Arsos, the red wine village on the slopes of Laona

Of the wine villages I cover here, Arsos is the furthest from Limassol and, to my mind, one of those that best keeps its character. What sets it apart is the mix of a Byzantine church with unique treasures and a tradition of home-made red wine that the tourist board describes in loving detail.

Where it is

Arsos is at the western end of the Limassol wine villages, on the slopes of Mount Laona, which the tourist board puts at 1,092 m. From the village the view opens over the Diarizos Valley as far as the sea off Paphos. The board places it about 40 km from Limassol and 45 from Paphos, and highlights cool, dry summers that draw holidaymakers. In 2021 it had 179 residents.

A red wine village

The board explains that Arsos grew rich on wine from early times. Families make their own, mostly red, and keep it in large clay jars, and many houses still have their wine presses and zivania stills. From spring to autumn, the green of the vineyards surrounds the village.

Arsos had its best years between 1920 and 1960, with about 2,000 residents. Then vine-growing stopped paying and many people left for the towns. The houses are still there, though, packed close together in dressed stone, with tiled roofs, several neoclassical buildings and traditional types such as long houses and two-storey homes. The main photo shows that tight cluster with the bell tower among cypresses.

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St Philip and the other churches

The church of the apostle Philip, the village’s patron saint, stands in the centre. It’s Byzantine, from the 12th century, an ancient monument and restored. It keeps an 18th-century carved wooden iconostasis, old icons and a 13th-century icon of the apostle with part of his relics. Built into it is the chapel of St Mariamne, the apostle’s sister, which serves as a store for icons from the 15th to the 19th century, and the village profile also lists a 15th-century crown and a bell made in Venice in 1858.

In the west of the village is Panagia Katholiki, a church of 1904 built over the ruins of a monastery mentioned in sources as early as the 14th century.

The museum and the Six Fountains

The Folk Art Museum occupies a restored 18th-century house listed as an ancient monument and opened in 1997. It tells the story of daily life in the village, with a focus on wine. I couldn’t find its opening times published anywhere official.

For a walk, the board recommends the Six Fountains nature trail, which follows the river and links the village’s six medieval fountains along cobbled paths, with plenty of plants and wildlife.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Omodos and pick one that fits your day.

Pairing it with other places

With Vasa Koilaniou some 2 km off in a straight line and Omodos about 3.5, the three villages fit into one day, and I’d leave Arsos until last, when the late light falls over the Diarizos valley.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Limassol before you arrive rather than at the desk.

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