We can get to know Skyros on our own tours or with the help of a tourist guide. But if we have a local, well-informed and willing to reveal the peculiarities of the place as our guide, then: we walk along secret, beautiful paths, we meet remote, cavernous chapels, a Byzantine monastery by Nikiforos Fokas with pillars at the entrance made of ancient statues and columns.
We photograph free, cute Skyrian Horses in “Vouno”. We come in contact with wonderful people of spirit and art. And still, we taste excellent local flavors in picturesque taverns. After the end of our visit we are sure that we have experienced a very special part of Skyros’ physiognomy.

-Will we have someone to show us around the island?I ask Anna.
-Sure, Skyrian Maria Athanasiadou. She has taken over our complete introduction to the peculiarities of Skyros.
-And who will accompany us on the trails?
-Maria, of course. We are very lucky to have in an unknown place a person with Maria’s knowledge and willingness.
I couldn’t help but agree with Anna. However, I suddenly felt strange. Sort of like a tourist following a group where everything is arranged down to the last detail. I reserved, however, to express my concerns while awaiting developments. Which were, of course, not going to be delayed…………..
FIRST HOURS IN SKYROS
30 years after the first sail from Kymi to Skyros.
A few minutes before the boat docks at the port of Linaria, the phone rings. It’s our guardian angel, Maria Athanasiadou. Who, having made sure of our boarding the boat two hours earlier, contacts us again to determine the exact spot on the quay where she will await our arrival.
-Compelling interest, says Anna enthusiastically.
-To the point of suffocation I mutter through my teeth myself.
The moment our white SUZUKI JIMNY leaves the boat and touches the waterfront, a hand rises among the people and nods briskly at us. A few seconds later Maria shakes our hands, heartily. With a kindly physiognomy, a cathartic look that stares us in the face and a slender and “crispy” body, our Skyrian friend does away with surnames and plurals from the first moment and joins our 4-member group with the ease and comfort of someone who has known us for years.
-How tired are you? Maria asks.
-Not at all. Since we started this morning, we haven’t even completed 10 hours on the roads.
-Then let’s postpone some visits I had in mind. So I suggest a hotel first and then a meal, okay?
Who could possibly object to a suggestion that makes so much sense?
9 km after the port of Linaria (*) we arrive in Chora. In the position “PLAGIA” before the picturesque uphill, we meet our hotel “NEFELI”. The complex wins us from the first moment, both with the multi-dimensional architecture of the individual buildings, and with the extremely hospitable reception of all staff members.
The courtyard is stunning with paved walkways and steps, countless flowers, trees, and aromatic plants. Dominating the grounds is an imposing 220 square meter swimming pool. Next to it, an exquisite space with large wooden tables is used as a breakfast, coffee, dinner or drinks area. Something else that fascinates us in NEFELI is the opposite view of Chora, that spectacular hill of the Castle, which has become world famous for the architecture of its tightly packed houses.
As the first lights of Chora are switched on the whole group is ready for its night out. Within minutes our footsteps are strolling along the main cobbled pedestrian street of Chora. It is the most emblematic street of Skyros, a real attraction with countless shops, which host on their shelves and in their windows the excellent products of Skyrian handicraft, wood carvings, ceramics and textiles. At some point it is time for dinner. We enjoy it on a cool terrace overlooking the city lights , and the stars in the sky.
MUSEUMS, ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT OF N.ΣΚΥROS
Early in the morning we are woken up by the twittering of birds. From the windows of our two-storey maisonette, we gaze out at the rosy reflection of the still unseen sun behind the bulk of the castle. It is a true privilege to start our first day in Skyros in such conditions.
Crossing the cobbled lane among the flowers and the scents of lavender and louisas, we head to the breakfast area. Nefeli’s buffet echoes the management’s commitment to quality, fresh local produce. Traditional pies, strapatsada made from farm eggs, feta cheese from Skyros, rice pudding, cakes and cookies, doughnuts and semolina halva and even figs from Kymi and fresh fruit, wonderful honey from Skyros and homemade jams and so much more for vegetarians, diabetics and young children.
