Lace-making, the hobby of young and old 'Lefkaritisses'

 Pano and Kato (Upper and Lower) Lefkara are famous for their hand-made lace and indeed the word 'Lefkaritika' (made in Lefkara) is a synonym of 'lace' made anywhere in Cyprus. In older days the women produced the lace and the men-folk travelled all over the world selling it. By the standards of those times some good fortunes were made and it was common for many Lefkarites to be fluent in several foreign languages. Leonardo da Vinci bought lace made at Lefkara for the altar cloth at Milan Cathedral when he visited Cyprus in 1481. Cypriot women may well have learned the art of lace-making from the Venetians.