In the department of Solia,  55 kilometres from the capital Nicosia, lies the beautiful Kakopetria. This nice village is built on the east bank of the Karkotis river, 660 metres above sea level. Kakopetria is one of the most beautiful mountain resorts of the island. The village stretches across the Karkotis valley, with the most recent part of the village on the right and the old settlement to the left.

The old Kakopetria, which has been declared as a historical and archaeological monument, concentrates most of the interest with its imposing traditional Cypriot architecture that consists of two-storey houses with wooden balconies and narrow stone-paved alleys, a true pleasure to walk in. The area is also strewn with a great number of sites of interest such as the restored old flour mill, the Byzantine church of Agios Nikolas tis Stegis (St Nicholas of the Roof), and the Church of the Theotokos that dates back to the16th century.

There are various assumptions about the village name.  The most probable is that it derives from the fact that it has steep and craggy rocks (Kakopetria means bad rock).

Because of its abundance in water, the surrounding area is very fertile in fruit-bearing trees, vegetables, vines, and apple trees.