Maria shows up to our appointment with split-second accuracy. I appreciate her even more. Born in Skyros, with major stints in Thessaloniki and Athens and an international career and studies, Maria Athanasiadou has returned to her native land in recent years and dedicated herself to it. In what way? By volunteering her experience and knowledge of Skyros to visitors of the island, both Greek and foreigners. Her sole aim and ambition remains the promotion of the particularities of Skyros, from antiquity to the present day.
-Let’s start our tour somewhat unconventionally, says Maria.
Instead of focusing on the external beauties of Skyros, we should focus our attention on its spirit and soul, on its museums. These will help us to understand what we will then encounter on the island.
-And where will all this fit into one article?
-You don’t have to include everything. Let it be a spicy taste for now. But enough to whet the appetite and interest of every traveller, every nature lover for Skyros. So let’s start with the two museums on the island, the Archaeological Museum and the Manos Faltaic Museum.
We follow the seaside asphalt road, under the Chora. At one point we climb a wide cobblestone road that ascends with steps and very quickly leads us to a prominent spot where the monument of the “Aeonian Poetry” is located. It is the statue of the naked young man sculpted by the sculptor Michael Tombros in memory of the philhellenic English poet Rupert Brooke. A little further down we find the Archaeological Museum of Skyros. It was built in 1963 under the care of the Skyrian Archaeologist Yannis Papadimitriou. It started to operate in 1973. It includes the “Skyrian House” and two antiquities halls.
The Skyrian House was donated by the late Litsas Papadimitriou-Kostiris and houses her personal collection of ceramics, Skyrian furniture and embroidery.
In the two antiquities rooms, remarkable findings are exhibited which are irrefutable proof of Skyros’ contact with the other Aegean islands and the Asia Minor coast. In 1981, Mrs. Styliani Parlama and Maria Theochari, archaeologists of the Hellenic Archaeological Service, started the excavation of the ancient port of Palamari at the NE end of the island with fortifications from the 3rd millennium BC.
We observe with admiration the exposed findings, testifying to the high aesthetics of the Greeks from the earliest stages of their existence.
Leaving the Archaeological Museum, we climb uphill for a while and enter the sanctuary of the Faltaic Museum. Following Mary Belogianni’s unparalleled article on the Museum (1), which is unparalleled in its brilliance and completeness, all we can express is our admiration for the multi-dimensional space, the exhibits of incredible historical and collector’s value and, above all, for the fascinating personalities of the Faltaic couple. And of course, it is true luck to share a few moments of rare spirituality with Mano Faltaic in the museum’s gleaming Aegean skyline, above the largest tower of the ancient Pelasgian walls of Skyros.
Impressed by the ancient and modern face of Skyros, we take the uphills to Chora.
We follow the uphill Brooke Street, an authentic old cobbled street that passes in front of the house of the legendary archaeologist Manolis Andronikos. Next to it is the chapel of the Five Martyrs, of the Faltaic family. The dazzling whiteness of houses and churches is strongly coloured by the purple bougainvillea, The street of Mayor Andreas Gialouri, the so-called “Megali Strata” the street of the ruling class of Skyros, begins.
-“How would we know these details without you?” I ask Maria. In reply I receive a smile of obvious satisfaction.
We walk up the stairs and arrive at the lily-lit little square of “Sarou” which was the centre of the nobility and power of the island, as vividly depicted in the following verses:(2)
“Here is called the great meydani of Sarous, where the noblemen and the great men stay… where the noblewomen come out and make a syriani.”
A characteristic feature of the square are the three little churches. The first one is the “Archontopanagia” of the 17th century, the church of the Kotzabasides.
Directly opposite is the “Panagia tou Koukiou” of “Ktsu” in the Skyrian dialect. It was named so because on her feast day, on 21 November, they offer boiled beans, the “ktsas”, instead of wheat. The church was built in 1560, while its wonderful frescoes date back to the 17th century.
Next to it is the church of Taxiarches, with frescoes of a similar style and era but more worn.
Outside the churches a beautiful “covered” alley gives us a cool flow of air and precious shade.
We observe the little square of Sarous, the small churches and the alleys. Each element of the neighborhood and of the Chora in general has limited dimensions. Thus, therefore, ‘the settlement is completely lacking in spacious spaces. Each house, in order to keep close to the Castle, had to occupy a minimum of surface area, as much as was absolutely necessary for the family. Yet within this narrow space the small churches found their place, almost all the saints of Orthodoxy(3).
