Vasa Koilaniou, the village of the wooded valley

Vasa Koilaniou is one of those wine villages you can walk round in an hour and remember for the calm. It’s a stone’s throw from Omodos but gets far fewer visitors, and its cluster of limestone houses on the slope is one of the loveliest in the area.

Where it is

Vasa lies among the Limassol wine villages, in a small valley encircled by hills, plateaus, slopes and cliffs covered in vines, at an average altitude of 750 m. The tourist board reckons about 35 km to town. In a straight line, Omodos and Arsos are about 2 km away each, and Vouni about 4.

Wine and raisins

The tourist board counts it among the area’s most important wine villages. It says Vasa is fifth in the district for vineyard area and that over 40% of its land is planted. It also quotes two old sources. One, from medieval times, mentions the large quantities of raisins exported from Vasa, which still stands out for raisin production today. The other is by the traveller A. Gaudry, who rated the dark wines of Vasa, Omodos and Arsos above all others in Cyprus.

Several houses still keep their old wine presses and zivania stills. For tastings, the board mentions the family-run Argyrides winery, which shows visitors its historic estate on guided tours by reservation.

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

An ancient name and a feudal past

According to the board, the name comes from «vassa» or «vessa», wooded valley, and may be connected with the arrival of the Arcadians in Cyprus. Tradition places a temple of Apollo beneath the main church. In the Middle Ages the village was an important fief of the Ibelins of Jaffa, and on a hill behind the church collections of Venetian swords were found in 1993.

St George and the stone lanes

About 300 m north-east of the village stands the church of St George, a single-aisled domed building extended westwards in the early 20th century. It keeps 15th-century frescoes of Christ Pantocrator, the Virgin, prophets, evangelists and saints, damaged but significant according to the board. In the village, cobbled lanes and dressed limestone houses with long, arched rooms make a compact whole, well captured in the main photo.

The community website records a wine and palouze festival every September. Check the year’s date there.

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

Combining it

I’d combine it with Omodos and Arsos on one route, as they’re so close. The board explains that Vasa connects north-east to Omodos and Platres, south-west to Malia and Arsos, south-east to Potamiou and south to Kissousa and Pachna, so it also works as a gateway to the villages in the south of the area. I have no official information on buses, so plan on a car.

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 Omodos for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.