Kardamyli is the Peloponnese’s most beautiful seaside village and was the home of writer Patrick Fermor and his wife the photographer Joan Leigh Fermor. What better place to stage a festival with a cast of international speakers including academics, environmentalists, historians, scientists, journalists, politicians and writers who will dig deep into the issues that preoccupy our age?
This year the Kardamyli Festival will take place from Thursday 3 October, starting with an opening drinks party in the evening at Patrick and Joan Leigh Fermor’s house and finishing on the evening of Monday 7 October.
There will be three talks every morning, leaving lots of time to relax by the sea or explore the region. Every evening there will be a talk or an event. Speakers will include Jeremy Bowen, Tom Holland, Bettany Hughes, Emily Wilson, Misha Glenny, Kirsty Lang, Jonathan Freedland, Tom Mustill, Martin Sheldrake and Tim Richardson, the acclaimed writer on gardens and landscape who has published more than 20 books. He will be doing a fascinating talk on ‘What Gardens tell us about Nations’.
Exclusive to Garden Museum Friends will be the opportunity during the festival to enjoy a private garden tour with designer Tania Compton. Tania designed a beautiful Mediterranean garden twenty minutes from Kardamyli (featured on the cover of the January issue of Gardens Illustrated, shown in these photos by Richard Bloom). The tour will take place on Monday 7 October at 3.30pm and the festival organisers will arrange transport there and back.
Tickets for the festival are £750 each and go on sale on Friday 1 March directly from www.thekardamylifestival.com.
It is anticipated that they will sell out within a few days as there are only 350 festival attendees. Once you have booked your festival tickets and you would like to join the private garden tour please email charlotte on charlotteheneage@hotmail.co.uk who will put you on the list and provide more information about the tour and transport.