Tragaki includes both mountainous and coastal areas and is located 11 kilometres northwest of Zakynthos Town. The area is therefore not limited to the coast. To the north is the Monastery of Panagia tou Dermata, also known as Dermatousa. Its location in a cypress grove places the building within a specific landscape setting.
Panagia tou Dermata: Monastery and Grove
The monastery is a 16th-century building. Examples of frescoes have been preserved inside; it is also designated as a historic, protected monument. These features show different aspects of the site: the building’s age, preserved paintings and its protected status. The monastery stands in Alsos Dermatá, a cypress grove covering about 14 stremmas. Cypress and kermes oak groves, olive groves, orchards, springs and lush vegetation surround the remains of the walls of the monastery grounds. The building and its surroundings are closely connected as this cultural landmark.
Art and Monastery History on Zakynthos
Zakynthos has various cultural landmarks. The Zakynthos Museum displays works of the Cretan School, Cretan-Ionian icons, and works of Ionian Naturalism from the 15th to the 19th century. The mausoleum in the Museum of Solomos and Eminent Zakynthians offers a different cultural focus. It is on the ground floor and has housed the remains of the national poets Andreas Kalvos and Dionysios Solomos since 1968. In Volimes, the Monastery of Agios Georgios sta Gremna was founded in 1535. These examples represent different themes: art spanning several centuries, a mausoleum and a monastery founded in 1535.
Nature, Views and Protected Areas
The landscape attractions on Zakynthos also differ from one another. The Blue Caves are in the Aspros Vrachos area at Cape Skinari. Lake Keri is a wetland protected under the Ramsar Convention, a Natura site and a nature reserve within the Zakynthos National Marine Park. The Keri Lighthouse is known for panoramic sunset views of the Ionian Sea and the Myzithres rocks. Caves, a multiply designated protected area and a viewpoint thus offer different nature and landscape themes to choose from.
Ferry Connection and Local Products
The port of Agios Nikolaos in Volimes is a maritime gateway and connects Zakynthos to Kefalonia by ferry. If this connection is relevant to your plans, check the timetable for your travel date. A local product is Zakynthian Ladotyri cheese: it is made in Volimes in cheese dairies and home workshops and offered as a local product.
Choosing Tragaki as a Place to Stay
First, consider whether the mountainous and coastal areas, as well as the monastery to the north, match the kind of destination you are looking for. Then you can decide how important art, protected nature, views, the ferry connection or local products are to your trip. This helps you align your choice of hotel with your interests for the whole trip, without treating the two decisions as one and the same.
Discover more destinations: Planos, Askos, Skinaria, Kipseli, Vasilikos, Keri, Marathias, Zakynthos Town
For the broader travel overview: Zakynthos.
