The green hills
Dense forest coming down to the edge of the white pebble.
**A white pebble bay ringed by densely green hills** — near Sami on the east coast, and the best combination on Kefalonia of beauty and safety. What distinguishes it from Myrtos is that **the hills around it are forested** rather than bare cliffs — green runs down to the edge of the white pebble, and the water in front is **intensely clear turquoise**. The scene is closer to a tropical island than to the Mediterranean. ✅ It is **fully serviced**: umbrellas, loungers, tavernas, parking and toilets — unlike most Kefalonian beaches. ✅ And more importantly: **the sea is calmer and shelves more gently** than Myrtos, and the bay is sheltered — **so it suits families far better**. ⚠ The pebble hurts bare feet, as on the island's other beaches. ✅ Scenes from the film **Captain Corelli's Mandolin** (2001) were shot here.
Dense forest coming down to the edge of the white pebble.
Exceptional clarity over white pebble in a sheltered bay.
Umbrellas, tavernas and parking — rare on Kefalonian beaches.
Antisamos, 28080 Sami, Kefalonia, Greece
**Myrtos for the view, Antisamos for the swimming — and they are not substitutes for each other.** ✅ **Myrtos** is more famous and more visually dramatic: **the photograph from the viewpoint above it** is Kefalonia's icon, and the colour boundaries in the water are unforgettable. ⚠ **But it is difficult for swimming**: it **shelves suddenly**, **the currents are strong**, **there have been accidents**, **there are almost no facilities**, and **the descent is hard**. ✅ **Antisamos** is calmer, gentler and more sheltered, **fully serviced** with umbrellas, tavernas, toilets and parking, and **its road is easier** — **so it is the beach you actually spend the day on**. ⚠ Its drawback: **less visually dramatic** than Myrtos, with no famous viewpoint. ✅ **The practical decision**: **stop at the Myrtos viewpoint** on your northern day (minutes, free, and you get the photograph), and **spend your beach day at Antisamos** on your eastern day with Melissani and Drogarati. ✅ **And with small children: Antisamos without hesitation.**
**A novel and film made here, and the reason many visitors know the island at all — but their relationship with local history is complicated.** ✅ **The story**: a 1994 novel by the British writer **Louis de Bernières**, set on Kefalonia during the **Italian and then German occupation** in the Second World War, centred on an Italian officer and a local doctor's daughter. **The film was shot on the island in 2000** and released in 2001, and measurably revived its tourism. ✅ **The historical background is real and heavy**: after Italy's surrender in **1943**, the **Italian Acqui Division** stationed on Kefalonia refused to hand its weapons to the Germans, **and thousands of Italian soldiers were executed** in one of the worst wartime massacres in Greece. ⚠ **And here is the dispute**: many Greeks — and resistance survivors — criticised **the novel's portrayal of the Greek resistance** as unjust. ✅ **As a visitor**: the **Acqui Division memorial** near Argostoli is the real side of the story.
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