Ayios Ionannis and Choirokoitia

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Ayios Ionannis

   Ayios Ionannis here means the monastery of Saint John Lambadistis, at Kalopanagiotis, a village in the Marathasa valley on the northern side of the Troodos mountains. It is a strange and lovely building, three churches joined together under one big wooden roof, each added in a different century, so that stepping from one to the next is like walking through the history of Cypriot painting. Frescoes cover nearly every wall, from the Byzantine saints of the twelfth century to the more elaborate cycles of the fifteenth, in colours that glow in the dim light. It is one of the painted churches of the Troodos, listed by UNESCO in 1985.

   Read the complete Ayios Ionannis write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Ayios Ionannis is where the day begins. Next is Kato Paphos necropolis.

2. 2. Kato Paphos necropolis

   The so-called Tombs of the Kings lie on the sea edge of Paphos, in the western corner of Cyprus, and the name is a bit of romance, because nobody royal was ever proven to be buried here. In fact the rock-cut tombs date to the Hellenistic and Roman periods, roughly the fourth century BC onward, and they were used by the high officials and wealthy citizens of Nea Paphos, the old capital of the island under the Ptolemies. The tombs are carved into the soft limestone, some with Doric columns around a central open court, so that you walk down a flight of steps into what looks like a sunken Greek house with a burial chamber on each side.

   Read the complete Kato Paphos necropolis write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Kato Paphos necropolis comes up about 76 km into the recorded legs. Next is Choirokoitia.

3. 3. Choirokoitia

   Long before the Greeks, the Phoenicians or the Romans arrived in Cyprus, people lived on a hillside above the Maroni river in the southern part of the island, in round stone houses with flat roofs, packed close together inside a defensive wall. Choirokoitia is a Neolithic settlement dating back to around the seventh millennium BC, one of the most important prehistoric sites in the eastern Mediterranean. The inhabitants farmed, herded animals and buried their dead under the floors of their houses. Several of the round houses have been reconstructed near the entrance, giving a vivid sense of how they lived. The site received UNESCO recognition in 1998.

   Read the complete Choirokoitia write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 180 km into the recorded legs you reach Choirokoitia. Next is back through Kato Paphos necropolis.

4. 4. back through Kato Paphos necropolis

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Kato Paphos necropolis write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Kato Paphos necropolis, late in the day. Next is Ayios Ionannis.

5. 5. Ayios Ionannis

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Ayios Ionannis write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Ayios Ionannis. That is the ride.