Kourkoumelata is, without exaggeration, the most beautiful, well-groomed, elegant and picturesque village of Kefalonia and is rightly considered the most posh village of the island! Kourkoumelata is one of the villages of the wider area of Livathos, with a wonderful view of the Ionian Sea, and very close to Argostoli, the capital city of the island.
The village was completely destroyed by the earthquakes of 1953, as well as the whole of Kefalonia. After the titanic task of removing the ruins, the reconstruction of the island began slowly. But while the reconstruction was a painful and dramatic experience for the inhabitants of the island, for Kourkoumelata it proved to be a great opportunity to emerge as the most beautiful village of Kefalonia, and certainly one of the most beautiful villages in Europe.
And this is because the famous Vergoti family, shipowners from Kourkoumelata and one of the richest on the island, did something unprecedented, and not only, of the time. They decided to rebuild the whole village and, as cosmopolitan they were, the village should obey the strictest rules of the existing road planning and aesthetics.
So the village was rebuilt by the shipowner George Vergotis with the valuable assistance and support of his brothers, Andreas, Panagis and Stefanos, but also by his nephew, Rocco Gerasimos Vergotis. Captain Rokkos Vergotis was the founder of the Shipbuilding House of Vergotides at the end of the 19th century, and Gerasimos Vergotis was the worthy successor and benefactor of his village, who also created the famous Philharmonic of Kato Livathos. The successors of this prominent family and all the younger descendants, proved to be worthy successors of their work with very important donations to the Hospital of the island, the Municipal Nursing Home and generally very large donations in multiple causes, aimed at man and its significant improvement of the lives of his compatriots.
The Vergotis family decided to rebuild the village according to the standards of the Swiss settlements, something that had excited them, on their travels around the world. After the village was rebuilt, Kourkoumelata gained electric power and water, something completely new since at that time no village on the island of Kefalonia had either electricity or water.
The village got its name from the Kourkoumelides, many of whom were distinguished as fighters of the 1821 Greek revolution against the Turks, but also in the arts and sciences.
In Kourkoumelata the visitors are impressed by the beauty of the houses, which compete with each other in beauty, aesthetics and good taste. All the houses have wonderful and very well-kept gardens, thus making even more impressive the spectacle that those who visit it face. The common areas are also extremely impressive and well-kept, and the Cultural Center at the entrance to the village is a miniature of the United States White House. There, today, many kinds of cultural events take place, which not only help to promote the cultural development of Kefalonia, but also give Kourkoumelata the image of not only a beautiful but also a very progressive and cultural village.
The village also has a very beautiful park, a central square which is dominated by a beautiful and elegant building-cafe-restaurant where guests can admire the wonderful view of the sea and the airport, while drinking their coffee, or enjoying lunch or dinner, the Livathos Philharmonic building, a majestic church, sports facilities and a stadium.