Limnati
Limnati is a village in the district of Limassol in Cyprus and is located 21 km north from Limassol, 88 kilometers west of Larnaca, 84 km east of Paphos and 80 km southwest of Nicosia.
The so-called “almond” village, built at 480 meters altitude, Limnati or Limnatis, with the about 300 inhabitants is known for its wonderful sweet almond preserves. Apart from almond trees, the residents also cultivate grapes, olives and wheat. But when for 15 days in late February each year the almond trees bloom, it is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Cyprus, flooded as it is with pink and white colors and with the fragrant scents of the beautiful trees.
The village has a history spanning over many centuries, with the oldest traces of human presence dating back to the Classical period (500-323 BC). Findings of the excavations at “Kokkinokampos” unearthed tombs dating back to the Classical and Hellenistic periods. The community had existed under the same name during the Byzantine period and the periods of Frankish and Venetian rule and probably owes its name to the many lakes in the village and around the crops (limni means lake in Greek).
The settlement consists of three areas, the Pano (Upper) Limnati, Kato (Lower) Limnati and Pera Geitonia (Distant Neighborhood), where it is worth for the visitor to wander and discover the natural beauty of the place, the many churches and chapels of the community or to enjoy a coffee in the cafe of the stone paved community park. One of the two parks in the community, the paved park “Tremithos” with a stone built fountain and benches, got its name from the homonymous tree over 600 years old which gives its shadow to the picturesque chapel of Agios Mamas and provides cool shade for the visitors of the village during the summer months.
Beneath the village passes the river Limnatis, and a large part of the area is part of the network NATURA 2000.
Apart from the sights of nature, the local temples and chapels are also worth visiting when in the area. The impressive small vaulted church of Agios Epiphanios (St. Epiphanius) with the remarkable frescoes of the 15th and 16th century is situated close to the center of the village and is essentially a projection on the mountainside – an undoubtedly unique spectacle, – while the two stone-built churches of Timios Prodromos (St. John the Baptist) and Metamorphosis (Transfiguration of the Saviour) are two equally remarkable religious sights of the village. The church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour is located in the northern part of the community, was built in the 18th century and has been recently renovated, while the Timios Prodromos (St. John the Baptist) is located in the southern part of the village and it is estimated that it was built in the 16th or 17th century. In the churchyard of St John the Baptist there are busts of Dimitris Charalambous and Vasilis Alexandrou who participated in the liberation struggle of EOKA in 1955-1959.
The community is also adorned by the chapels of Agia Paraskevi, Agia Thekla, Agia Marina, Agios Mamas, Agios Nicholas, Agios Georgios, Agios Elias and Agioi Constantinos and Heleni. According to tradition, the village used to have a Diocese (known today as the Cathedral), hence the large number of chapels.
In the settlement, the visitor has also the opportunity to visit Limnatis museum, located at the entrance of the village, opposite the Nationalist clubs and is a small museum dedicated to the local folk tradition. Also visitors can enjoy in person the traditional crafts that still survive here, as in the streets and in the yards of the houses, women weave embroidery using chisels or multicolored woven baskets (baskets for drying the grapes and convert them into raisins or the famous Cheste used specifically for drying trachana (tarhana)). If you wish, you may even learn a skill, since in the village there are workshops for baking bread in the oven, workshops for making halloumi and more.
The village produces products from its trademark product, the almond, such as almond paste, jams, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks, which can be purchased from the cafes or the convenience store that stand in the village square. For dining there are three restaurants with Cypriot meze, operating also as cafes, with the youth center opening only in the evening. Outside the village, towards Korfi, is located an estate, in which there are modern olive mill facilities, exhibition hall and a workshop producing almond sweets, palouze and soutzouki.
The village of Limnati, as the largest producer of almonds in Cyprus, has the honor of holding the annual festival of the blooming almond trees, that takes place usually in late February or early March, with many people visiting the area at that time.
According to local tradition, residents planted almond trees in order to absorb the high moisture of the soil. The picking of almonds from the trees begins in August, by hitting the ripe almonds with the vakla (stick) in order for them to fall on the bags spread on the ground.