We continue to ascend Agios Georgios Street, which owes its name to the homonymous imposing monastery of the patron saint of Skyros. We come across traditional houses, all whitewashed, with tanks to collect rainwater from the gutter. Many streets, incredibly narrow, run off to the left and right. We walk slowly, delightfully, capturing as many architectural, construction or decorative details of the houses as we can. There is a little square with two benches, the old house of Yialouris and the white-white dome of the church “Kyra-Psomous”. Further up appears the church of the Holy Trinity, with two outer spindle columns and a few surviving frescoes.
After the Holy Trinity, the huge, vertical rock of the castle suddenly looms in front of us. Unfortunately, due to works in progress, access to the Castle is not permitted. Two more small churches are located here. The beaches of “Magazia” and “Molos” are spread out below with a top view. In the hollows of the rock of the Castle, a few pigeons purr in the shade. I bless them because we are going back out into the sun. Maria’s itinerary and provides for the continuation to the northernmost point of the island. There, at the edge of the coast, is the fortified settlement of Palamari.
The area has a strange charm, with low bushy vegetation, sand dunes with oleander smooth slopes and low hillsides along the coastline. A little lower down stretches the wide bay of Palamari with large flat slabs on the shallow seabed. Above the steep slopes of the bay, the excavation of the Greek Archaeological Service continues over an area of about 17 acres, which has brought to light one of the most important prehistoric settlements of the Aegean during the Early and Middle Bronze Age. The importance of this settlement is further enhanced by its perfectly preserved strong fortification, while the ruined walls of many houses have also been uncovered. The area is arid and hot.
-“I have the feeling that we need a little rest,” says Maria.
-Yes, you’ve been running us for several hours now without a break.
-I know. But from now on we relax and enjoy.
We cross the dirt road from Palamari and get back on the tarmac. Here, in the wilderness, the butcher’s tavern “The Passage” stands out.
-I would dream of a fish tavern by the sea, says Anna with disappointment.
-Hopefully, the fish tavern will be next.
-But what are we going to eat in the butcher’s shop in Skyros, ribs?
There are other delicacies, our friend says mysteriously.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Marigula and her daughter Froso welcome us very cheerfully with juices and cold water.
-I am hungry, says little Athena suddenly.
I’m hungry too, replies Maria. But could we first take a dip in some amazing water?
In a moment we forget our tiredness and hunger, get back in the car, drive south through a wonderful pine forest and about three kilometres later, we have the happiness of facing an exotic sandy beach. It is the famous Kalogrias Bay, with the stunning sandy beaches of Mrs. Panagia.
In the terrible heat of the afternoon we fall into the crystal clear, wonderful water. Everyone’s happiness soars to new heights. The only thing that no longer occupies our thoughts is food.
Schooners and cedar trees are the main vegetation of the sandy beach. The forest of shade pines begins further up. However, we spot a small clump of cedar trees, which offer us their shade. But we are already hungry. The only desirable destination is the promising butcher’s tavern “The Passage”. At this time of the afternoon we are alone in the shop.
-“Unfortunately,” says Maria, “we didn’t get the Buenos Aires.”
-And what’s Buenos Aires?
-The Good Airs, the coolest part of the store. There, next door.
At a table at the E-N-E end of the rooftop, under some nice arches of carved local limestone. Here Maria’s choice is solemnly confirmed. The microclimate of this spot is amazing. We sit down. As if we were, all of a sudden, in a small local boulangerie, with a cool breeze blowing all the time.
-Would you bring us a list?
-What do you need it for? I’ll bring you some dishes, and anything you don’t like, I’ll take back.
First comes the Skyros gruyere, cheesed in the traditional way, which varies from family to family. Its taste is unique, nothing like the branded gruyere of the SUPER MARKETS. Then Marigula brings a round pie.
-Cheese pie with xinotiri, Maria shows us around. Local speciality of Skyros.
The oil pie is wonderful and the pies with trahanas are equally delicious. A deep dish appears, which from three meters away is smelling like a miracle.
-“Goat’s liver stew,” announces Marigula. If you don’t like it…………
-I know, you take it back. But we like it! And we like it a lot!
-Save room for the main course, says Maria
-What do you mean? Is there a sequel?
