Wheat Fields and Bread-Making Route
Technical Info:
- Roads: Asphalt
- Distance: 60 km
- Level of Difficulty: Average (+m of total ascent)
- Bike Required: Trekking and Road bikes
- Points of Interest: Wheat fields, traditional flour mill in Athienou Village, Kallinikeio Museum of Athienou
Wheat Fields and Bread Making Route (53 km)
This route showcases the region’s long history of traditional bread-making as it passes through golden wheat fields and takes in a beautifully-restored flour mill, which now serves as a time capsule of Athienou’s bread-making tradition.
The island’s bread-making history has been well-documented through the words of Ancient Greek and Roman travellers, who reported sights of endless wheat fields on the island, and praised the superior quality of Cyprus flour. Wheat cultivation has traditionally been a big part of Cypriot agriculture and economy, and traditional bread continues to be produced in the same way to this day.
Starting from the centre of Voroklini you will ride in a northerly direction to reach the wheat fields of the southern edge of the Mesaoria plain. During the end of spring and the beginning of summer, the fields gleam with a bright golden colour – a sight that runs from the east coast to the west coast of Cyprus. After passing through the villages of Troulloi and Avdellero, you start the climb towards Athienou Municipality.
Thanks to its location in the centre of the Mesaoria plain, Athienou town has a longstanding tradition of flour making, and is famous across the island for its traditional bread-making, with its ‘Athienitiko’ bread regarded as one of the most popular bread types on the island.
Passing through Athienou, you can visit the Kallinikeio Museum and the renovated, traditional flour mill, where you will learn all about the process of bread-making; from the cultivation of wheat to its production into flour, to how bread was baked in wood-burning ovens.
After tasting some Athienitiko bread and locally-made cheeses in one of the many little coffee shops, take the old Lefkosia-Larnaka road (with its picturesque Cypress tree clusters) to descend back to Aradippou Municipality and Voroklini village once again.
