Our island…
Lefkada is the fourth biggest Greek island of the Ionian Sea and of the Ionian islands. It is geographically placed south of Corfu close to the coasts of Aitoloakarnania , where people in ancient times believed the island to be the peninsula of Aitoloakarnania . The island has an ellipsoid shape and is separated from the mainland by the small but of big historical importance channel of Drepenos . The main income sources of the island are the tourism, the olive oil industry, the viticulture and fishing. From the excavation being performed by Dörpfeld on the island, he concluded that Lefkada is the true (Homer) Ithaca of Odysseus.
Today the prefecture as well as the capital city of the island bears the name “Lefkada”. Close to the island you will find the small islands of Meganisi, Sparti, Scorpios, Arkoudi, Atokos, Kastos, Kalamos, Madouri, Skorpidi etc. Formerly, the island was known with the name Santa Maura, taking his name from the church of Santa Maura which was constructed by the Franks during the 13 th century on the coastal fortress which bears the same name.
Lefkada has numerous picturesque beaches of unrivalled beauty famous for their crystal clear emerald water, which classify them among the most beautiful beaches not only of Greece but also of the whole Mediterranean. The famous beach of Porto Katsiki has every now and then been voted by international touristic magazines as the most beautiful beach of the Mediterranean.
The island of Lefkada as well as the islands of Meganisi, Kasto and Kalamo consist the Prefecture of Lefkada, forming the smallest Prefecture of Greece, which is part of the Ionian Island Region. A census held in 2005, showed that the prefecture had 27.938 residents, while the island of Lefkada had 26.183 residents. The capital city of the prefecture is the town of Lefkada with 13.947 residents. The most famous villages are Ligia (739 residents), Nydri (1.748 residents), Karya (1.104 residents), Lazarata (454 residents) and Nikiana (666 residents)
The Location
Casa Smaragdi is placed at a tranquil location, 2 kilometers from the capital city and close to the beach of Ai.Gainnis (400 meters). The beach has emerald waters which are an ideal choice for wind searfing and together with the wonderful green glacis, which has the small Monastery of Faneromeni at her top, compose an area of unique colors and pictures.