-But we didn’t come just for that. There’s another speciality of the restaurant. The lemon goat with handmade pasta! That’s what Skyros is famous for.
I won’t try to describe the goat of Marigula. How can you describe divine tastes and smells? These two sensations not even the camera can describe. Let alone words.
We say goodbye to Marigula and Froso, we say goodbye to the “Passage”, which, apart from being a cool outdoor space in summer, also offers a welcoming space with a fireplace for the winter. I dream of such a prospect from now on.
With the setting sun we return to the Chora. We catch it as it sheds its last light on this incredibly beautiful hill of the Castle, where the all-white Skyrian houses are clinging, in a companionable embrace, one next to the other.
- DEMETRI’S MONASTERY IN A STUNNING ENVIRONMENT
-I hope your program continues like this, I say to Maria early in the morning. I’m ready to give up any quest of my own.
-You haven’t seen anything yet. Anyway, “what you don’t like, I take back” as Marigula was saying yesterday.
Left above our hotel we take an uphill asphalt road heading S-SW. A few minutes later we reach a ridge, with excellent views down into the valley of Ferekambos and the wooded slopes of Olympus in the centre of North Skyros. In these lush green slopes we see a touch of all-white. It is the monastery of Agios Dimitris
We reach the valley, open two successive wire gates, climb up a rough dirt road and finish in a clearing on the pine-covered slope. This is where the wonders begin. We are first impressed by a fortified enclosure of fortress construction, which surrounds the monastic complex with a maximum height of 5 meters and a wall thickness of at least 1 meter.
The interior of the monastery is even more impressive. Here we are led through a gate with pilasters made of marble columns of a pre-Christian temple. The lintel consists of a large piece of marble, an unarticulated inscription, the date 1614 is mentioned
-But this is a much later date, Maria points out. According to the current owner of the estate and the monastery, Harry Metallino, the monument is Byzantine, built by the Byzantine emperor Nikiforos Fokas in 960, as well as the monastery of Agios Georgios in Chora.
Equally impressive, to the left of the gate, is a large ascetic space with three parallel arches of heavy construction. They apparently supported the roof of this large space, which was undoubtedly the central hall with the altar of the monastery. Thick pieces of carved limestone form the hollow part of the arches. The hall ends in the N-NE part of the enclosure, where we can distinguish three battlements.
The cobbled corridor to the catholic passes under a second courtyard, more impressive than the first.
The pilasters of this gateway also come from pre-Christian architectural elements, a column on the left and a walled statue of an ancient god on the right. Exceptional representations also adorn the marble lintel of the gate. Other notable features of the monastery are the water tank, the wood oven and the ruined water mill outside the fortification.
The katholikon is a small one-room, cross-shaped church with a dome. The frescoes on the walls are stunning. Our greatest thrill, however, is at the sight of the relief, in the centre of the marble floor, of the Bicephalic Eagle!
I cannot resist the temptation to include here a passage from the excellent book by the late Nick. I. Pantazopoulos on the “Double-headed Eagle” (4). The quotation of this passage is at the same time a tribute to this legendary professor of my Law School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
“The Eagle, the king of birds, one-headed or two-headed, is the primordial cultural symbol for the origin of terrestrial power… In the Greek nation, the Byzantine double-headed eagle is the emblem of power and its spread tends to be identified with the consequences of a reality, that of the fallen empire and of a mystical spirit, that of the national idea”.
At a distance of a few dozen metres from the monastery towards the mountainside we find a heavenly landscape, with a water tank and a large cistern with water lilies and goldfish. Straight cypresses, towering plane trees and huge cherry trees cover the ground with dense shade. A few century-old vines, resembling giant mythical octopuses of abyssal depths, have wrapped themselves around the trunks and branches of the great trees in an everlasting tight embrace.
In all this beautiful natural environment is harmoniously integrated the simple, house of the family of Harry Metallinos, who made a real struggle to keep the monument in this good state of preservation. We stay for a few minutes in silence, with the chirping of the water and the twittering of the small birds in our ears.
-I think how happy I would feel if some dawn I opened my eyes to this home, says Anna, and I have no reason to disagree with her.
IN PANIA LIBIANI AND THE PINE TREE BEACH
-It’s time to stretch our legs a little, says Maria.
