Follow Aphrodite In Cyprus, The Island Of Love

Follow the footsteps of Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty, and discover the sites dedicated to her on the Island of the Love, Cyprus.

Cyprus is full of locations that are, for some reason, significant in the cult of the goddess. These places are connected by the Aphrodite Cultural Route.

In this article, I am going to introduce three of these places.

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1. Aphrodite’s Rock: Petra tou Romiou

Cyprus is the island of love because, according to the myth, this is where Aphrodite is from. Her realm is love and beauty. So how and where exactly was Aphrodite born? You can visit Aphrodite’s birthplace, Petra tou Romiou. The site is a short drive from Paphos. To make a long story short, it is a rock in the Mediterranean Sea.

Business as Usual: Weird Birth Story of a Greek Deity

Aphrodite’s birth is quite gory for the goddess of love and beauty.
According to the myth, there was Uranus, the primal god of the sky. He was a terrible husband and dad, so his wife, Gaia (Earth), plotted his demise. He sent their son, Cronus, against Uranus. Cronus, the young Titan, castrated his father, and the blood from his genitals fell into the sea. And that is where Aphrodite emerged from the sea. 
Her Roman name is Venus, and Botticelli’s painting comes to mind if you think about the birth of Venus.

It is one of the most famous Renaissance paintings and probably even one of the most famous masterpieces of art history.

In the center, the newly-born goddess stands in a giant scallop shell. On her left, allegorical figures of winds are blowing. On her right, a female figure is waiting with a cloak, ready to cover Venus.

The Remake at Petra tou Romiou

The myth and the artwork created according to it take place in Cyprus.

I am standing right where Venus (Aphrodite) supposedly came to the world. I tried to recreate the scene: woman in the water, cloak, wind. The resemblance is almost uncanny.

Interesting facts about Aphrodite’s Rock

• A local myth is that anyone who swims around the Aphrodite Rock will be blessed with eternal beauty and love. But even if the water has magical effects, swimming is not recommended because the currents are rough.

• Petra tou Romiou means Rock of the Roman. It refers to a Byzantine hero, Basil, who possessed superhuman strength. According to the legend, he was to fight off the Saracens’ attack. He threw a massive rock from the Troodos Mountains. Basil was half-Roman and half-Arabic. Hence the name of the boulder is the Rock of the Roman.

• Aphrodite’s Rock is a sea stack, a geological feature consisting of a vertical column near a coast. Geologically speaking, a sea stack is formed by continuous wave erosion. 

How to get to Aphrodite’s Rock

By bus

From the center of Paphos, bus number 631 leaves around every two hours.

The payment is made to the driver upon entering the bus. Weekly, monthly and yearly tickets are available at the main bus stations.

For timetables and ticket prices, please check the Paphos Bus website.

By car

From Paphos, you need to take road B6 and directly go to Petra tou Romiou.

From Limassol, you can go on highway A6, then on B6.

Can you swim around Aphrodite’s Rock?

The beach at Petra tou Romiou is pebbly. As I mentioned earlier, the water is deep and sometimes rough. When swimming, stay close to the seashore, and enjoy your bath in the crystal clear waters safely.

There is only one kiosk in the area to buy snacks, and their prices are pretty high, so it is wise to bring some snacks.

2. The Baths of Aphrodite, Cyprus

Aphrodite’s Extramarital Affairs

She became the wife of the lame blacksmith god Hephaestus. Still, she had numerous lovers among the gods of Olympus and mortals. The list includes but is not limited to Ares, Hermes, Adonis, and Anchises.

Post-coital Hygiene Practices of Ancient Gods

Aphrodite was said to bathe in the spring, called today Aphrodite’s Baths, after making love with one of the deities mentioned above and mortal men.

The northwest corner of Cyprus, the Akamas Peninsula National Park, is highly recommended for nature lovers. It is a great outdoor program in its own right. You can admire stunning vistas on every inch of the nature reserve. I could not decide which seascape picture of the many I should insert here.

Following a well-marked trail, you can reach the Baths of Aphrodite after a short hike. The bath is a small cave full of water that mortals, of course, cannot use, as the inscription warns us.

3. Cavo Greko

If Cypriots are tired of the beach, they go hiking. It is astounding for someone like me from a landlocked country, but some nature trails are worth visiting. One of them is the Aphrodite Nature Trail in Cavo Greko. The 2-km trail follows the shore in the nature reserve of Cape (Cavo) Greko.

The Easternmost Point of the European Union

Cape Greko is the de facto easternmost point of the European Union. According to Wikipedia, the de jure easternmost point is also in Cyprus.

I used to live close by in 2012. I moved here when I could not find a job in Calabria. In Cyprus, however, finding a job is very easy during the tourist season. It took me around 2 hours to find a job as a hotel receptionist. I just walked into restaurants and hotels and asked if they needed some help.

The town I lived in was Protaras, a resort with a beautiful blue flag beach, hotels, restaurants, and many bars. A few kilometers from Protaras lies another famous tourist resort, Agia Napa.

Between the two, on the very tip of the island, you can find Cape Greko. (In Greek: Cavo Greko, even more Greek: Κάβο Γκρέκο)

Nature, Culture, Military, not just rocks

The stunning nature reserve has quite a few photo ops to offer.

One of the main attractions of the cape is the strange stone formation known as the natural bridge. It is also a great hiking spot: walking on the rocks among cacti in the scorching hot right by the shimmering sea is almost an otherwordly adventure. One of the famous trails is the two-kilometer Aphrodite Nature Trail. It is part of the Aphrodite Cultural Route that links the sites dedicated to Aphrodite in Cyprus.

Because of Cavo Greko’s strategic position, there is also a British military post here. The high columns belong to the installment, but I need to learn about their function because civilians cannot approach the base.

How to get to Cavo Greko?

It is a short and easy bus ride from Agia Napa or Protaras with buses 101 or 102. Alternatively, you can rent a car.

Tours around Cyprus

Final thoughts about Aphrodite in Cyprus

The nature reserve has no other connection to Aphrodite but the trail named after her.

The birthplace and the baths are also “nothing more” than natural locations of captivating beauty. However, Cyprus also offers historical monuments dedicated to Aphrodite. I did not include them in this article for a reason.

I meant to show that you bump into the story of Aphrodite anywhere you go in Cyprus. For most of us, love and beauty are all-present in Cyprus, even if the mythology is…well, just mythology.

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