Naxos, Cyclades Islands

In brief
Naxos Island, the largest and most fertile island in Cyclades, is probably one of the most attractive and beautiful of the Greek Islands. It combines golden sands with the mountain beauty. Large enough to be explored, Naxos promises you unforgettable holidays.

General Information
Naxos, the largest and most fertile of the Cycladic islands, lies almost at the center of the Aegean. Due to its size and fertility, Naxos is one of the most self sufficient islands of Cyclades, with significant production and variety of agricultural and dairy products.

Meadows running down to vast beaches, cliffs sinking suddenly into the sea, rocky mountains side-by-side with fertile valleys, abundant springs and streams are just some of the features of a natural environment marked for its variety.
The coastline of Naxos is abrupt on the south side and more sheltered to the west, with numerous inlets and sandy beaches.
The island is first heard of in the myths and then mentioned through-out every period of history, though it was at the peak of its glory during the period of the Cycladic civilization.

Naxos or Hora stands on a naturally amphitheatrically site on a hillside on the north-west side of the island and is one of the most attractive towns in the Cyclades. As the visitor walks from the harbour high up to the Venetian castle, he will be struck by the beauty of the narrow winding lanes and the old stone houses lining them.
Interesting monuments from various periods are to be found all over the town. They include Byzantine churches, the castle itself (with its tower and battlements), and traces of Mycenaean buildings in the spot known as Grota.

The Archeological Museum of Naxos has some notable exhibits.
Given that traces of Greek antiquity are to be seen everywhere, each part of the island has something of interest. Near the pretty coastal village of Apollonas, for instance – on the north side of the island – is a half-finished outsize “kouros” (statue of a youth), dating from the 6th century BC, still lying in the marble quarry where it was abandoned. Another such statue can be seen at Melanes.
An interesting archeological museum is to be found at Apiranthos, a village where a number of strange customs and habits have survived.
Among churches of interest are those of Our Lady “Protothroni” at Tragea and Our Lady “Filotitissa” in the village of Filoti.

The superb beaches of Naxos, its attractive villages and its wealth of monuments draw thousands of visitors to the island each year.
The good tourist amenities in Hora make it easy to tour the charms of the island.

Sightseeing
The most characteristic image of Naxos is the great gate just outside Hora. The locals call it the Portara - the great door, and it is the most photographed spot on the island. The gate was built in the 6th century BC by order of the tyrant Legdames. It was to be a temple to the god Apollo, but the building was abandoned when war broke out between Naxos and Samos. Later, Christians built a church on top of the unfinished temple. A very good time to go to the gate is in the evening when you will get to see a fantastic sunset. You can also discern Paros from here.

Parts of the temple was also used to build the castle in Hora. The castle is dominating the Old town; all its little streets lead to it. The archaeological museum here is well worth a visit. It is located at the commercial school and used to be a place where catholic monks had a school. The famous Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis (Zorba, The lastTemptation) stayed here for a while.

The Metropolitan church of Agios Nicodemus and Nectarius was built 1780-87, which was built partly with ancient remains. It hold a priceless new Testament, which was given to the church by Catherine of Russia according to tradition.

The church of Agia Kyriaki used to be where the hidden school was held during the Turkish rule. Just outside the village Galanado stands the Tower of Belonia. Next to it is the church of St John, which is half Catholic, half Orthodox. At the village Vivlos or Tripodes stand windmills. In Prompona a good local wine is worth a try.

At the village Ano Sagri is the monastery of Agios Eletherios, which used to be a hidden school during the Turkish rule. Another monastery is dedicated to St. John, and here excavations indicate that there used to be a 6th century BC temple to the goddess Demeter here. You can also visit the Castle (Kastro) of Apalyrou.

The village Apiranthos is also called the marble village, since many buildings and streets here are made of marble. It has many beautiful buildings, and you can go to the tower of Zevgoli from the 17th century and the tower of Bardani. There is also a small museum here with various findings from the east part of the island. You should also try the local wine.

At the village Flerio there is a 7th century statue lying on the ground. It is a kouros, or boy, with a height of 6,40 meters. If you want to climb the Za (Zeus) mountain this is the place to start. You can also take a two-hour walk from here to the ruins of the monastery Fotoides. The Byzantine capital of Naxos was Halci, and there are still venetian castles there as well as the oldest lemon distillery of the island.

At the village Moni you can visit the monastery of the Virgin Mary with its old wall paintings. The village Koronida or Komiaki is the highest village on the island, built at 700 meters above the sea level. The village Apollona has the remains of an ancient temple to Apollo, with a ten-meter statue lying on the ground.

From Galini you can go to the monastery of the Highest Virgin Mary (Panagias tis Ypsiloteras), which is also called Tower of Agelakopoulou, which was the surname of the last owner. In the 17th century this was a monastery. From here, the people of Naxos fought both Venetians and pirates. Close to Agios Arsenios is a 17th century monastery to St John as well as the oldest church on the island: Agios Mamas from the 9th century.

Beaches

There are beautiful beaches for swimming at Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna, Mikri Vigla, Kastraki, Alikos, Pirgaki, Agiassos (on the west side), Apollonas, Psili Ammos, Panormos, Pahia Ammos and others elsewhere round the island.

Things to taste & buy
Embroideries
Honey
Various local cheeses "Kefalotyri" "Arseniko" and "Ksynotyro"
Citrus drink "kitron"
Local octopus

Useful Information

(Area 448 sq. km. Distance from Piraeus 103 nautical miles)
How to get there
By air from Athens
Olympic Airways: +30 2103550500
By sea from Piraeus, Rafina & Lavrio
Piraeus Port Authority: +30 2104226000-4, +30 2104114005
Rafina Port Authority: +30 22940 28888, 22300
Lavrio Port Authority: +30 22920 25249, 60188

Useful telephone numbers
Area Code: +30 22850
Municipal Office: 60100
Police: 22100
Port Authority: 22300

Olympic Airways, Naxos: 24816 (airport)
Health Center: 23333, 23676
Archeological Museum: 22725

http://www.naxos.gr