With a good dirt road we cross to the N-NE the valley of Ferekambos. Vegetation, oleanders but also extensive earthworks to create a dam to collect rainwater from the streams in the valley. Hopefully the project will prove its usefulness, but for the moment the aesthetics of the landscape have been badly damaged.
At the end of the valley, take a forest road uphill to the left (west). A path continues straight ahead, which, in less than an hour, leads to Chora. We, through a forest of trachia pine, pass initially by the chapel of St. Myronas (called Merona in Skyros). A little later we come across the very beautiful chapel of St. Nicholas, 800 meters later we stop in front of a wire gate.
10:45. We start the trail from an altitude of 290 meters in a NW direction. A sign with the number “2” is nailed on a pine tree. The trail is scented with thyme and thurible, while the vegetation is mostly schist, thorns and young pine trees. We leave an old mine gallery on our right. Suddenly a large fallen pine tree trunk inserts itself into the path. We move aside branches, enter underneath and meet a clear path again. A slight downhill, then flat ground and then uphill.
11:00 After repeated ups and downs we are back at 290m. At this point it is as if the nature of Skyros has drawn an imaginary line. After which, between the rocks and the pine trees, the zone of the kuma tree begins to develop.
11:20 After a long time we again come across a marker, a narrow long upright stone and a mark on a trunk in an E-NE 60° direction. 10 minutes later we reach a rocky outcrop at an altitude of 350 metres. Wind and distant views to the S-SE of cloudy Kohila, the highest peak of Skyros. For a few minutes we descend a narrow, rough path.
11:35 In 50 minutes from our departure we arrive at Panagia Libiani, named of course after its location on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain of “Meroi”, North Skyros(5)
The cavernous chapel is nestled in the depths of a huge limestone rock at an altitude of 330 metres (6). The year of its construction is 1798. Two marble pillars from the pre-Christian era were used to enter the temple, while two other marble vaults of exceptional art can be found inside the chapel. One of them is built-in while the other is used as an altar. Just above the chapel a forest road ends, which has been opened only in the last few years.
At a fast pace it takes 35 minutes to walk back. Noon finds us in pine trees again, not on the mountain but on the “Beach of Pefkos” A cool wind blows that exceeds 5 Beaufort. The waters of Pefkos, however, are unperturbed, unaffected by easterly and northerly winds. The place is beautiful, an enclosed cove with sand and pebbles. All around, the slopes end steeply to the sea, with pine trees and slate trees reaching only a few metres above the water. Stone steps lead to the shore. Further down, the road ends above a dredge with fishing boats and recreational boats. Next to it, we find what every visitor would wish for: a little tavern. It is the restaurant “The Stamatia” The history goes back to the 50s. It was then that Stamatia’s parents, Barpa Mitsos and Mrs. Anessa had their home here in Pefkos. They were hospitable people who always had their home open to the travellers-visitors of that time. Stephanie, who was a little girl then, still remembers the colorful boots and backpacks of the hikers – mostly foreigners – of that time.
This is how the first tavern in Pefkos started. Today it is the well-known restaurant of Stamatia with traditional Greek cuisine, lemon goat and olive oil pie, excellent eggplant salad and of course lobster pasta. The fish is freshly caught by Stamatia’s husband Kostas. We choose some morning stew fish and a lovely pike of about a kilo, smelling of the sea.
Flowers, shady mulberries and a view of Pefkos Bay. Moments for relaxation and reminiscing, which we expect to continue later , at dinnertime in the Nefeli pool. Very quickly it turned out that we were “reckoning without the hotelier”, which in this case was Maria, with the next stage of the program she had prepared.
THE INTRODUCTION TO THE “MOUNTAIN”
The chapel of Agios Panteleimon dominates the high ground of the NW coast of Pefkos. It is a top point, which from an altitude of 260 metres, looks down on the plan of Pefkos, while on the E-SE horizon it overlooks the bare mountain range of the “Mountain”.
-It’s still early, we have time for a walk to the mountain, says Maria.
-But what are we going to do in this wilderness?
-We’ll see a special landscape, very different from the morning Merroe. And if we’re lucky – which I see we are quite a few – we might even come across a beautiful little horse roaming free.
