The town of Aitoliko is located on a small island at the entrance of the lagoon of the same name and spreads over its entire area. It was, like Messolonghi, a place where fishermen settled, but it is not certain when it was first inhabited. In the pre-revolutionary years and during the Revolution it was referred to as ‘Anatolikon’ and had a population of around 2,000 inhabitants. Pouqueville’s description of it is characteristic, saying that from Kefalovriso it looked ‘like a great ship wrecked at sea‘, while Bazin notes that its houses seemed to be built on the water. In the Orlofika debacle, Aitoliko lost its entire fleet, as did Messolonghi.
The lagoon of Aitoliko has an area of 4,200 acres and receives water from springs from the surrounding mountains, as well as from the spring of Kefalovryso. It has a large population of birds, and due to the low salinity of its waters it is preferred by certain species, such as coots. The construction of a tunnel in 1963-1965, which channelled the waters of Lake Lysimachia into the Aitoliko lagoon, initially had disastrous results, as it altered the balance of salt and sweet water and consequently affected the fish species.
Initially, communication with the opposite coasts was only possible by boat. In 1845-1848 the two stone multi-arched bridges were built, each about 300 m long, connecting it with the mainland, i.e. with the eastern and western sides of the lagoon. These were originally 4 m wide, but in 1888 they were widened to 8 m and the island’s perimeter road was constructed. Today they are ‘historic monuments requiring special state protection as they are of particular architectural and historical interest. They are a remarkable example of a technical infrastructure project of the late 19th century and are inextricably linked to the memories of the inhabitants of the area, since they facilitated their communication for all rural and social activities‘.
During the Revolution, after the fall of the island of Dolmas in February 1826, which served as its outpost, Aitoliko was forced to surrender to the Turks, as its inhabitants had no way of escape from the island. An earthquake struck the town in 1965 and much of it needed to be demolished, including most of the mansions and neoclassical buildings. About 60 remarkable buildings were saved.
