About 500 churches can be found on Naxos, many of them rustic and centuries-old.
WHERE: 103 miles/190 km southeast of Athens. CHTEAU ZEVGOLI: Tel 30/22850-25201; www.naxostownhotels.com. Cost: from $155. When: closed Nov–mid-Mar. LEFKES VILLAGE: Tel 30/22840-41827; www.lefkesvillage.gr. Cost: from $120. When: closed Oct–Apr. BEST TIMES: in Naxos: Jul 14 for feast day of patron saint. In Paros: Aug 15, for services at Ekatontapyliani church.
The Most Spectacular Greek Island of Them All
SANTORINI
Cyclades, Greece
Santorini provides one of the Aegean’s most spectacular natural settings. The slim 12-mile crescent of land, also known as Thíra, is the rim of an ancient volcano. Villages of dazzling white houses and blue-domed churches cling to cliffs 1,000 feet above the indigo sea that now floods the sunken caldera (a “drinkable blue volcano,” wrote Greece’s Nobel Prize—winning poet Odysseus Elytis). The island is still jolted occasionally by intense volcanic activity (two smoldering cones rise out of the flooded caldera), and speculation is rife that Santorini is the mythical lost kingdom of Atlantis. Thirty-six varieties of grape are grown in the rich volcanic soil, and Santorini produces delightful white wine. Other island pleasures include beaches of red and black volcanic sand and two splendid ancient sites: Akrotiri, a Minoan village preserved in Pompeii-like ash during the massive volcanic eruption around 1600 B.C. that created the caldera, and Ancient Thera, a 9th-century jumble of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine ruins atop precipitous seaside cliffs.
Cruise-ship passengers and visitors all but take over the small island in the summer months, but it is easy to escape the fray in one of Greece’s most distinctive retreats. Perivolas is high above the sea and just a 2-minute stroll from the heart of clifftop Oia, one of the most beautiful settlements in the Mediterranean. The small hotel’s whitewashed, elegantly pared-down accommodations have curved ceilings and walls and showstopping views. Each room’s terrace is the roof of the dwelling below, all fashioned from abandoned, 300-year-old, cavelike homes purchased by the owner and ingeniously cobbled together. The infinity pool is the same Aegean blue as the real thing beyond. On the horizon, you can make out the Perivolas Hideaway, the hotel’s super-exclusive private villa built from 19th-century ruins on the tiny island of Thirassia, a 5-minute speedboat ride across the caldera.
Astra Apartments & Suites, in Imerovigli, another beautifully situated village above the caldera’s rim, has airy, high-ceilinged, whitewashed accommodations that are highlighted with original artwork and contemporary furnishings, though the views are the real attraction.
In the evening, the tourist razzmatazz in the island’s main town, Fira, slows down after day-trippers leave, and the main pastime is a stroll along the shop-lined streets. Take a seat at the no-frills decades-old Nikolas for such classic taverna favorites as lamb in lemon sauce and the flavorful eggplant and tomatoes for which the island is known. Selene, a fixture of Fira since 1986, has moved 10 minutes away from the bustle to the beautifully preserved and quiet town of Pyrgos. Its innovative and refined take on traditional island cuisine has not changed, and local bounty appears in such innovative creations as fava balls in caper sauce and octopus with smoked eggplant, now served with inspiring views from high above the sea.
WHERE: 126 miles/202 km southeast of Athens. PERIVOLAS: Tel 30/22860-71308; www.perivolassuites.gr. Cost: from $600 (off-peak), from $740 (peak). When: closed Nov–Mar. ASTRA APARTMENTS: Tel 30/22860-23641; www.astra.gr. Cost: from $270 (off-peak), from $400 (peak). When: closed Nov–Mar. NIKOLAS: Tel 30/22860-24550. Cost: dinner $20. SELENE: Tel 30/22860-22249; www.selene.gr. Cost: dinner $60. When: closed Nov-Mar. BEST TIMES: Apr–Jul and Sep–Oct for nice weather and avoiding Aug’s crowds; late Jul–early Sep for Fira’s International Music Festival.
A Quiet, Unspoiled Getaway
SIFNOS
Cyclades, Greece
This is what Sifnos doesn’t have: famous antiquities, lively nightlife, spectacular beaches, nor the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds they attract. It is a favorite getaway of discerning Athenians, who take over the place in August but like to keep quiet about their find.