At the sound of this sweet word Athena forgets her longing for diving and declares her excitement for a walk on the “Mountain. As soon as we leave the beaches of Kalamitsa behind us and begin the uphill climbs, the landscape changes dramatically. It seems to our eyes unreal, rocky and windswept, a rugged and masculine southern part of Skyros, denying any resemblance, any commonality with its northern part, the tender and gentle Meroi.
Kostas Faltaic, Manos’ father, wrote among other things about the mountain (7) “Virginity” untouched dominates the southern land. Stone and branch and again stone and branch. Stones white, reddish, whitish. And the dusky branches, untouched too, have a different nature and character from the nature of the branches and trees of the northern part. The pine dominates the northern part, but from the southern part not a single one of these trees native to the area is to be found. On the contrary, maple, hornbeam, holly, holly and arborvitae dominate.
It is to this land that we also ascend, marveling at the lunar nakedness of the Skyrian “Mountain”. Suddenly the desolate place comes out of its stony stillness, comes alive and calms down. At a bend in the road five little horses appear. With them is a newborn, only a few days old. In an instant we stop the car, remaining completely silent. There is a fear that they will be shadowed by our presence and with their feathery legs gallop away.
Seconds pass, nothing happens. After the first exploratory glance the cute animals continue to search for grass, while the little one, with clumsy steps, tries to hide behind his mum. We can now get out of the car to admire them up close. We couldn’t have hoped for a happier encounter.
George Faltaic (8) writes about the horses of Skyros… the native horses of Skyros lived their whole life in the mountains, deprived of any care and special attention from their owners. They lived wild and fed on grass and tender branches of chamomile trees. Many times, in the winter, in the damp nature, exhausted by cold and hunger, they would weaken and die, with no one to care for them. But in March and April, when all nature comes alive and the grass is abundant, then gradually, gradually, they took up their strength, became vigorous, multiplied and perpetuated their kind. And in the summer, at the time of harvesting and threshing, when machines had not yet made their presence on the island, they were “invited” to prove their usefulness to man… The scientific version of their origin is that they remain the last representatives of the “Hipparium of Pikermos”, which lived in the area of Greece seventeen million years ago.
After the graceful parenthesis we rediscover the stern physiognomy of the Mountain. But here on the southern coast is a very idyllic picture, with successive coves and caverns and between them the wide, semi-circular bay of “Three Boukes”. Its mouth is protected from the south winds by the uninhabited islets ‘Platia’ and ‘Sarakinos’. Here, in an enclosed and crowded cove, is the grave of Rupert Brooke. In the Middle Ages, until the liberation of Skyros, the Three Boukes were the largest centres of activity of the Aegean pirates.
But the surprises of the Mountain are not over yet. A little further up reveals the “Aris” plateau with hard, reddish soil. It is a completely flat place, “shaved” by stones and bushes, reminiscent of a landing strip. Along the way we pass by numerous bushes bent by the North. Suddenly we experience the greatest surprise. We have the feeling that we are facing a stone pony. We approach, observe carefully and wonder if the stone effigy of the horse in front of us is a rare sculpture of nature or if the hand of man has been involved. Whatever it is, it leaves us amazed, its presence could not be more timely and in a more ideal setting.
We end this first tour of the mountain with a descent – with successive hairpin bends – to the wild eastern coast with its sea caves. The last pleasant memory of the place is the crystal clear water from the “Nifi” spring, above the church of Agia Triada.
Delighted by the unpredictable revelations of the mountain, we return to Chora. Before we turn for the hotel, Maria directs us to the extremity of the beach of the Magazia. There, on the waterfront, we find ourselves at the Ancient Powder Quarry. Pouria, the adjacent Molos, like other parts of Skyros, were inhabited as early as the 3rd millennium. As for the quarries of Skyros, they vary according to the types of stone. Among them, the porolith quarries in Pouria are mentioned in a Latin inscription as known and established (9). We are walking through the most bizarre landscape of Skyros. In front of us is the chapel of Agios Nikolaos, in the bowels of a giant limestone, and a straddle above the water, the chapel of Agios Hermolaos, on the islet of the same name. All along the coast, ancient carvings and impressive limestone shapes, in and out of the water. A few minutes before the sun sets, the landscape is unique.
SAINT ARTEMIO THE MOUNTAIN EXILE
It is our great desire to return to the “Mountain” with a hiking trail.
-“We’ll go to Agios Artemios,” says Maria.
