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The main attraction here is the Timiou Stavrou monastery, believed to house fragments of the True Cross.

The church of Panagia Trikoukiotissa is all that remains of this monastery built in the 13th century. The church contains an icon of the Virgin which is credited with the ability to bring rain to parched fields.

This village stands among citrus groves and fertile fields. In the village centre the Museum of Byzantine Heritage displays striking icons and ecclesiastical vestments.

Vines, almonds and hazel-nuts are the mainstay of the these hill-farming villages.

The focal point of this hillside spot is a giant juniper tree, said to be the oldest tree on the island.

Fini is famous for its pottery and the highlight of the village is its Pottery Museum, with jars, oil lamps and old kilns.

This arched stone bridge – one of many in the area – crossing a stream bed is testament to the skills of the Venetians who drove a highway through these hills. Mule trains carried copper ore from the Troodos mines to the harbour at Pafos.

On the eastern fringes of the Pafos forest, this tiny village’s 19th-century church of Agios Georgios is worth a visit for its displays of ancient icons.

The hill villages of Pedoulas and Moutoulas are the most convenient gateways to the dramatic Marathassa Valley, covered with cherry orchards.

Sentries keep watch around the clock outside the mountain-top tomb of Archbishop Makarios III (see Archbishop Makarios). From the summit you can see for miles across the forests.