Nicosia

Nicosia or Lefkosia, located in the middle of the island, is the capital of Cyprus since the 12th century and the island’s principal business and cultural centre. In Lefkosia,  remnants of its historical past are found primarily in the old town located within the Venetian Walls, dotted with museums, ancient churches and medieval buildings. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Lefkosia is the only remaining capital city divided by force. The Green Line, is the capital’s dividing line, and the nearby old part of the city, by ‘Laiki Geitonia’, is a pedestrian area and restored part of the town with narrow city streets lined with traditional houses, taverns, shops and galleries. A must visit is the Orthodox cathedral at the enclave of the new Archbishopric, Church), Ayios Ioannis church containing fascinating  18th century Biblical wall paintings, the Byzantine Museum with the largest and most significant collection of byzantine icons from the 9th-18th century, Leventis Gallery with notable art exhibitions and the Cyprus Museum with a fascinating collection of antiquities from the Neolithic to the Classical Greco-Roman periods, clearly indicating the island’s rich and diverse history.