We head south and from Aspous we turn left towards “Achilli”, with its large but still unfinished marina. Across the road we find a very steep concrete road, above it passes next to a water tank of the “Nifatsi” spring. It starts a very rough dirt road, only for 4×4. Further up we meet the beginning of the path. It is obvious but without any signposting. However, a sensitive local has left some thick reeds to assist mountain hikers
11:15′ We begin the ascent from an altitude of 180 metres. The trail is uphill, carved through thymes and thorns, easy to walk and easy to see. In a few minutes we reach a “septic tank”, a wire gate that prevents the passage of animals. Here and there, figures of goats appear. We wonder what they find to eat in this thorny place.
11:25′ After a continuous uphill climb we reach almost neck level. To the S-SE, the peaks of “VUNU” are revealed, through swiftly moving clouds.
11:40′. Four sheep with long, unruly hair appear. Their appearance does not surprise us. Who would bother with their hairstyle in this wilderness! It starts downhill on a very nice, dirt path. A few minutes later our course cuts vertically through the “Donkey’s Crest”, which ends at the rough shore of the “Nyfaki” cove. With a wire gate we cross the bed and climb up the opposite slope.
11:50′ We reach a plateau at an altitude of 310 metres. Here we follow a very narrow, imperceptible path, among thorns. Our orientation is E-SE 100°. On our left there is a small hut and in front of us a lone gorcia (wild yew) tree. Cross a narrow dirt road and continue along the trail in a SE direction
12:00 The dirt road begins to climb very steeply with slippery gravel. A few minutes later a dense, clump of trees appears. They are century-old maples. Costas Faltaic reports on it: “Maple trees, trees of beauty, form here and there clumps of virginal, full of semi-arid charm. In former times these clumps were large forests, and the southern part had a wild form. In the canals there are still large trees and burnt trunks showing the old green wealth of those days. The clumps remained few in the successive mountains of this paradoxical southern section….”
12:10′ At 55 minutes after our departure we reach Agios Artemio at an altitude of 400 meters. It is a stunning outcrop, with a unique view of the horizon, both land and sea. The chapel is unseen in the cave, which exists at the base of the giant rock. Next to it some stone steps lead to the depths of the rock with a spring of drinking water. On October 20, the feast of the great martyr Artemius, a great feast is held here, with a traditional goat stew accompanied by rice.
We treat ourselves to a hearty stop, some in the shade of the rock and others in the shade of the maple trees. Then we take the road back with the certainty that Agios Artemios is one of the most beautiful hiking destinations.
At sea level again. Noon and hot.
-Doesn’t today’s schedule call for a chipotle? I ask Maria.
-Of course, she replies, at the tavern in Asimenos.
Coming out on the main network of Chora-Linaria we meet the tavern with its shady vines. We immediately spot “Buenos Aires” in the cool corner of the restaurant. Young in age and nice, the young and amiable Asimenos welcomes us politely
-What’s the chippy in the shop?
-A very good one from Thessaloniki, “BABATZIM”
-The tsipouro of my friend Anesti in Skyros?
-Here it is very well known and loved.
The Asimenos will be back in two minutes. He accompanies the tsipouro with sardines and salted tuna and fillets of smoked honey.
-These are our own production.
-And they really are amazing.
So, in Skyros, the pleasant tasty routes continue uninterrupted, revealing an overall quality, with taste and respect of the catering professionals of Skyros towards the visitors of the island.
-What kind of fish does the restaurant suggest?
-The current morning fish are the melanes and anchovies.
Our table is munching on the fried fresh fish. The tomatoes from the caper garden are wonderful, along with the capers and the crittata. But also the xinotiri oil pie with xinotiri from Stavroula, the mother of Asimenos, is one of the best.
-If you come back I’ll have lemon goat or fish soup and lobster casserole. Asimenos and his father George get the fish.
In charge of our dinner program is “Nefeli”. We are all invited to the farewell dinner by the pool. In this cool atmosphere, so romantic, we taste the excellent local delicacies of the hotel’s Skyrian cook and a famous rooster with red sauce and spaghetti. The lights of Chora, opposite us, are many and bright, allowing only the bright constellations of the sky to be seen.
