Pera Orini
Pera Orini is located between the Politiko of Nicosia and the village of Episkopi, and is located 23 kilometers southwest of Nicosia in the homonymous province of Cyprus, about 85 kilometers from Limassol, 50 kilometers from Larnaca and 130 kilometers from Paphos. At an average altitude of 400 meters, Pera Orini, or Pera for the locals, is built on the west bank of the Pedieou river and between two legendary for the locals pine-covered hills (Pano and Kato Vounos) and occupies an area of about 21 square kilometers .
The settlement is named after the Pedieou river, and since ancient times it has been one of the suburbs of Tamassos, and together with the other villages of the area, they all formed the ancient kingdom. Under the Frankish rule, Pera Orini was included in the mountainous district of the island, and this is how it came to have the “Orini (mountainous)” in its name, which is used up to this day in order to distinguish it geographically from the settlements with the same suffix "- Pera”, such as Pera Chorio of Nicosia.
Around the area of Pera Orini were excavated findings, dating back to Prehistoric times, and it is also confirmed that many ancient deities were worshiped in the wider region. The official establishment of the community took place during the Middle Ages, while during the Frankish rule (1191-1571) the settlement was a noble feudal estate. In 1974, and with the Turkish invasion of the village, several refugee families were settled in Pera Orini, and they gradually became part of the community.
Pera Orini has about 1250 permanent residents, who benefited from the creation of the Tamassos dam, as it irrigated their fields with plenty of water, and at the same time, and in combination with the rich geological environment of the area (in many places one can find shells and fossils of marine species), an important biotope with freshwater fish was also created. Apart from the fruit trees and the centenarian olives, this place is also famous for its apples, which are celebrated by mythology. Atalanti lived in Arcadia in the Peloponnese, and the myth says she was unbeatable in running. So when her father asked her to marry, she, influenced by the goddess Artemis, agreed to marry the one who would outrun her. One of the suitors, Hippomenis, after asking for the help of the Cypriot Goddess Aphrodite, took three apples from her gardens in ancient Tamassos and whenever Atalanti was about to outrun him, he threw her an apple. She, unable to resist their wonderful taste, stopped to eat them, and eventually Hippomenis won the race and married her.
Anyone who visits Pera Orini can easily navigate the settlement with its many restored stone-built mansions and flowering balconies. Starting from the central square of the village with the cafes, where there is a large parking lot, the visitor will first notice the imposing central church of Panagia Odigitria built in 1700. This temple is believed to have been built on the ruins of an older temple of Asklipios, as evidenced by the ancient column in the courtyard. There the visitor can also admire the gilded iconostasis of the temple. The next stop is the temple of Archangel Michael, with the Museum of the same name, where there are icons of the 16th and 17th centuries. Other churches that can be seen in the village are the restored chapel of Agios Georgios, as well as many other ecclesiastical monuments, since many of Saints lived in the wider area.
Additionally, along the bed of the Pedieou river, a new Nature Trail has been recently formed. Finally, the visitor has a lot of dining options, while at the same time he can spend the night in the area, since there is a guesthouse, as well as a rural house.