Each summer Parga attracts thousands of visitors, as it has got excellent touristic substructures with a lot of hotels, lodgings, campings, restaurants, bars, cafes and night clubs.
In Parga, it’s worth visiting:
Parga’s Castle, which is situated in the northern side of the port and was built in the 14th century with the help of Normans. After consecutive destructions, it took its final form by the Venetians. Ali Pasha’s castle commands north, built on a high hill with a fascinating view.
There, the visitor takes a good idea of fortification and understands the perfection of the plan of defense, created by the Venetians. Archways, supply lodges, gun emplacements, powerful ramparts with gun wickets, hidden channel to the sea, barracks, prisons, dumps, and two forts at the last line of defense show a perfect research of defense, which along with the natural fortification render it an unbeatable fortress.
Virgin’s islet, a verdurous islet which is located opposite Parga’s port, with the tabernacle and the quaint bell-tower, as well the small castle, which was built by French and commands the highest point of the island.
Anthousa’s Castle. It is an imposing fortress built on a hillock, between Anthousa and Agia, and offers a panoramic view of the whole area of Parga. The fortress was built by Ali Pasha in order to keep Parga under surveillance and besiege it. The castle is preserved in good repair.
Church Museum. It is situated in the centre of the town, right next to the church of Saints Apostoloi. The visitor can find a lot of interesting exhibits, such as two Gospels of the 17th century, two copies of dirges of a monk of Mount Athos (1600), old and newer icons, among which, these of the Virgin of Vlaherna, the Virgin Odigitria and Panagiopoula, and Parga’s standard, about 300 years old, by red silk, where the Virgin and the divine enfant are pictured with golden stars. Onto the banner, one can distinguish the marks by the bullets of the Turks.
Monastery of Vlaherna. It is a byzantine monastery of the 12th century situated in Valtos area in Parga, on a hill. Its bell-tower, since the 18th century, is 15m high. It is a half-destroyed, small, one-room church, with a walling, where the embrasures are distinguished. The icon of the Virgin of Vlaherna is said to have come from Kappadokia. Today, it is kept in the church museum of Parga.
Church of Saint Sostis. It is an especial church, which is built into the hollow formed between two huge joint rocks, one from which forms the screen wall of the church.
The Mycenaean Tomb. It is a vaulted Mycenaean tomb that was found in “Kyperi” area and dates from the 14th century. |