OPINION
It would be a very ethereal aim to seek in a single article to include everything worthwhile about Skyros. Fortunately! Because then we will have the happiness to visit this wonderful island many more times in the future. And to get to know the place and its people in as much detail as possible. So let’s wish, “may our road to Skyros be long”.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
-Manou Faltaic, ‘SKYROS’ 3rd Historical Reprint, Skyros 2006
– “SKYROS”, GREEK TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE, published by “MELISSA”, ATHENS 1982
-Nikolaou I. Pantazopoulos, “THE DIKEPHALOS AETOS The evolution of a symbol” UNIVERSITY STUDIO PRESS / EKFRASI THESS/NIKI 2001
-Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki, “SKYROS” S.P., T.A.P.A., ATHENS 1997
-Aliki Lambrou, “THE SKYRIAN FESTIVES”, PELOPONESIAN LAGRAPHIC FOUNDATION NAFPLIO 1994
-Aliki Lambrou, “Songs and customs of Skyros”, Skyros 2004
-Journal “HELLENIC PANORAMA issue 10 (out of print) “The HORSE OF SKYROS” issue 32 “OLD PEOPLE AND GIRLS”, issue 45 “FALTAITES MUSEUM”
-Manos Faltaic, “LINARIA, The birth and evolution of the society of the Skyrian port”, ATHENS 1975
THANKS
We would like to express our sincere thanks to : the owners, management and staff of the hotel “NEFELI” for the high level of hospitality and excellent service at all levels.
-The couple Manos and Anastasia Faltaic
-Aliki Lambrou and her brother George Lambrou
The excellent catering businesses of Skyros
-Finally, special thanks to Maria Athanasiadou, for her exuberant participation and her long hours of effort in creating this first major article about Skyros.
SOURCES
HELLENIC PANORAMA issue 45, May-June 2005
Manu Faltaic “SKYROS”
“SKYROS” MELISSA Publications
“THE DICEPHALOS AETOS”, The evolution of a symbol
The northern part of Skyros, which is fertile and forested, is called “Meroi”, meaning tame. The highest mountain is Mount Olympus with 403 meters. The southern part, on the contrary, is mountainous, barren and stony and is called ‘Vouno’. The highest peak is Kochilas, with 792 metres.
A sign indicates an altitude of 367 metres
In his short story “Vokolinas”
George Faltaic, “The semi-feral horses of Skyros”.
Data from the book “SKYROS” by the Superintendent of Antiquities, Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki (Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education and Culture 1997)
9 km. Chora is located 9 km from the port of Linaria. Manos Faltaic (*) mentions in his monograph on the settlement of Linaria that ‘unlike Chorio, the capital of Skyros, which has been inexorably located in the same place since prehistoric antiquity, the history of the settlement of Linaria, the present-day epineum of the town, does not go back more than 200 years. It is, in fact, curious that the area with its wonderful natural harbour was never used for settlement in the past, as the absence of any remains (such as ancient foundations, shells, etc.) shows. While, on the contrary, they are found in many other parts of the island. As far as the use of Linaria as a port is concerned, it started after the Revolution of 1921 and specifically from 1828’.
USEFUL INFORMATION
Port Authority of Kymi tel. 22220 22606
Travel agency ‘SKYROS TRAVEL’ tel. 22220 91123
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM tel. 222220 91327
MUSEUM FALTAITS tel. 22220 91232 www.faltaits.gr
EXHIBITION SPACE OF GEORGE LAMBROU
MUNICIPALITY OF SKYROS tel. 22223 50300
ACCOMMODATION
Hotel NEFELI tel. 22220 91964 www.skyros-nefeli.gr
More information on the website of the Municipality of Skyros: www.skyros.gr
DINING:
Fish tavern “ASIMENOS” tel. 22220 93007, 6947 539257
Hassapotaverna “TO PERASMA” tel. 2220 92911 & 92859
Tavern – Restaurant “STAMATIA” tel. 6972 558232
Tavern “MOURIES” tel. 22220 93555 (Estate with Skyrian Horses)
Confectionery “TO PAGOT OF FALTAINA” tel. 22220 91005
PRODUCTS
Handmade Skyria Furniture “BALOTIS IOANNIS” tel. 22220 91483 and honey producer
Skyrian wood carvings “LEYTERIS AVGOKLOURIS” tel. 22220 91106
There are many other quality options on the island that you will visit and evaluate.