Town life is clustered in several adjoining villages that march up and down a ridge in the center of the island, an enticing cluster of whitewashed, bougainvillea-covered houses and blue-domed churches that are connected by scenic pathways, making this a hiker’s delight. From Apollonia, the small-town capital, stone paths rise and drop to its twin sister Artemonas, where the multidomed Kochi church is built on the site of an ancient temple to the goddess Artemis. From Apollonia, it’s an easy 1-mile walk to the old capital of Kastro, a medieval town huddled on a seaside cliff. Built on the dramatic site of an ancient acropolis, it is an architectural gem, with a small but impressive archaeological museum that comes as an added surprise.
Much of the island is ringed by tall cliffs, but here and there the coast drops down to pleasant coves, prime real estate that over the centuries was snapped up by monastic communities looking for remote natural settings that inspired contemplation. The sandy crescent of Apokofto beach stretches beneath the dramatically picturesque Panagia Chrysopigi, dedicated to the island’s patron saint since 1650 and a popular point of pilgrimage. At Vathy, on a bay at the end of a green valley, another beautiful stretch of sand is overlooked by the seaside Taxiarchis Monastery, whose white walls and twin domes seem to rise out of the blue sea.
The island’s highest monastery is the 12th-century walled Profitis Elias O Pilos (O Pilos means “the High One”), topping a 2,200-foot summit in the center of the island. It is accessible only by a fairly easy 2-hour climb from Apollonia, well worth it for the serenity of the chapel and Aegean views. Magnificent views are also part of the package at the Petali Hotel, on a hilltop above Apollonia. Terraces off the large, comfortable rooms and the pretty swimming pool all overlook white-roofed houses, terraced hillsides, and the shimmering sea. In addition to ceramics, Sifnos is well known for its olive oil and island cuisine, and any number of the island’s small, unpretentious restaurants will illustrate why.
WHERE: 80 miles/130 km south of Athens. PETALI HOTEL: Tel 30/22840-33024; www.hotelpetali.gr. Cost: from $135 (off-peak), from $280 (peak). BEST TIME: Jul 20, when a torch-lit procession climbs to the monastery of Profitis Elias.
Religious Fervor Coupled with Worldly Sophistication
PATMOS
Dodecanese, Greece
It has been said that St. John the Divine, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, was inspired to write the Book of Revelation (or the Apocalypse) during a 2-year banishment to Patmos in A.D. 95 for preaching Christianity at Ephesus (see p. 576). Find your own inspiration as you explore isolated coves and untrammeled beaches, or bask in the simple, quiet sophistication that infuses Skala, the attractive main port, and the hilltop town of Chora, where quiet lanes lined with old aristocratic mansions surround one of Greece’s most important monastic complexes.
The small cave now known as the Sacred Grotto, where St. John composed the Book of Revelation, is at the core of the Monastery of the Apocalypse, on a hillside midway between Skala and Chora. Niches in the rock wall served as the saint’s desk and pillow, and a large crack was supposedly opened by the voice of God, whose words John recorded for the last book of the Christian Bible.
The tall, brooding Monastery of St. John the Theologian dominates the island, an 11th century complex of churches and courtyards fortified to protect a trove of religious treasures that includes paintings, carvings, sculpture, and an extensive library and archives, second only to the collection of Mount Athos (see next page). The monastery remains a focal point of the Orthodox and Western Christian faiths alike, and pilgrims from all parts of the world make their way to “the Jerusalem of the Aegean.”
Other visitors come to enjoy Psili Ammos, Lambi, and other beautiful beaches, and hike on the donkey paths that crisscross the hilly interior. Despite its deep religious affiliation, the island also exudes an inherent elegance. The ro
oms and huge terraces of Petra, a small hotel above the beach at Grikos, have bay views and are tastefully furnished. Nearby, the seaside Benetos restaurant, run by a Greek-American couple, has created a stir with the chef’s modern take on Mediterranean cuisine. On their atmospheric veranda, diners enjoy just-caught seafood and other dishes enhanced with fresh herbs and vegetables from the owners’ small seaside farm.
Since its 11th-century founding, the Monastery of St. John the Theologian, which includes several chapels, has emphasized education.
WHERE: 160 miles/256 km from Athens. PETRA: Tel 30/22470-34020; www.petrahotel-patmos.com. Cost: from $280 (off-peak), from $460 (peak). When: closed Nov–Mar. BENETOS: Tel 30/22470-33089; www.benetosrestaurant.com. Cost: dinner $30. When: closed Nov–May. BEST TIMES: Apr–Sep for weather; Holy Week and Greek Orthodox Easter (Apr or early May); late Aug–Sep for Sacred Music Festival.
