“A THOUSAND people every weekend, and not a public toilet in sight,” is how the Mukhtar of Fikardou characterised the village’s situation nowadays as a result of the success of the ANT1 television series ‘Aigia Fuxia’.

Aigia Fuxia is a hugely popular period satire comedy featuring some modern elements and Fikardou is a Grade 1 listed monument often cited by tour companies as the classic, showcase example of what Cypriot villages were like historically.

”I would not call them rabble but they are not interested in anything but the actors and actresses and how pretty they are,” said mukhtar Sophocles Markides. “If we are to take that path we might as well throw the environment out of the window and turn the village into the next Ayia Napa.”

Markides said the village’s long-term residents feel this type of tourist is not really interested in the historic character of the village, nor its cultural importance, but treat the whole area as an expanded theme park, jumping fences and climbing on roofs tiled with 200-year-old, irreplaceable tiles.

Then, of course, there is the question of the public toilets. Due in part to the special protected legal status of the village nobody in the civil service seems to know what to do to enable their construction.  Markides said they were helpful, sympathetic, intelligent and sincere but were trapped by an outdated and overly-complex legal structure which left them unable to know which way to turn.

“They are simply faced with ridiculous regulations which nobody does anything to change.  If it wasn’t so sad I would say it is a comedy,” said Markides.  Because there are no public toilets many of the weekend visitors take their convenience in nature or, even, in some of the empty houses in the village, he said.

The entire area of Fikardou is 6.5km² in size, is divided between 890 owners of land and has two houses which were granted the Europa Nostra award for cultural heritage, both of which are now museums.

According to the Cyprus Tourism Organisation the village features in many organised tours and is an important showcase of Cypriot cultural heritage.  There are only two main access roads to the village and no provisions for parking.

“There is some encumbrance to the area, unfortunately this is the case whenever filming takes place on a large scale due to the associated increase in popularity with the public which is generated,” said Marina Ieronymidou of the Department of Antiquities.

The Aigia Fuxia TV series is nearing the end of its second season and, though ANT1 did not wish to comment, reports suggest that a third series may not be on the books.  According to Markides ANT1 has, however, offered to pay half the costs of cleaning the village due to the increased tourist influx at weekends.