Mantzavinata ( el, Μαντζαβινάτα) is a village in the southwest of

Kefalonia Kefalonia or Cephalonia ( el, Κεφαλονιά), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallenia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chio ...

island, Greece, where the famous Mantzavino Wine is sold. Mantzavinata is 4 km southwest of

Lixouri Lixouri ( el, Ληξούρι) is a town and a municipality in the island of Kefalonia, the largest of the Ionian Islands of western Greece. It is the main town on the peninsula of Paliki, and the second largest town in Kefalonia after Argostoli ...

on the

Paliki Paliki ( el, Παλική) is a peninsula and a former municipality on the island of Kefalonia, Ionian Islands, Greece. At the 2011 local government reform it became part of the municipality Kefalonia. In 2019 this municipality was divided int ...

peninsula. Mantzavinata has three churches and a small square called Lemonata. A wine festival is held each August in Mantzavinata.

Geography

Mantzavinata is surrounded by hills, many covered with groves. Farming and agriculture are the main industry in Mantzavinata, although due to the nearby beaches, tourism also plays a significant part in the economy. Together with the smaller village Vouni and the islet of Vardianoi, it forms the community of Katogi.

History

The Maspali hill was perhaps an ancient

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

. At Vazza, a Roman mosaic was found and is displayed today at the Archaeological Museum of Kefalonia. Two of the three churches are original structures from the 17th century. Until the 1940s, Mantzavinata was an important centre of wine and raisin production.

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, and the complete destruction of the village in the

1953 Ionian earthquake The 1953 Ionian earthquake (also known as the Great Kefalonia earthquake) struck the southern Ionian Islands in Greece on August 12. In mid-August, there were over 113 recorded earthquakes in the region between Kefalonia and Zakynthos, and the ...

increased emigration. It took until the mid-1950s to rebuild the village. The former farmland around Mantzavinata is popular for house building. Today many families built also their new homes outside of the center near the beaches Xi and Mania. This new settlement is also known as Kounopetra.

Name

The name 'Mantzavinata' comes from the Italian words ''mangiare'' (eat) and ''vino'' (wine), -ata is the typical ending for places in Kefalonia. Mantzavinata had several persons with the surname Mantzavinos/Mantzavinatos, one of whom founded a subdivision in Patras known as

Mantzavineika Mantzavineika or Mantzavinaiika (Greek: ''Μαντζαβινέικα'' or ''Μαντζαβιναίικα'') is an old neighbourhood in the eastern part of the city of Patras northeast of the Roman Odeon of Patras. The origin of the name comes from ...

. Another founded the ''Mantzavinateio Hospital'' in Lixouri.

Population

External links

Website of the cultural association Mantzavinata & Vouni: "I Kounopetra"

Katogi on GTP Travel Pages

References