Lefkes, Paros

It is the most mountainous village of Paros and the most verdurous one. Lefkes was the first capital of Paros. The village is located under a pinewood on the hill. A walk around its beautiful narrow streets with the white joints will impress you. You will see the old washhouses that are still used by certain housewives, the House of Literature, the picturesque Ramnos, a street with taverns and other stores and the wonderful view: the sea and Naxos in the background.

The houses are built amphitheatrically. The first residents were immigrants that came from Crete and Naoussa and locals who chose to built their village on the mountain, in order to be protected from the pirates.

Ramnos, the central street of the village is located among neoclassic buildings, the school, the former community building and the House of Literature. The Parians and the visitors of Paros take their walk along this street or they go to the stores of the area and to the cafeterias at the small square, where the war memorial is situated.

On the hills around the village there are windmills, many of which have been restored and at the edge of the village, on a hill, there is the church of Agia Triada with the famous belfries that have been recently restored.

Lefkes is the most verdurous village of Paros; that is why if you take a walk in its streets or visit its many churches you will hear cicadas and at nightfall crickets and screech owls. The village attracts many tourists during the summer months.

The feast of Karavolas is held in Lefkes among various events that are organized by the cultural association YRIA. The feast of Karavolas is an opportunity of the Lefkians to celebrate the end of summer. The date when it is held is not fixed, it takes place at the end of August and it is organized every year by the Cultural Association of Lefkes MEAS Yria.

At the festival there is food such as karavoles (big snails), garlic sauce, string beans, traditional cheeses, chick peas in the oven and of course lots of wine. It is the most important feast of the village and it keeps going till the small hours, since there is also traditional music! If you happen to be in Paros at the time, it is worth visiting Lefkes and going to the festival of Karavolas.

All transport in Lefkes is on foot. There are two parking lots at the entrance of the village, where you can park your vehicle. Walking around the paved alleys of the village is an exceptional experience. Limy stone benches, buildings of folklore architecture, bougainvilleas in almost all houses and various other plants and flowers. In Lefkes it is also worth visiting the Folklore Museum of Cycladic Civilization.