8 Best Sights in Argostolion and Lassi, Kefalonia

Fortifications have stood atop this hill since the Byzantine era, though the ruins of this castle date from the early 16th century. When the Venetians finally prized it from Turkish control in 1500, after a wearying three-month siege, they levelled the building in the process. Reconstruction took some 40 years, whereupon it became the administrative center for the island until the mid-1800s. By then, the rise of Argostolion had made the port town a better option. Shortly after, the castle was abandoned entirely when earthquakes tore the region apart. Little was done to rebuild it and subsequent historic tremors have all contributed to its current state. While the sprawling grounds offer incredible views over the island, there is little to explain what you're seeing, leaving visitors to pick over its bones largely unguided. A tiny village filled with a cluster of good tavernas lies at the foot of the hill.

Created by the Focas-Cosmetatos Foundation, the Cephalonica Botanica lies a couple of kilometers south of the city center and offers a peaceful opportunity to study the island’s rarer flora, which is at constant risk from forest fires and development. Like all attractions in town, it shuts early (2 pm).

Set on a hill above the nearby village of Lassi, this small chapel hides a narrow cave that is filled with offerings. This is said to be where Saint Gerasimos, patron saint of the island, lived in the mid-16th century before traveling to the nearby valley of Omala to rebuild its monastery.

The British occupation (1809–64) of Kefalonia transformed Argostolion, rebuilding its streets and beefing up the island's infrastructure. The crowning achievement of this is the bridge built in 1813 by Charles Philip De Bosset, a Swiss engineer in the employ of the British Army. Created to connect Argostoli to the village of Drapano, it reaches out across what was the Kouvatos Lagoon, a swampy area of land once rife with mosquitoes and malaria, that separates the Fanari Peninsula from the mainland. Its original wooden structure was recreated in stone in 1842 and has been reinforced over the years due to earthquake damage, yet it remains in service today. Part way across, look out for the "Kolona" obelisk rising out of the water, a gesture of thanks to the British erected in 1813 by the Kefalonian Parliament. Its inscription, "To the glory of the British Empire," was symbolically erased when the Greeks took back control of the island in 1865 and has repeatedly changed over the years according to who controls the island. The walk makes for a bracing, and now record-breaking, stroll since this was named the world's longest (690 m) stone sea bridge in 2018.

Established by three wealthy brothers in 1984, who turned their family home into a museum to display their personal collections of art, lithographs, coins, and furniture, this tiny museum is as eclectic as any hoarder’s pile. Subjects veer from landscapes of the island by 19th-century British painters to an exhibition of photos documenting the effects of the 1953 earthquake. It's a worthy modern history of the island.

Squirrelled away to the right of stairs leading to the city library, what this small museum lacks in explanation it makes up for in diversity. Life-sized dioramas of 17th- and 18th-century island life, religious art, wood carvings rescued from derelict churches, embroidery, lithographs, furniture, and some rather excellent photographic studies of Argostolion pre- and post-earthquake make a visit worthwhile experience.

The golden-sand beaches surrounding Lassi can be notoriously busy. Access is easy and buses even run here from nearby Argostoli. It's the reason most of the island's resorts are clustered along this stretch of coast, meaning there will always be crowds. Makris Gialos is undeniably beautiful: a rocky collar of tall pine trees encloses the shore, which fades into pale, shallow azure waters ideal for families. Near its southern end, only a few rocks separates the near-identical adjacent beach of Platis Gialos, so you also get two for one. The facilities here are among the best on the island, and phalanxes of sun beds cover most areas not taken up by a volleyball court or bar. It can be quite noisy, though, and when the sun goes down a party atmosphere takes over. Amenities: sun beds and umbrellas; food and drink; lifeguard; showers; toilets; volleyball. Best for: families; watersports; parties; beach cocktails.

In 1941, at the height of the Second World War, Greece was occupied by the Axis Powers. During this period Kefalonia was given over to the Italian Acqui Division to run. Two years later, when Italy surrended to the Allies, German troops moved in to seize control and one of the great atrocities of this era played out. Italian general Antonio Gandin offered his troops a vote on whether to join or fight the Germans; they chose the latter, aided by local resistance, but quickly ran out of ammunition. A recorded 1,315 Italians fell in battle, but the worst was to come. The Italian troops had previously been placed under German command, so all soldiers that had resisted were considered deserters and ordered to be shot on sight. Those that had surrended were ruthlessly executed, killed eight at a time in Argostolion's main square, though some escaped by being hidden by sympathetic islanders. A further 5,155 Italians died in the massacre, and 3,000 later perished when the German ship taking the island's Italian POWs to a concentration camp sank. Yet few outside Italy and Greece had heard of this atrocity until the publishing of Louis de Bernieres' novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin, whose tale touches upon the events—though it is widely disliked on Kefalonia for its portrayal of the Greek partisans. A memorial dedicated to the Italian soldiers that fell lies north of the city, near to the lighthouse. A tiny but moving exhibition-museum run by the Italo-Greco Association can also be found next to the St. Nikolaos Church (free; open 9 am–10:30 pm) in the center.