Core location of wine production
Limassol (Greek: Lemesos) on the south coast is Cyprus' largest seaside resort. The Troodos Mountains, where most of the Cypriot grapes are grown on fertile soil, form a splendid backdrop to the city stretching over 16 km along the coast.
Limassol has been a trading center for wine and sugar cane since the Middle Ages when the Crusaders occupied the island. Today the second largest city in Cyprus with 210.000 inhabitants is the core of wine production, the largest port city and an important trade and tourist center. The coastal strip around Limassol is fertile and produces numerous other types of fruit in addition to grapes. Several small factories produce fruit juices and canned fruit. Most of the Cypriot wineries are located here. In addition, beer is brewed in and around Limassol, ouzo is distilled, brandy is distilled and liqueur is produced.
With its long coastal promenade and busy shopping streets, Limassol offers an informal holiday atmosphere that is mainly based on the joie de vivre of the city's population. The city is also the venue for the most famous island festivals, above all the 10-day wine festival that takes place every September, during which wineries offer free samples of their wines. The two-week carnival with balls, costume parties and parades, the Limassol festival in summer and the drama festival in the romantic ancient amphitheater are also wonderful
from Kourion.
Amathus is 11 km east of the center: formerly the capital of the island kingdom, today a ruin that has partially sunk into the sea. Further to the east is the Agios Georgios Monastery, to the west is the Kolossi Castle, once the headquarters of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Not far from there you will find Kourion with its impressive Greco-Roman amphitheater, where plays by Shakespeare, Greek dramas and concerts are performed in the summer. The excavation sites also include the house of Eustolios with some beautiful mosaics, the sanctuary of Apollo Hylades, the stadium, the acropolis with ruins of the forum and the Christian basilica.
