Sifnos, Cyclades Islands

In brief
Sifnos, is a pretty and relatively fertile island with its landscape dotted with over 350 churches and tiny chapels. Sifnos with the excellent beaches and the lovely villages, is also famous for its pottery (for over 2000 years) and its cooks. Due to variety and beauty of its landscape, Sifnos is an ideal island for those love walking.

General Information
A monotonous grey landscape of rock, broken up here and there by a gleaming white chapel, is the first impression made on visitors as the ferry draws into the harbour. But this gives them no idea of the beauty spots waiting to be discovered inland, which together with the island’s superb architecture, rank it among the jewels of the Aegean.
Gold and silver mines gave the island great wealth in antiquity and resulted Sifnos being the larger contributors to the Delphi Treasury and enjoyed great prosperity in Classical times.
 

An attractive drive from the port of Kamares, a modern town with pottery workshops, brings us to the island’s capital, Apollonia. Standing on three hillsides, with its typical Cycladic style of architecture, it is breathtakingly beautiful. It has an interesting folklore Museum, while the churches of the greatest interest are those of Our Lady “Ouranofora” and St Sozon. Like that of the villages round about (Artemonas, Exambela, Kato Petali), the architecture of Apollonia is an odd assemblage in which walls, terraces, courtyards and alleyways form large cubes in a continuous complex, in total harmony with the natural environment.
The sole exception to this is the old capital of Kastro, which remains an example of medieval town planning. A collection of Archaic and Hellenistic sculpture and of ceramics from the Geometric to the Byzantine period is on display in its Archaeological Museum.
 

Picturesque windmills surrender their sails to the vagaries of the wind, while no fewer than 365 churches and chapels sprout all over the island like white mushrooms from the grey carpet of the island’s terrain. The monasteries of Sifnos, such as that of St Symeon, of Ai- Lias, the Vrissi monastery with an interesting little Byzantine museum and that of Our Lady “Chryssopigi”, the patron saint of the island, are held in high esteem.
The strong local colour of the mountainous island with its strips of coastal plain is further heightened by its picturesque fairs and festivals.

Small bays with turquoise blue waters accentuate the white of the monastery and fill you with a sense of tranquillity while you lose yourself watching the sea stretched out before you.
Tourist facilities on Sifnos are of a good standard and it is possible for the visitor to combine a lively nightlife with a peaceful island existence close to nature.

Sightseeing 

The capital of the island Apollonia, after its ancient patron god and hosts an art museum. The old part is called Artemonas, and there might have been a temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis here.
Kastro is the old capital, and the Ventian citadel here dates back to the 14th century. There is a small archaeological museum here, and the village itself is well worth a visit.
Panagia Vouno, (The virgin of the Mountain) is a fascinating church that is usually open in the mornings.
The monastery of the Virgin Mary of the Golden Well (Panagia Chryssopigi) is situated just outside Faros and is open to the public. The icon of the Virgin here is said to have healing powers. 

Beaches

There are clean and attractive beaches at Kamares, Faros and Platis Gialos, as well as quieter and less-known ones, such as those at Hersonissos, Vroulidia, and Fikiada Fassolou.

Things to taste & buy
Pottery
Local caper pickled along with caper leaves
 

Useful Information

(Area 83 sq. km. Distance from Piraeus: 78 nautical miles)

How to get there
By sea from Piraeus
Piraeus Port Authority: +30 2104226000-4, +30 2104114005

Useful telephone numbers
Area Code: +30 22840
Commune Office: 31345, 32388, 31234
Police: 31210
Port Authority: 31617
Health Center: 31315

http://www.sifnos.gr