Medieval Might and Neoclassical Splendor
RHODES AND SÍMI
Dodecanese, Greece
Little remains of Rhodes’s ancient past—an acropolis still rises above the seaside town of Lindos, but the most famous antiquity, the 100-foot-tall bronze Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was toppled by an earthquake in 226 B.C. and long ago disappeared. The Middle Ages, however, remain very much in evidence in the Old Town, the largest inhabited medieval enclave in Europe. It’s enclosed within wonderfully preserved walls, 3 miles long and up to 40 feet thick with remnants of a double moat still visible.
Rhodes was the stronghold of the powerful Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, who laid claim to the island on their return from the Crusades in the 14th century. You’ll feel their spirit on the cobbled Street of the Knights, in their hospital, now housing the Archaeological Museum, and in their vast Palace of the Grand Masters. You can overnight in a medieval complex that houses the atmospheric, family-run San Nikolis hotel, whose rooftop garden offers a fine breakfast with fantastic views. As the easternmost island in Greece, Rhodes lies just 11 miles off the coast of Turkey—in 1522, Turks arrived with a 100,000-strong army and stayed for 4 centuries. One of their houses is now the romantic Marco Polo Mansion, with deep-hued guest rooms and a pleasant summertime courtyard where wonderful dinners of Greek-Italian fusion cuisine are served.
Excursions around the island will take you to whitewashed, seaside Lindos, where an ancient hilltop acropolis is enclosed by a medieval fortress. The breezy villalike Melenos Hotel enjoys views of both the acropolis and the water. Its 12 stylish rooms and suites overlook the sea, as does an outdoor tented restaurant that gives the place an exotic, timeless ambience.
The peaceful island of Sími is 45 minutes away by ferry. Its small harbor is considered by many to be the most beautiful in Greece, rimmed with tiers of pastel-colored 19th-century Neoclassical mansions from the days when shipbuilders and merchants prospered. Strike off on a hike that follows a coastline etched with small bays or turn inland for an easy 6-mile trek that takes you across the scenic interior to the monastery of the Archangel Michael at Panormitis, where overnight guests are welcome. Or book at Hotel Aliki, housed in a sea captain’s elegant home on the unspoiled harbor, which can be viewed from most of the rooms and from the rooftop garden. A leisurely dinner at the Mylopetra, a 200-year-old flour mill, caps off the day—try the lamb or a homemade pasta flavored with Simiot herbs and spices.
Medieval walls surround the Old Town of Rhodes, site of sieges and skirmishes over the centuries.
WHERE: 150 miles/250 km southeast of Athens. SAN NIKOLIS HOTEL: Tel 30/22410-34561; www.s-nikolis.gr. Cost: from $170. MARCO POLO MANSION: Tel 30/22410-25562; www.marcopolomansion.gr. Cost: from $150 (off-peak), from $220 (peak); dinner $40. When: closed Nov–Feb. MELENOS HOTEL: Tel 30/22440-32222; www.melenoslindos.com. Cost: from $175 (off-peak), from $450 (peak); dinner $70. When: closed Nov–Mar. HOTEL ALIKI: Tel 30/22460-71665; www.simi-hotel-aliki.gr. Cost: from $100 (off-peak), from $195 (peak). When: closed mid-Oct–Mar. MYLOPETRA: Tel 30/22460-72333; www.mylopetra.com. Cost: dinner $65. When: closed Nov–Apr. BEST TIMES: May and Sep–Oct for pleasant weather and fewer crowds; late May for Medieval Rose Festival in Rhodes Town; Jul–Aug for Sími Festival with dance and music.
Spiritual Focus for the Eastern Orthodox World
MOUNT ATHOS
Macedonia, Greece
The Byzantine Empire may have ended with the fall of Constantinople in 1453, but tell that to the 1,400 or so monks of Mount Athos (the Holy Mountain), who carry on an unbroken 1,000-year tradition of study and liturgy. Women and children have not been allowed to set foot in this 140-square-mile semiautonomous state of the Greek Orthodox Church since the 11th century, but male visitors with the appropriate permit can step back 500 years to the time of the theocracy’s heyday, when more than 40 monasteries housing 40,000 monks flourished.
Most of the 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries that remain are on the rugged, pine-clad peninsula and resemble fortified castles, reminders that the monks once had to fend off pirates, European crusaders, and the Ottoman Turks. The monks have amassed priceless artwork and manuscripts over the years—the chance to see the sacred trove of relics, mosaics, and icons is one of the rewards for getting in rhythm with monastic routines that begin with prayer at 4:00 A.M. Visitors are welcome to dine in the refectory with the monks (meals are vegetarian) and stay in modest accommodations. Hikers can crisscross the peninsula on paths that climb forested mountainsides and plunge through unspoiled valleys ablaze with wildflowers. Rising above the pristine landscapes is 6,700-foot-tall Mount Athos, alleged to be the home of Zeus and Apollo before they made the move to nearby Mount Olympus.
