Platrithias Ithaca

Platrithias means in Greek “the wide torrent” and therefore the appellation constitutes a geographical determination of the Homeric torrent that formed the harbor of Frikes – which, according to Homer, was the port of Rithros.
It is also a lowland village spread on the hill above the bay of Afales.
At the borders of Platrithia – Exogi we find the archaeological site of Agios Athanasius or Homer’s School, where the archaeologists place the palace of Odysseus, the Homeric hero and king of Ithaca. Start at the bridge “gefyri” of Platreithias and walk on the narrow road to the left of “Gefyri” restaurant. At the first fork in the road go to the left and continue walking next to the myrtle bushes while having on your left side a torrent. It is the “river of Platreithias”, the most important torrent or stream on the whole of Ithaca, which starts high up on the mountain of Exogi, crosses the Platreithias basin and ends at Frikes bay.

After the stone paved road passes through olive groves and vineyards it leads to a spectacular landscape. Ahead, at a rising, you can see the church of the Virgin Mary behind which is the forested mountain of Exogi and to the left, at a lower level, your attention is drawn by a huge vertical boulder tens of meters tall which is surrounded by wild vegetation. You are now at Melanythros! There is a fork in the road here. If you walk a few meters to the left toward the vertical boulder, you will see the Homeric “Melanythros Fountain” at its base. Return to the fork in the road and continue uphill on the stone paved road toward Exogi.

The celebration of the Dormition in the middle of August, at the center of the village, in the area named “Limnes”, is the last of the summer in Ithaca and therefore gathers a large crowd.