On the western coast of Lefkada, the one and only seaside village nestled sheltered from the winter waves of the Ionian Sea,
behind a large rock.
It is one of the most famous villages of the island, thanks to its cosmopolitan character that moves alongside its traditional elements.
The intense tourist element is already apparent as soon as you face the village from Agnantio, before Pefkoulia beach. Hotels, villas and cottages scattered on the hills around the village fill up with visitors during the summer months while the well-known beaches around (Kathisma, Milos, Pefkoulia) complete the beautiful scenery.
It is approached from the town of Lefkada, from which it is 13km away.
But apart from the tourist part, the area has to demonstrate and historical interest as in the wider area around Agios Nikitas, excavations have brought to the surface findings of the Paleolithic era and modern times, recently even a Mycenaean tomb was discovered, while in the past fishermen discovered archaeological treasures on the seabed.
Sources indicate the location of the area as early as 1687, but they do not indicate a settlement, which is common as the fear of pirates did not allow settlement near the sea. At the beginning of the 19th century, Agios Nikitas is said to be the district of Kato Exanthia (today’s Drymonas). However, the existence of the church of Agios Nikitas, from which the village presumably took its name, goes back to 1716, probably at that time of course it was just a simple chapel. According to the legend, the icon of the then unknown saint was found in a deserted location by a Drynonian and it took contacts with the religious authorities to verify its identity.
While according to the popular custom of such traditions, the icon on its own chose the location where the church of Agios Nikitas was eventually built.
As a seaside commercial centre it appeared around 1900 when the boats carried wine mainly to Corfu and Italy.
Today the character of the village has completely changed and the inhabitants now live exclusively from tourism.
The proximity to the large and cosmopolitan beach of Kathisma, the hidden beach of Mylos which can be reached by path or by boat from the small harbour of Agios Nikitas, the traditional pedestrian street leading from the main road to the village beach,
are attractions for a large number of tourists and many of them insist on visiting the area.
An area that continues to grow in terms of tourism as there has been a strong building boom in recent years,
giving many people the opportunity to invest in buying a house or land around Agios Nikitas.
See how … [here].