| At the very centre of the Omala valley is the great Gerasimos monastery which can be seen for miles around. Named after the patron saint of Kefalonia, the monastery is also home to Gerasimos' bones. For those who like to mix the the medieval with the macbre, there's the chance to descend deep into the ground, through a narrow tunnel, and into the very cell where Gerasimos spent his monastic life. The lack of oxygen down here and the surreal decor are enough to induce a religious experience in even the most hardened atheist.
St Gerasimos, like many an apostle, was a miracle worker and the results of his handiwork can be seen in the nearby fields some 1 km from the monastery. Here in a handful of fields are the well-heads of over forty wells. So the story goes, wherever Gerasimos placed his stick water was to be found. On an often partched island like Kefalonia, being able to summon up water at will is no small gift...hardly suprising he won the affections of the islanders.
The village of Valsamata was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1953 by the British, but its not until you are on the slopes of Enos that you can truely appreciate the bizzare, yet strangly attractive layout of the village itself. A radiating cobweb of streets fans out across the Omala valley in striking contrast to the more organic architecture of traditional Kefalonian villages. |
Agios Gerasimos monastery 
bright cannas in the monastery garden 
