Liapades

Near Paleokastritsa is a beautiful, semi-mountainous and picturesque village of Liapades. The village is located in a verdant area and despite the tourist development of the locale retains its traditional element, both in its architecture with the preserved houses from the 18th century, and in the daily life of its inhabitants.

It is divided into two parts, the old where the permanent residents live and the new which is located on the beach side and is more developed in terms of tourism. In the old and essentially the centre of the village which ends in the central square, care should be taken by motorists as the road is very narrow.

Thus the access becomes difficult and is done mainly from the sea, but this has, as a result, allowed the beautiful, crystal clear waters and pristine beaches of the island to remain hidden, isolated and unspoilt as most of them are ignored and unvisited and are unmarred by tourism.

Liapades has all the necessary tourist infrastructure for the visitor. In terms of accommodation, there are hotels, rooms to let and studios in the new section. In the central square of the village there are traditional tavernas and cafes, as well as the church of Agia Anastasia dating to the 16th century.

In the past, the main occupation of the inhabitants was fishing and agriculture. Today, the region produces a wine from a grape variety called “kakotrygis” and a large percentage of the inhabitants have been involved in the tourism sector for the last 25 years.

Liapades, back in time

The name Liapades comes from the ancient Doric dialect, which was widespread in the Corfiot countryside during the Byzantine-post-Byzantine period. In the above mentioned dialect there is the name Aliplaktos, which means sea-hit in general. Thus, through the testimonies, it is observed that the new apokas called Aliplaktoi, appear on the shores of Paleokastritsa and settle in the current bay called Alipa.

Alipa owes its name to the above seafood, because from the name Aliplaktos, came its original name, which was called Alipla, meaning seafood village. Over time and thanks to the Corfiot accent, the name Alipla became Alipa and the inhabitants were now called Alipades.

It was in this period that all the villages of the island’s place names were created and their names formed with the Corfiot characteristic ending in “des” defining groups. Eventually, over time, the Alipades were renamed Liapades. The name Alipades, officially appears in a document of 1561, but at the same time the final name of Liapades was used.

The area of ​​Liapades has essentially the same picturesque coastline as neighbouring Paleokastritsa with small blue bays and lush, green surroundings. The main beach of Liapades is Gefyra which has beach bars and water sports. From there you can also visit, by boat, some of the beaches in the area which do not have access from the mainland. Some belong to Liapades, some to Paleokastritsa and some to their intermediates.

Rovinia

It is a short distance from Liapades beach and is located opposite Paleokastritsa, accessible both from the sea and by land via a small path that has stairs in some places. It is probably one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. Green, fine pebbles and blue crystal clear waters compose an idyllic landscape.

Limni

Limni means “lake” in Greek. Another beautiful and secluded beach below the village of Liapades, this stunning beach is accessible mainly by sea but also has difficult land access by way of a path. It is similar in morphology to the double beach of Porto Timoni in northwestern Corfu since it joins the rest of the island with a small peninsula on which the beach is located.

Iliodoros

Iliodoros means “the gift of the sun.” This hidden beach, which is accessible only from the sea, is located southwest of the village Liapades.

Stelari

The moniker, Stelari, is derived from the Italian, “stella”, meaning star. Another majestic beach with fine pebbles and crystal clear waters, it is accessible only from the sea.

Chomi 

To the southernmost part of Stelari beach, there is a small escarpment which separates Chomi from Stelari. Chomi beach is also known as “Paradise Beach”. From the name alone one can imagine and understand what it is about…turquoise, crystal clear water plus so much more. Who would not want to visit heaven on earth? As we all know, paradise is hard to find and Paradise Beach is no different… this beach is accessible only from the sea.