Paphos: Roman mosaics and Aphrodite's Rock

In the Archaeological Park of Paphos, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the floor mosaics of the House of Dionysus recount mythological scenes with a richness of detail rare for the Roman period.

Nearby, the Tombs of the Kings, a necropolis carved into the rock from the fourth century B.C., takes its name more from the monumentality of the tombs than from the actual burial of sovereigns.

Descending to the harbor you visit the Castle of Paphos, a Byzantine fortress repeatedly reworked by Lusignans and Ottomans as a guard at the harbor entrance.

Toward sunset it is worthwhile to reach the Rock of Aphrodite, a rock formation in the sea that mythology indicates as the birthplace of the goddess.

Some columns of the Tombs of the Kings are carved directly from the original limestone bedrock, not added later: a detail that surprises those expecting stone blocks brought from elsewhere.

Legend has it that whoever swims three times around Aphrodite's Rock gains eternal beauty: a tradition more playful than religious, still repeated today by some visitors.