Vathy () or Vathi is the largest settlement on the Greek

Ionian island The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , ''Heptanēsa'' or , ''Heptanēsos''; ), bu ...

Ithaca Ithaca most commonly refers to: *Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey'' *Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca *Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College Ithaca, Ithaka ...

and the seat of the Ithaca

regional unit The 74 regional units of Greece (, ; singular , ) are the country's third-level administrative units (counting decentralized administrations as first-level). They are subdivisions of the country's 13 regions, and are further divided into municip ...

. It is located in the southern part of the island, in a deep natural harbour. According to the 2021 census, it has a population of 1,693. In the Middle Ages, Ionian islands were subject to frequent pirate raids, which forced inhabitants to build settlements inland. Vathy was only formed in the 16th century, during the late Venetian rule, when the families living uphill in the settlement of Palaiochora ('old town'), began moving down to Vathi. In 1807, the French built a fortress on the Loutsa hill at the port entrance. The dockyard at the port operated throughout the 19th century, and over 200 ships were built during the period. Wealth from shipbuilding, trade and fishing caused expansion of population and house construction. During the

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

in the 19th century, the population rose to about 5,000. However, in the 1920s the naval activity dwindled, and the economy of Vathy stagnated. Vathy was devastated by 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 mo ...

which left only a few buildings standing. Gradually, the buildings were rebuilt in the original Venetian style. A law was passed in 1978 protecting the architectural heritage of the town, mandating that style and colour of all repairs and new constructions must be preserved. Islet of Lazareto at the entrance to the Bay of Vathy hosts the chapel dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Savior, built in 1668. Since 1560, the islet served as a 40-day quarantine station for ships entering the harbour.

References

Ithaca {{Ionian-geo-stub