The Real Old Kafenion 

In Greece, a Kafenion is a traditional, often family-run, coffee house. It is also usually a social hub for the local village or town, a place to meet and catch up on all the gossip.

A Place in Greece

If you have read my books, A Place in Greece and My New Greek Life, you will know that the Old Kafenion plays a large part in the story. 

From the very beginning, when Gabrielle arrives in Crete, her journey follows the renovation of the Old Kafenion into her new home and future hospitality business. For Georgios, too, the Old Kafenion, once owned by his grandparents, is full of memories and emotions.

In my books, the Old Kafenion is situated in prominant position at the top of Koustafali hill, and the entire town has an interest in the events that unfold there. But did you know that the Old Kafenion is inspired by a real place in Crete? 

The REAL Old Kafenion is in a village called Tzitzifes, near Vryses in Crete. I discovered the place when doing research for A Place in Greece (and also having a nose around properties for sale in Greece), and it became the basis for my Old Kafenion. It doesn't have the same view of the sea as mine, but it does have spectacular mountain views and fruit trees.

Here is the official sales pitch from Crete Island Estates. Can you spot any similarities between this Kafenion and Gabby's?

KH-2170 Tzitzifes Renovation Villa - €199,000

"Tzitzifes Renovation Villa is comprised of 2 original village buildings – the old kafeneion, and the olive mill and press, which face each other across a central courtyard.

The buildings are 200m2 in total with further building allowance permitted (up to 400m2 max) and sit in 1000m2 of land. It is extremely rare to find a centrally located village home with so much land attached.

The buildings are both watertight and there is water and electricity supply.

Many original features remain such as the stone mill, the press, outdoor oven, wooden floorboards, wooden ceilings, exposed stone window frames, outdoor seats etc

The buildings’ open design allows the new owners to create the space they want easily and it could make a superb holiday rental business or luxurious family home. It is possible to add on an additional floor to the olive press and to build out further at the rear or on the land.

The buildings are presently accessed through the village road and in through a set of double gates, but there is road access allowed at the rear of the property also.

The majority of the land is at the rear of the properties where there are glorious views of the mountains and surrounding countryside, and a large number of olive and fruit trees.

Tzitzifes Renovation could be made habitable quickly with further renovation and building work to follow. It has the potential to be a fabulous home in the heart of a traditional Cretan village. It is within walking distance to the nearest tavern and only 6km from the village of Vryses which is the capital of Apokoronas with a multitude of shops, tavernas and other facilities. It is 13km to the beaches of Georgioupoli."

Although my research was carried out several years ago, when I was writing this article, I discovered the property is still for sale. This made me happy that I could view it again, but also a little sad that it remains empty. All it needs is its own Gabrielle to take it on and bring back some love to the old buildings. Could this be you?

I will include a link to the property, but as I don't know how long it will be available for, the link may not always work.

Website Link

Property Link

Photos and property description are all courtesy of Crete Island Estates

If you dream about buying your own Greek property to renovate, you will love reading my A Place in Greece series, available to buy now on Amazon.