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CHAPTER XVII. JOURNEY FROM LIMASOL TO PAPHOS. * BEYOND Limasol was Curi, an ancient city on Cape delle Gatte. It is entirely destroyed, the only existing remains being a few marble columns. There is a church dedicated to St Nicolas, and a convent of Greek monks called, like the village, Acrotiri. A mile and a half from Acrotiri, and about three miles from the sea, is a village called Colosso, with a strong castle, built by the Knights Templars, held first by them, and then by the Hospitallers, or Knights of Malta. Before reaching Piscopia you cross a torrent, known to ancient geographers as one of the chief rivers of Cyprus, under the name Lycus. The village of Piscopia is six miles from Cape delle Gatte : it lies in a plain which produces the best cotton in the island. In the time of the Venetians it was planted with sugar canes, but these were abandoned when the cultivation of cotton proved more profitable. The village is still one of the most flourishing in Cyprus, it has abundant water, a pleasant situation, and lemon, orange, olive and other fruit-bearing trees in plenty. It gave a name to the noble Venetian house of Cornara Piscopia. The fine remains found under the village confirm the opinion of those authors who place here Curium, the capital city of one of the nine Kings. [Herodotus, v. 113, gives the name of a King Stasanor, who deserted to the Persians in B.C. 498.]

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