Alona, high up in Pitsilia

Alona is a Pitsilia hamlet at 1,200 metres with fewer than forty residents. What makes it interesting is the landscape around it and an autumn festival with real local flavour. The header photo is of Polystypos, the next village, because I couldn’t find a freely licensed one of Alona. The facts come from ANETroodos, the census and one of the Nicosia Tourism Board’s cycling routes.

High up in the area

Alona sits at 1,200 metres in the wide Pitsilia area, on the northern side of the Troodos. The company explains the village has existed since Frankish times. At the 2021 census it had 39 residents and it belongs to Nicosia district.

Below it opens a valley of hazelnut trees that wraps the village in green, and among the crops you find cherry trees and vines, alongside wild shrubs that scent the air. The company stresses how the mix of trees and bushes fills a walk with aromas, which is reason enough to come on foot rather than just drive straight through it.

The churches

Alona keeps two churches with history. Panagia Kardakiotissa dates from the 15th century and hides among the greenery. Agios Georgios holds an exceptional icon of the saint dated 1835, according to the company. The Nicosia Tourism Board mentions it too, tucked among the village’s narrow streets, when describing one of its mountain cycling routes. That route, Orinis 1, also passes Palaichori and its UNESCO church and, as the board puts it, climbs to high points looking over the forest towards Nicosia.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Agros before prices climb.

The zivania festival

Every November, Alona holds a festival devoted to zivania, the island’s traditional spirit. You can taste it, learn how it’s made and buy local produce at the stalls. The company doesn’t give the exact day, so check before you go.

Trails

From the square a trail heads in among orchards of hazelnut and cherry trees. Between Alona and Polystypos run the hazelnut wood trails the company highlights in the area, such as the 1.5 kilometre Petros Vanzis loop. If longer routes appeal, I gather them in hiking in Cyprus.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Agros and choose by the reviews.

Towards Askas and Platanistasa

Heading east from Alona you reach Askas and Palaichori, and to the north Platanistasa, the village of Stavros tou Agiasmati, another of the area’s UNESCO churches, visited by asking for the custodian at the café. It’s an easy way to combine nature and art on the same day, without long drives on mountain roads.

Planning a visit

I’d do Alona and Polystypos together on a relaxed walking morning, without rushing at all, and in the afternoon go to Panagia tou Araka at Lagoudera, open until 17:30. To sleep, Agros remains the handiest base in Pitsilia.

A car frees you from timetables: search car hire in Limassol on DiscoverCars and compare companies.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Agros before prices climb.