Things to see and do

Stoupa has a little bit more to offer other than wonderful beaches and great places for eating and drinking.

Aghia Triada Church

This large modern church in the south of Stoupa barely gets a mention in the guide books, or anywhere, possibly as it is rather plain on the inside. However, it’s an impressively large structure that dominates the skyline and can be seen for miles around. There is another small church next to this one as well as a memorial in the adjacent square.

The Castle

Lefktro Castle or Beaufort Castle or just simply The Kastro is at the southern end of Stoupa on top of the small hill that looms over the town. The 13th century castle itself is not immediately obvious as most of the structures have not withstood the test of time too well. It is a bit of a scramble to get there and a sign does remind you that you are entering the castle at your own risk. It’s well worth the effort and the castle walls are quite impressive, the cistern less so, but the views are great.

Zorba related stuff.

Nikos Kazantzakis, author of Zorba the Greek, lived for a year by Kalogria and based his book on the foreman he met when when working at a Lignite Mine just outside Stoupa. Lignite is a poor relation to coal so it is not surprising that this venture failed. You can visit the site of the mine but there is not much to see, just some holes in the ground and pools of water and a sign. It’s worth a quick butchers though. If you do have the urge to have a look, the mine is just north of Stoupa and there is a signpost to it from the main road which is easy to miss. It’s also easy to miss the mine.

Giorgios Zorbas himself lived at the north end of Kalogria beach for a year in 1917 in a small rented house right by the freezing cold freshwater plungepool, known locally as Printzipas which he used to enjoy at his own convienience. Marjory McGinn has written a nice piece on Zorba in her blog .

Craft Bazaar

In the summer on friday mornings there is often a small craft market held on the terrace at Pefko. There are interesting items on sale and everyone is very friendly.

The Coastal Path to Ag Nik.

At the southern end of Stoupa there is a lovely walk along a coastal path to the small village of Agios Nikolaos. It takes about an hour. You can walk to Ag Nik, have lunch followed by a dip at Gnospi and then head back to Stoupa, but remember to take water with you in the summer.