A Venetian watchtower, aka vardiola, at the little port of the village Avlemon in Kythira island.

The word “vardiola” originates probably from the word guardiola (a common castle term meaning guard or observatory from the Italian word “guarda”). It is used for the various watchtowers that the Venetians built on the coasts of the Ionian islands. There are vardiolas in Kythira, Cephalonia and Zakynthos. Most of the preserved ones are included in Kastrologos.

The vardiolas were built by the Venetians from the end of the 16th to the 18th century. They had a similar role to the medieval viglas (cylindrical coastal watchtowers) that exist on other Greek coasts (eg in Chios), but with a much smaller size and height. Their floor plan was usually square or polygonal and had a pyramidal or vaulted roof. Their walls were thick and plastered. In general, their construction was robust and durable to withstand the power of firearms.

Not many such watchtowers have been found in Kythira. The only ones that have been spotted are the Vardiola of Agios Ioannis Theologos (which has been converted into a chapel) and this one, at the port of Avlemonas. These two have visual contact with each other and are larger than the other vardiolas of the Ionian Islands.

The vardiola of this page was a guard post at the port of Avlemonas, which during the Venetian period was a very important port. It is not clear what was its purpose at this point, since from 1565 there was the strong castle of Avlemonas that protected the entrance to the bay, while the need to monitor the sea was fully covered by the watchtower of Agios Georgios, high on the mountain. Maybe the vardiola was there to police the busy port or something like that, and it seems that, in this, it was different from the other vardiolas in Zakynthos and Cephalonia, which were usually just guardposts without a functional role.

The building has a rectangular layout and a vaulted roof, while the door is oriented south, towards the entrance of the bay. It is in good condition, which means that restoration work has probably been done in the recent past.

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