Why Visit
Agios Ioannis, Spilia, Barbarezou and Fanari are the most frequented, while many other crystal coves around the island can be reached by boat. The most picturesque village of Meganisi is Vathy, a nice port village lined up with fish taverns and cafeterias. Many private yachts and boats moor in Vathy in summer, giving to the place a cosmopolitan feeling. Sightseeing on the island is few, apart from some nice chapels scattered here and there. This is a great place for just relaxing on the beach.
History
The first findings of human inhabitance in Meganisi date back to the Neolithic Age. Meganisi was known as Taphos in the ancient times. This name was taken from Taphos, who was the son of Poseidon and ruler of the region. Taphos ruled his subjects with wisdom, followed by his son Mentes. According to some Latin writers, the ancient island of Capria, the modern island of Capri in Italy, used to be colony of the Taphians. The history of Meganisi had always been connected with the neighbouring Lefkada from the ancient times up to the present. From the 7th century BC until the Roman conquest in 197 BC, Meganisi was a Corinthian colony.
After the fall of Constantinople in 1204 to the Crusaders, the island was given to the Venetians, but soon it was included into the dominion of Epirus. The island came into the hands of the French in the year 1294 until 1479. Until the return of the Venetians in 1684, Meganisi along with Lefkada was into the hands of the Turks. The islands passed on to the hands of the French in the year 1797. A year later, the island fell under the Turkish-Russian rule. From 1800 to 1807, the Eptanesian State was established. While Meganisi was always the refuge of rebels, fugitives and thieves, its people wanted more democratic rights.
In 1821, during the Greek Revolution, Meganisi fought under the guidance of a very powerful leader, Demos Tselios. After the end of the British occupation, Meganisi and the rest of the Ionian islands were united to Greece on 21st of May 1864. In the Second World War, the island was under the Italian occupation and many of its inhabitants went to the mainland of Greece to fight the enemies. In the 1950s, many of its inhabitants migrated abroad to search for a better life. Today most of the inhabitants in Meganisi occupy with tourism, fishing and agriculture.
Museums - Archeological
Meganisi is a small island inhabited since ancient times and a lot of traces can be found from the Paleolithic era as well as parts from Mycenaean tombs that have been discovered in the surrounded region.
Currently there are no museums in Meganisi, apart from the archaeological discoveries and excavations that are still underway. However, there are plans for a Folklore Museum and an Archaeological-Historical Museum.
The closest museums are found in the neighboring island of Lefkada, which is only 20 minute boat ride to Nydri. In Lefkada, there is a small Archaeological Museum and another small but interesting Museum of Phonographs in the heart of Lefkada Town.
Beaches
Fanari, Agios Ioannis, Megalo Limonari, Spilia, Barbarezou, Herniades, Mikro Limonari, Pasoumaki
Religious Monasteries and Churches
Of particular interest are the churches and monasteries that adorn the small island of Meganisi. Most of them were built in recent times and host valuable icons. Among the few, the monastery of Agios Ioannis Prodromos (St John the Baptist) is the most important religious site visitors will meet in this green island.
The historical monastery lies above the pebbly beach west of Meganisi and tradition has it that it was founded before 1477. It was destroyed by the pirates but it was rebuilt in 1800 by a nun who remained in the monastery until her death. Her tomb lies within the walls of the church. Another worth seeing church in Meganisi is the one dedicated to the saints Konstantinos and Eleni. It was built in 1620, something that it is also proved from the style of its frescoes. It is located in Vathy.