Europe A stitch in time: Cyprus's Lefkaritiko lace faces grim future

Legend has it that the intricate needlework used in embroidery known as "Lefkaritiko" lace was of such high quality that Leonardo Da Vinci himself bought a tablecloth when he visited this mountainous village in the late 15th century and gifted it to Milan's cathedral.

Local merchant Demosthenes Rouvis contends that the zig-zag pattern adorning the tablecloth on which Jesus Christ and his disciples dine in Da Vinci's masterpiece "The Last Supper" closely resembles those found on "Lefkaritiko" embroidery.

But this centuries-old tradition is under threat now, falling prey to more modern trends - tourists with an eye for a bargain souvenir and local workers looking for ways to make a better living.

It's a far cry from the villages heyday in the late 19th and early 20th century, when merchants fanned out around the world to sell the costly cloth.

The skills...