NEWS and SPECIAL OFFERS
The Icon Painter’s Villas are particularly suited to groups such as friends and family reunions providing the ideal place for you to come together but also have privacy and time apart when you need it. Special rates are available for group bookings at both the Icon Painter’s Apartments and the Icon Painter’s Villas.
Some weeks we reserve for special interest activities. Maria’s passion is preparing good food and so she will host our “Mediterranean Food Week,” next year. As The Icon Painter’s Villas are right in the heart of olive country we also have an “Olive Week,” where you can really get into olives!
We have also had interest from choirs and painting groups from Sweden and England. If you would be interested in brining a group to the Icon Painter's Villas please contact us to discuss what we can offer.
For more information, please
| Olive week | 22-29 November 2009 |
Kalamata olives are known as some of the best olives in the world. Olive week is your opportunity to find out almost everything there is to know about them! The olive harvest varies from year to year but we position olive week at a time when we can expect olives to be being harvested in the area. During the week you will be able to help harvest Kalamata olives, from our own trees or a neighbour’s. You will also have a few free days to take in local sight seeing or just relax!
Two days will be spent harvesting the olives using traditional techniques - some Koroneki variety for oil and thers Kalamata for eating. You will then follow the olives you have harvested to the press and see your olives being turned into olive oil. You can sample the oil as it pours warm from the press! You will then be shown how to cure the Kalamata olives you picked. Again you will have a sample of the work of your own hands to take away with you!
There will be a day visit to the olive oil museum in Sparta where you can sample a range of different olive oils and learn more about different techniques of harvesting and pressing olives. The journey to sparta takes in the spectacular Langada Pass and we can also visit the ruins of teh Byzantine town of Mistra en route.
You will also have 3 days free for your own sight-seeing excursions - or just relaxing from the exertions of the olive harvest!
Cost: Olive Week 22-29 November 2009
€450 for 2 people sharing 1 villa in the Iconpainter’s Villas
€490 if 3-4 people sharing
| Oil, food and wine | January 2009 |
Messinia is truly a garden of the Gods. Winter rains and lengthening days are bringing the garden to life and we are busy making sure that we preserve as much of our produce as possible for our guests. Whenever possible Maria uses traditional preserving techniques. Highlights people can expect to enjoy are: oranges & mandarins now until easter(loads of fresh orange juice going into the freezer right now), lemons all yaer round - lemon curd, lemon cordial, preserved in salt, figs in July - jam, chutney, dried, grapes September - raisins & wine. And much more besides....
Of course there is our excellent extra virgin olive oil which we are harvesting now. This year we have had some of it cold pressed this year for extra quality.
Also Maria's home made bread went down a treat with guests last year and we have some new recipies this year.
| Birds at The Icon Painter's Villas | December 2009 |
The area we live in is known as Fterolagatha. Ftero means a feather and lagatha means a gorge – so gorge of the feathers.
Bird sightings at the Iconpainter’s Villas:
End of August 2009
Swallow, Red rumped swallow, Spotted flycatcher, Jay, Hooded Crow, Collared Dove, Buzzard, Sparrow hawk, Kestrel, Short-toed eagle, Woodchat strike, Sardinian Warbler, Greenfinch, Whitethroat, Rock bunting, Great Hoopoe, Magpie, Heron, House sparrow, Blackbird, Yellow legged gull, Wheatear, Girl bunting, Little owl, Tawny owl
October 2009
Eleonora’s Falcon, Black redstart, Sardinian warbler, Hoopoe, Jay, Barn owl, European buzzard
For more information, please
