Foini, the potters' village of the Troodos

Foini is one of those mountain villages that keeps a craft alive and is proud of it. Here the craft is clay, and you notice it in the museum, the workshop and the village’s memory. What it offers and how I’d fit it in comes from the Troodos Development Company’s village description and what Limassol Tourism adds about its waterfall.

A village among pines and orchards

At 920 metres, Foini is surrounded by pine, plane and cedar on the south-facing slopes of the Troodos Mountains. At the 2021 census it had 347 residents, and it belongs to Limassol district. The company offers three possible origins for its name, a Frankish feudal lord called Juan Fejniu, the Greek word for palm tree or the word for its fruit. Its orchards grow apples, pears, cherries, peaches and plums, along with vines and walnut trees.

It keeps its rural character, with stone houses and tiled roofs under a cover of greenery.

Clay, furniture and loukoumi

What makes Foini special is its craft tradition. The company singles it out for pottery and furniture making, and the village has a pottery workshop and a private folk art museum with tools, household items and clay pieces. The museum’s star is a giant jar that holds 2,000 litres of wine and, according to the company, appears in the Guinness Book of Records.

The village’s other pride is loukoumi, a sweet the company says Foini is known for, and its taverns and coffee shops serve Cypriot food with country views. The 18th-century church of the Holy Cross has a hand-carved iconostasis worth a stop.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Platres for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

The Chantara waterfall

A kilometre and a half north of the village, at 1,035 metres, is the Chantara waterfall, which the company spells Xantara. It drops eight metres and forms a small pool among plane and alder trees, with the scent of sage and lavender. Limassol Tourism explains that its name comes from a Cypriot word echoing the sound of water and that it falls onto one of the island’s largest rocks, known as gavros. You can drive there, and it’s also 3.5 km from Trooditissa Monastery and 5.5 km from Pano Platres. I compare it with the others in waterfalls in Cyprus.

Rivers, bridges and festivals

For walkers, the company suggests the banks of the Diazos river, with small caves and rock formations, and the medieval bridges of Piskopos, Elia and Tzilefou. In late summer the village holds its Traditional Festival, starring loukoumi and pottery, and in autumn the Grape Festival, with palouze, soutziouko and zivania. Dates change each year, so check before you go. Further west, the hamlet of Treis Elies also has Venetian bridges to show off.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Platres on GetYourGuide.

Fitting it in

Foini pairs well with Trooditissa and with Platres, which is where I’d stay for the choice of hotels. A morning of waterfall, monastery and lunch in the village is one of the most rounded plans in this part of the mountains.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Limassol: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Platres for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.