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

Milos, Cyclades Islands

In brief
Milos, is a nice volcanic island with spectacular geological and rock formations and super beaches. Milos' port Adamas is located in the flooded interior of an old caldera and is one of the safest natural harbours in the Mediterranean.

General Information
Milos is the most southerly island in the Western Cyclades. It is notable for its volcanic soil and for the rich deposits of minerals that lie beneath. It has a distinctive horseshoe shape.
The civilization of Milos is considered to be as ancient as that of Crete, and spans a period of at least 5,000 years.
Its fame spread throughout the civilized world thanks to the masterpiece of the Venus de Milo, a statue found buried on the island in the 19th century and now in the Louvre's Museum in Paris - a plaster copy can be viewed at the island's archeological museum.

Adamas, one of the safest natural harbours in the Aegean, is a particularly charming spot, with whitewashed houses, cobbled alleys, balconies crammed with flower-pots and fragrant tamarisks which have been extolled by the poets.

Milos or Plaka, capital of the island today stands on a hillside overlooking the sea at the foot of the castle. It is a most attractive town, with architecture in the characteristic Cycladic style.
Among the most notable of its churches are those of Our Lady “Korfiotissa”, Our Lady “Thalassistra” and Our Lady “Messa Panagia”.

Milos Island has a long history and claims to have the oldest town in Cyclades at Phylakope. It became rich from trading obsidian and exporting weapons made of it. Numerous finds are exhibited in the Island's Archaeological Museum, and in the Museum of Athens, but the most important find is Aphrodite of Milos (Venus de Milo), a Hellinistic work of about 150 BC -was discovered in 1820. A plaster copy of this master piece of art can be seen in the island's Archaeological Museum, while the original is in Louvre museum in Paris.

At the north-eastern extremity of Milos is the modern resort of Pollonia or Apollonia. Close by (3 km.) is Phylakope, the most important centre of population in Minoan times; the ancient city was built in three phases. Next to the archeological site is the spectacular Papafranga cave. The sea-cave called Kleftiko is at the south end of the island.

However, the most important monument on Milos is the island’s famous catacombs, now open to the public. They are located at the village of Tripiti, 2 km. from the main town of Plaka and they are among the most important of Early Christian monuments.
The extensive infrastructure for tourism of Milos, its clear waters and its fascinating monuments are helping to attract more and more visitors to the island.
The nearby islets of Antilmilos, Arkadies and Glaronissia are also of interest, each in its own way.

Sightseeing
In Plaka, Milos' capital, there are quite a few things to see. You can visit the archaeological museum where various findings from the excavations on the island are displayed, as well as a copy of Aphrodite of Milos.
The Historical and Folklore Museum has a collection of folk artefacts, samples of the island’s minerals, photographs and historical documents of the greatest interest.

The church dedicated to the Virgin Mary has many icons and here you will also get a wonderful view. The Venetian Kastro is also worth a visit.
Just above Klima there is a big archaeological excavation site, and here you will see many ancient ruins, as well as the spot where Aphrodite of Milos was found.

At Sarakiniko the ancient town Fylakopis is being excavated, and the landscape here resembles the moon. It is believed that this is where the first settlers lived, and there are traces of Minoan civilization here as well as a Roman theatre from the 2nd century PC.
The Christian catacombs from the 1st to 3rd century where about 2000 people were buried are definitely worth a visit.
In Milos' harbour, Adamas, there is a mining museum, as well as an ecclesiastical museum.

Beaches
There are more than 50 different beaches on Milos Island, offering tourists all kinds of setting for a delightful swimming exeprience. Hivadolimni Beach is the longest beach of the island about 1 kilometre. The rest of the beaches are starting from North are Sarakiniko, Papafragas, Kapros, Pachena, Alogomantra, Konstantinos, Mitakas, Mantrakia, Firopotamos, Nerodafni, Lakida, Plathiena, Fourkovouni, Areti, Pollonia, Gourado and Filakopi. South beaches are Firiplaka, Paliochori, Provatas, Tsigrado, Agia Kyriaki, Psaravolada, Kleftiko, Gerontas, Gerakas, Agios Sostis, Mouchlioti, Katergo, Spathi, Firligos, Pialothiafes, Kalamos, Krotiraki, Psathi, Svoronou and Sakelari.Western beaches include Agios Ioannis, Cave of Sikia, Agathia, Triades and Ammoudaraki and Eastern beaches include Voudia, Thalassa, Paliorema, Tria Pagidia and Thiafes.In the Bay Area you may find Hivadolimni, Lagada, Papikinou, Fatourena, Klima, Skinopi and Patrikia. The North and South and the bay beaches are tourists attraction. The east beaches are very quiet and the west are also quiet and lonesome beaches.

Useful Information

(Area 160 sq. km. Distance from Piraeus 87 nautical miles)
How to get there
By air from Athens 
Olympic Airways: +30 2103550500
By sea from Piraeus
Piraeus Port Authority: +30 2104226000-4, +30 2104114005

Useful telephone numbers
Area Code: +30 22870
Municipal Offices: 21370, 21249
Police: 21378
Port Authority: 23360
Olympic Airways, Milos: 22380
Milos airport: 22381
Health Center: 22700, 22701, 21755
Archaeological Museum: 21620
Historical and Folklore Museum: 21292

http://www.milos.gr