Two more Larnaca village traditions have made it on to the UNESCO National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Athienou village’s lace and Livadia village basketry have both been recognised as part of the respective villages’ unique heritage.

They join Lefkara’s lace and the annual Kataklysmos festival, whilst authorities in the region’s rural areas continue to work hard to put their villages on the map.

Athienou is commonly known on the island for its ‘Athienitiko’ bread, but aside from a rich wheat-growing and bread-making history, the village – now a municipality – is also the home of its own lace techniques known as ‘Venis’ lace (or ‘pittotes’) and Athienou Lace (known as ‘oloplouma’). These differ from Lefkara lace linens (‘Lefkaritika’) and are only made in Athienou.

Also now a municipality, Livadia is one of the few places on the island where a traditional form of basket-making and weaving are still practised. Today, there are only a handful of women skilled in the particular – and intricate – method, and in an effort to preserve and showcase its folk art, the village will open a Basketry Museum this year, as well as offering basketry lessons.

Upgrades and innovations

Aside from ensuring that their individual traditions endure, Larnaca villages are also looking to the future with several projects and innovations aiming to attract more visitors outside of the regular tourist offerings.

Oroklini village is taking an active part in the preservation of its significant lake, which is one of only seven natural wetlands on the island.

Following the completion of a three-year EU conservation project, the Community Council has now taken over the maintenance and preservation of the lake, and is raising awareness of its importance in conjunction with Birdlife Cyprus, who hold informative bird-watching sessions there, too.

The coastal village of Pervolia is already popular with locals during the summer months, and the Community Council has undertaken an ambitious upgrade for its coastline with the construction of a vast coastal walkway that will create a pedestrian and bicycle lane, lighting, squares, view points and access paths to the beach. The project is already under way and due for completion this year.

The Community Council of Kiti has recognised that it has a sought-after asset in its coastline due to the ideal sea and wind conditions for wind- and kite-surfing.

With the area’s coast being hailed as the best spot in the Mediterranean for the adrenalin sports, the Community Council created the island’s first and only designated beach for wind- and kite-surfing in the Softades area, which is attracting athletes from all over the world, as well as top sporting competitions.

Athienou village is also carving out a niche for itself as a tourist attraction. Through its participation in the Larnaka Tourism Board’s Complimentary Winter Experiences Programme, the municipality offers visitors a day-trip to watch halloumi being made in an old cheese factory, housed in a restored mansion, followed by a trip to its Kallinikeio Museum and its beautifully-restored flour mill, which serves as a time capsule of the village’s bread-making history.

And further afield, Lefkara Municipality is maintaining its reputation as a picturesque mountain village by subsidising flowers and water for local residences, so that the villagers can keep their gardens pretty and maintained in-line with the character of the village.

Already famous for its two main traditions of Lefkaritika and traditional silversmithing, the municipality has also created the Lefkara Handicraft Centre to continue the promotion and preservation of these valuable customs.