right in Acharavi by ‘Dala’s Silver’, opposite Freddo café and
To get to Strinilas from Roda it takes time and patience although, in the main, the roads are good. Turn right in Acharavi by ‘Dala’s Silver’, opposite Freddo café and
and you should take this road up to the next left turn which is for Strinilas and Lafki. It is quite easy to follow on the ‘Road Editions’ map of the island. To summarise, keep turning left after Sgourades and you will find yourself passing the relay station aerials high on the mountainside. You will see several little fertile areas of trees and vines and suddenly ‘a la palaia’ looms up in front of you. It is the first building in the village with views back
as the village and its people. A place where real family food, produced from what is available locally high up on this mountain-side, is served to
follow the signs for Episkepsi. Drive right through the village and wind your way around the mountainside to the next hamlet of Sgourades. A little way after Sgourades, the first left turning is for Spartilas
For car hire, trips, money exchange and much, much more.
Find us on
Roda’s beachfront.
Find us on
Roda’s beachfront.