Only 100 Orthodox and ten non-Orthodox men are welcomed onto the peninsula each day. Some monks are gregarious and welcoming, others oblivious to the almost constant stream of guests during summer months, when it is most difficult to procure a permit. Access is by 2½-hour boat ride from the nearby town of Ouranoupolis, and from there visitors can walk from one monastery to the next. Women (and men) can view the peninsula and seaside monasteries on one of many boat tours that cruise along the mountainous, forested shore. For visitors to the region not overnighting with the monks, the Eagles Palace in Ouranoupolis offers comfortably nonmonastic accommodations set amid tree-shaded grounds on its own beach.
Monks continue to live in the 11th-century Esphigmenou monastery, one of 20 on the peninsula.
WHERE: 80 miles/130 km southeast of Thessaloniki. VISITOR INFO: www.inathos.gr. HOW: Pilgrims must make requests for visits in writing to Mt. Athos Pilgrims’ Bureau, 109 Egnatia, 54622 Thessaloniki, tel 30/2310-252578, fax 30/2310-222424. EAGLES PALACE: Tel 30/23770-31101; www.eagles palace.gr. Cost: from $190. BEST TIME: May, when summertime pilgrims have not yet arrived and the countryside is in bloom.
Haunting Landscapes and Austere Towers
THE MANI PENINSULA
Peloponnese, Greece
For centuries, the Mani was inhospitable, a stark, rugged land where families engaged in banditry and bloody feuds and few outsiders dared to enter. The landscapes of the narrow peninsula, the middle of three prongs that extend from the southern Peloponnese, are no less haunting these days. Long, empty stretches of rockbound coast—lapped by the Aegean Sea in the east and the Ionian on the west—and craggy mountainsides are one of Greece’s most unspoiled getaways.
The austere tower houses of Vathia and other nearby Maniot villages were built to protect against warring neighbors. The 800 still standing are now romantic sentinels rising above the rocky terrain. Some, such as the 19th-century Kapetanakou Tower Hotel, in the market town of Areopolis, are atmospheric guesthouses. The neighboring town of Limeni has been put on the culinary map thanks to its Fish Taverna Takis To, known for serving the peninsula’s freshest catch.
Throughout the Mani, hiking paths follow mountain ravines past Byzantine chapels shaded by cypress trees and past broad bays. The Pirgos Dirou Caves, the Mani’s one big attraction, extend for miles and are explored by boat along subterranean waterways
canopied by fantastic stalactites. The humble beach town of Kardamyli is the gateway to the Outer Mani, the greener northern reaches of the region. The cypress-scented town was home to acclaimed travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor, whose engaging 1958 classic Mani is considered the definitive book about this little-visited region. At Lela’s Taverna, named after Fermor’s former housekeeper and run by her son, old-fashioned dishes are served on a shady terrace perched just above the surf. Upstairs, five simple rooms overlook the sea.
Gerolimenas is the largest town in the Inner Mani, as the stark southern reaches of the region are known. Stone warehouses near the entrance to the harbor now house the comfortable and character-filled Kyrimai Hotel, where timbered, stone-walled guest rooms and poolside terraces edge the sea. Ancients believed that Cape Tenaro, at the southernmost tip of the Mani, was the entrance to the Underworld; looking at the forlorn, wind-shaped rock formations rising from the sea, it’s easy to believe that is indeed the case.
Tower homes were designed to protect Vathia, at the southernmost point of the peninsula, from invading pirates or Turks.
WHERE: 185 miles/300 km southwest of Athens. KAPETANAKOU TOWER HOTEL: Tel 30/27330-51233; www.mani-hotel.com. Cost: from $100. When: closed Nov–Apr. FISH TAVERNA TAKIS TO: Tel 30/27330-51327. Cost: $40. LELA’S TAVERNA: Tel 30/27210-73541. Cost: $70; dinner $30. When: closed Nov–Mar. KYRIMAI HOTEL: Tel 30/27330-54288; www.kyrimai.gr. Cost: from $150. BEST TIMES: May–Jun and Sep–Oct for beautiful weather without intense heat; summer for plays staged at the Mani Theater in Platsa, south of Kardamyli.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 28
