Larnaca, every history man’s dream

I used to be a bit of a nerd in school. Actually, sometimes my idea of Sunday fun is to just lie in front of the TV and watch hours of documentaries; but that’s irrelevant now. We’re not really gonna talk history today. Instead, we’re gonna talk traveling to historical places and alight in Larnaca, every history man’s dream.

One of the oldest settlements in Europe, Larnaca houses many historical monuments, archaeological sites and other relics of centuries long gone. Let’s explore some of them.

Larnaca boasts with what many would call the best preserved neolithic site in the Mediterranean, the Choirokoitia Settlement. It dates back to 7000 BC and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. Peasant houses, tombs, old city walls and barns with burnt grain have been found here and are generally on display at the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia, another site well worth visiting.

But back to Larnaca, next stop: the Archaeological Museum of Larnaca, home to the most beautiful artifacts from prehistoric times to the Roman age. You can’t miss the beautiful statues, the pottery collection, but also the minute and wonderful terracotta figures, the main attraction of the museum.

Another site that will make history people’s heart flutter is the Ancient Kition, featuring ancient polytheistic temples dating back to the 13th century BC. The temples used to hail the the powerful goddess Astarte.

Even the small and pretty village of Lefkara close to Larnaca holds its drop of history. It is said that in 1481, Leonardo da Vinci brought an artifact here, a lace piece from the Cathedral of Milan. The Lefkara Local Museum is surely worth an hour of your time.

If you don’t have a car during your vacation, don’t worry: you can enjoy the best Larnaca airport transfers and even book them online!