Mytilini Lesvos

holiday report and Lesvos map

Mytilini Lesvos

MYTILINI or MYTELENE is the capital city of Lesvos and built on seven hills overlooking a large and deep natural harbour. The airport is located a few kilometres south.
The modern city of 30,000 or so is built on the site of an ancient settlement that dates back 4,000 years. There are hills to the north and west of Mytilini, while the south is rich farmland.
The capital town of Mytilini can boast a large number of museums and galleries, partly thanks to it's heritage as a great centre for the arts.
It's most notable artist is the writer Sappho (700-600BC) but the tradition continues to recent times with the 1979 Nobel Prize for Literature awarded to Lesvos-born Odysseas Elytis.
Mytilini Castle is located on the north edge of the town on the promontory between the bays and is one of the largest in the Mediterranean. The fortification has seen many additions and alterations by the Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and Turks.
Just below the fortress, at Tsamakia is the town beach. Also on the north side of the town is the ancient theatre, one of the largest in Greece, with seating for 1,500 but most of th ancient masonry was pilfered to build the castle.
Mytilini has many good churches, particularly the 17th century Cathedral with its 33 metre high steeple and the domed church of Agios Therapon, dating from 1880.
Below the church is the main Mytilini shopping street.
Also of note are the many large Mytilini mansions, many now sadly in a state of decay, but all of which testify to the former trading wealth of the region.
Mytilini also has two excellent archaeological museums, one by the south harbour in an old mansion and the other 200 metres to the north in a large purpose-built structure.
The latter is especially rich in mosaics and sculpture, including the famous late Roman mosaic floor from the "House of Menander". There are also several more good mosaics and finds from other Roman mansions.