Kala Pigadia, Hydra Island Greece
Kala Pigadia - Good Wells (umm ... used to be)
Kala Pigadia is at the top of the Miaoulia Valley. The area is named for the Good Wells landmark (Kala Pigadia) which until very recently provided potable drinking water. The wells have had to be sealed though (2019) because of contaminants.
Kala Pigadia is a residential area that's very quiet. It's a popular area with locals because there's a level road (Miaoulis Street) all the way up from the port.
Walking up Miaoulia Street, you know you've reached Kala Pigadia when you see the flat-roofed water pumping station on the left and then the road forks either side of the front corner of the
Goroyannis Mansion.
The Kala Pigadia terrace with the two well heads, is at the base of the towering buttress-like rocky mountain side. There's a steep set of steps up from the terrace up to Ag. Konstantinos in Kiafa at the top of the buttress. A more gentle, but longer route, is to turn left at the fork in the road when you reach the Goroyannis mansion (as you walk up Miaoulis Street) and follow the road up and around all the twists and turns through the fields, then the pine trees until you reach the top.
As it's such a peaceful area, there are a growing number of houses to holiday rent in Kala Pigadia but no hotels or guesthouses. Nor are there any cafes or restaurants close by. You have to walk down into town. But, with such a growing number of people visiting Hydra out-of-season, being so 'on the border' of the countryside, Kala Pigadia is a great base for winter hiking holidays. Already there are three resident artists in the area, Jacqueline Savidge, Pauline Keaney, and Willem Jan Smit who have illustrated that the picturesque area is worthy of visiting artists' attention.
The peace and quiet of Kala Pigadia is annually disturbed on three occasions. The church celebration of Epiphany on the 6th January includes an out-of-doors service to bless the water of the wells. In early April, the area is part of the route for the Hydra Trail Events. And in November the Patron Saint of Hydra, Ag. Konstantinos, is celebrated in the church at Kiafa. So Kala Pigadia is visited by more people on the three dates than the area sees for the whole of the rest of the year.
Images
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