When the weather says so, Alkis and I enjoy a Sunday outing and lunch in the nearby countryside. Last Sunday, we visited the village of Kornos and had a memorable lunch at Archontiko Papadopoulou. That lunch was for us the best gastronomic experience of the Greek-Cypriot cuisine we've ever had. We had never visited the village of Kornos before and ...shame on us,we got lost on our way there! The village of Kornos is situated at about 27 km west of the city of Larnaca. In the centre of the village, at about 100 metres from the church, you can't miss the preservable, old mansion - Archontiko Papadopoulou.
That was the home of Michalis and Peristera Papadopoulou- the great grand-parents of Peri Vronti Papadopoulou- the owner of Archontiko Papadopoulou who created it with so much love and care for tradition. The mansion bears the architectural and morphological features of the neoclassical style of a 19th century construction. It is one of the few houses of its kind and age which have survived in the area, defying the passage of time and dating back to 1897.
It is a three-storey mansion of an impressive neoclassical character, ornate with deep carvings on the stone columns - a construction where stone prevails. consisting of various areas divided by mudstone. It could be described as a cluster of various old, traditional elements with the characteristic back yard in the middle. That was where we had lunch.
The renovation and refurbishment of Archontiko Papadopoulou into a cultural centre took place from September 2009 to May 2011. Every possible effort was made so that the floors, the windows, the doors, the door-handles and the wooden beams supporting the roof, which were carved out of tree trunks, were preserved and restored in line with traditional architecture.The philosophy of Archontiko Papadopoulou is to promote, display and make known the art of Cypriot wine and gastronomy as well as that of the pottery art of Kornos which has been greatly developed in the area since antiquity.
Alkis and I had the pleasure to taste in the back yard some of their great dishes, Ta Pilina, which consist of a variety of traditional meze in a unique gourmet style.
Archontiko Papadopoulou constitutes unquestionably an upgraded, different and unique option of unparalleled pleasure in Cyprus wine and gastronomy while promoting, at the same time, our culture and tradition.
All photos are the courtesy of Peri and Demetris Vronti.
This post was originally published on May 12, 2012
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