The traditional coffee shops bring a taste of the past to the Limassol of today!

In the previous century, a coffee shop was, for many people, a space in which to relax, meet, and discuss the serious issues affecting the everyday life of the village or the community. Things have, of course, changed since then, as people have moved away from villages and communities. The coffee shop, nevertheless, remains an institution, one that has adapted to the new circumstances, as is the case with the historical coffee shop in the village of Vouni in Limassol.

Vouni was a formerly large village that was quite wealthy due to the large expanses of land cultivated by its inhabitants, which were numbered at approximately 2,500. This is why, along its cobblestone streets, there once stood up to 20 coffee shops during the mid-20^th century. Today, only one of those coffee shops remains, and it is so picturesque that one may call it a living monument of an era. ‘I Plateia,’ or ‘The Square,’ as the coffee shop is named, maintains a decades-long tradition, keeping its characteristic image unchanged, other than the few small unavoidable changes that are required to keep it functioning in the modern age.  

The blue, wooden window frames and large door, the balcony above the entrance with railings in the same color, as well as the green foliage the cools down the balcony during the summer months all appear to have been unaffected by time. Of course, changes can be perceived in the traditions of the coffee shop itself: while for decades it was a space frequented only by men, known at the time as the pillars of society, women are now regular customers. In fact, for the first time, the coffee shop in Vouni is managed by a woman.

Image from the coffee shops of the previous century in the city and the countryside of Limassol.

A few years ago, Cleo decided to return to her village and was followed by her son Michalis. The two of them then took over the management of the coffee shop ‘I Plateia,’ which became a pole of attraction, not just for locals but for many visitors who come seeking a piece of history within this coffee shop.

Michalis has even taken care of adding a touch of the new generation to the coffee shop, renovating the interior and exterior, thus allowing it to operate until late in the evening, serving wine and beer, without losing its traditional character.