The two bridges that connect Aitoliko to the mainland were built in 1847, when the townspeople offered the income from their olive groves and pastureland to the Municipality. The bridges were 300 meters long and 4 meters wide (they were widened to 8 meters in 1882-1885), and users had to pay a toll. Before they were built, people accessed the island by boat. Lord Byron did the same in February 1824, when he was received with wild exaltations among the population. The volleys were so thick that Byron feared for his life. Every window and balcony was crowded with women dressed in long braided cloaks and embroidered headscarves who waived colourful handkerchiefs and hailed him as the saviour of Greece.