Oleastro Olive Park, Anogyra Village

Oleastro Olive Park, Anogyra Village

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When visiting a Mediterranean island such as Cyprus that focuses so heavily on olive oil in its cuisine and culture, a great day trip while visiting would be to stop in Oleastro Olive Park in Anogyra. A Cypriot archetypal village nestled among vineyards on the Limassol coast overlooking Episkopi bay.

History

Carobs are coined the ‘black gold’ of the island and play an extremely important part of Anogyra’s history; with the village retaining its local customs and appealing character especially the production of carobs, olives and a number of local wines that are made using the same ingredients and methods of productions for centuries.

Be sure to visit the village museum to learn all about carobs, found on perennial trees which are then dried and ground to make a sweet powder that is used like icing sugar or made into simple syrups such as molasses or healthy carob toffee known as Pasteli. This long-standing tradition is also celebrated annually with a Pasteli Festival in September.

 

Not to be Missed

Get lost in the ruins and ancient monolith at the monastery of Timiou Stavrou; explore the cobblestone streets lined with restored Greek cottages; and sample some delicious Cypriot wine from a local winery.

Tip: Leave lots of time to explore the Oleastro Olive Park to learn how olive oil is made and enjoy a free tasting session available to all visitors. The park is open every day year-round, from 9am to 8pm. With the sun setting at around 5pm during the winter months, we would recommend going in the morning to allow plenty of exploration time.

 

Fun Fact

Carobs were once Cyprus’ largest export due its deliciously sweet flavour and widespread growth on the island.

 

Location

Oleastro Olive Park can be found in the village of Anogyra in the greater district of Limassol, located 7 km north of Avdimou on the south-west of the island.

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