In every small village throughout Greece you will find a Kafeneion, the small local café. This is traditionally the central meeting place for the exchange of all the village news and gossip.
In the past only men went into the Kafeneion but the advent of tourism has changed this. You will however rarely see any local women in the Kafeneion of Diafani even though it is now run by the daughter of the original owner who, like most women here, always wears the traditional local costume.

The inside of this Kafeneion is a must for visitors.
Go there to buy your cigarettes and see the old photos around the walls. Sit outside in the stone courtyard to know you are in the heart of traditional Greece.
Have a cool drink or an ice-cream during the day, have an ouzo before dinner or an after dinner Metaxa, or a cup of the beautiful mountain tea, “faskomilo”, made from wild mountain sage, guaranteed to help you digest and sleep well.

From time to time loud and seemingly violent discussions will break out among the local men sitting in the Kafeneion. This is by no means unusual and the subject could be anything from real community problems or national politics to who did or did not play well in the latest football match. In fact most Greeks are crazy about football and most Greek men love to argue; doing so loudly and persuasively is a really well practised sport.