The Semi-Abandoned Village of Mathikoloni
Mathikoloni is situated in the Limassol District of Cyprus. It is a very picturesque blend of modern houses and abandoned ruins. It featured in the 70s BBC series "The Aphrodite Inheritance", so lets take a walk down memory lane...
Distant Mathikoloni
Being only semi-abandoned has its advantages to the intrepid explorer. It means the village itself is easy to get to. You can reach it via the F130, or possibly the F134. Google can't make up it's mind which road actually runs through it, as the map below shows. However, because we like exploring, we came to the village via bumpy farm tracks. This would enable us to visit an old church on the way...
Mathikoloni By Satellite
This shows the abandoned section of the village. The lived in bit is above the map. Note the confusing road markings on the left. Once we have visited the church, we will be approaching the village from the bottom right of this map.
Modern Church
The ancient church is near this more modern one.
Under Cover
It is under that shelter. I think it is called Agios Nickolaos. Let's take a closer look...
(Incidentally, take a look at the soil in this area. It is littered with old boulders. It must be a nightmare to farm properly.)
Ancient Altar
It looks like they had to excavate this at some point.