A Village of Many Charms

For a first-hand experience of a traditional fishing village on Ithaki, Frikes is the place to go. The hospitable little harbor, which in Homer’s time was known as Rithros, is inhabited by 50 locals and visited by hundreds of devoted tourists every summer. Featuring two well maintained windmills that resemble military watchtowers, Frikes is an ideal spot for strolls by the sea and swimming at the beautiful beaches below imposing Mt. Marmaka, offering cool shade that is always welcome in the summer heat. It also serves as a good base for sailing trips to neighboring Lefkada and Kefallonia. The statue that stands in the harbor is of poet Lorentzos Mavilis, Greece’s most celebrated sonnet writer and one of his era’s leading chess puzzle creators.