Influenced by indigenous craft, the embroidery of Venetian courtiers who ruled the country beginning in 1489, and ancient Greek and Byzantine geometric patterns, Lefkara lace is made by hand in designs combining four basic elements: the hemstitch, cut work, satin stitch fillings and needlepoint edgings.

UNESCO: Culture

Look around and you may see a coffee-table resting on a Greek capital, a tiny Roman mosaic sprucing up the foyer, a spread of Phoenician statuettes and Byzantine coins strewn along the bookshelves or a discreet Crusader cannon in the courtyard.

ECONOMIST: A Phoenician statue for my coffee-table