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I spent the last ten days of August in Kastellorizo (or Megisti). Not on vacation or attending a wedding, but as a participant in the International Documentary Festival “Beyond Borders.” Beyond the magic of the big screen, the magic of the island kept us entertained throughout our eleven-day stay. Where to begin with little Megisti…

Geographically, Greece ends at Ro, Kastellorizo, and Stroggili. A cluster of islands and islets, as if carelessly scattered by the creator, two here, two or three there. Kastellorizo is 72 nautical miles from Rhodes and much less, less than one and a half nautical miles, from the coast of Asia Minor, the city of Kaş in Turkey. As it is located at a key point on the map, on the sea route connecting the ports of Syria, Palestine, and Cyprus with the Aegean islands and Constantinople, inevitably, as is historically the case with every strategic point, the island has had a turbulent history. Vulnerable to pirates and the appetites of successive conquerors, the island has suffered untold adventures. It is both a blessing and a curse for the inhabitants to live in such a geopolitically strategic location.

In the end, it’s not that difficult to reach Megisti. It’s harder to find this tiny dot, this tiny island, on the map. You take a plane from Athens to Rhodes and then you have two options: either the conventional one, by boat from Rhodes, or the more interesting one, by small bus-like plane from Rhodes airport. After a thrilling landing among the upright, reddish-brown, rough rocks, before you have time to get scared, you arrive at the municipal airport. It’s like you’ve landed in the last century or somewhere in the Far West. With incredible heat. Dry, desert heat.

An eight-seater van, with a fare of €5 per person, took us down to the almost square, completely sheltered harbor. A port so small that the anchored ship, the Blue Star Patmos, barely fits in width as it departs from the island’s port for Rhodes. This was the first and last image of the magical island.

It covers an area of just 9 square kilometers and has a perimeter of 19.5 kilometers. There are no villages or other settlements, nor are there any paved roads, except for the one leading to the airport. And a network of paths leading to the chapels. If you wander along the island’s paths, among the few olive and carob trees, you will see strange holes, geometric stones, and you will wonder. There are dozens of ancient stone wine presses scattered across the rocky landscape of the island, irrefutable evidence of the agricultural activities of the past. Vine growers and wine producers have lived on the island since ancient times, ensuring a high level of prosperity for the islanders.

Above the town, to the west, on the hill of Vigla, on the way to the airport, you will see Paleokastro, a sturdy remnant of a Doric acropolis. Various peoples have gathered there over the course of time. From the Knights of St. John in the 14th century to the Italians who added gun emplacements and observation posts during World War II. You will see remains of the old fortifications, cisterns carved into the rocks, ruins of buildings, and Byzantine churches. You can reach Paleokastro either by car or on foot.

Castle of the Knights and Lycian Tomb

At the top of the hill between the island’s two ports stands Castel Rosso, which gave the island its new name. It is the red castle, castello rosso, that gave the small island of Megisti its name. From there you can see Mandraki, Agios Georgios, and Psomi. A palimpsest of many eras is the Castle of the Knights or Castle of Agios Nikolaos, a castle that has been destroyed many times over the years and rebuilt just as many times. Its Cyclopean walls testify that it was originally fortified by the Pelasgians and later inhabited by the Dorians. The Byzantines maintained and expanded it, the Knights of St. John reinforced it, and the Spaniards of Aragon gave it its current form in the mid-15th century. It houses the archaeological museum. The view is breathtaking. So are the exhibits. Both inside and outside. On the ground floor, you will see sculptures from the early Christian period, stone anchors and amphorae found in the sea, a diver with his diving bell and equipment. The four rooms on the upper floor display finds from ancient Megisti, examples of early Christian sculpture, texts by travellers, detached frescoes from the church of St. Nicholas, portable icons, miniature objects, traditional costumes, embroidery, ceramics, and folk art.

Below the Castle of the Knights, carved into the rock, 30 meters above the sea, is the Lycian tomb. It dates back to the 4th century BC and its temple-shaped facade is impressive. Tombs of this type are rare in Greece, but they are common in the region of Lycia on the opposite coast. Inside, there is a chamber with funeral beds carved into the side walls.

Historical and Folklore Museum in the mosque

However, the entire history of the island unfolds before you if you visit the Historical and Folklore Museum housed in the mosque. It is a gem of a museum, but it has no permanent staff, which causes problems, especially outside the short tourist season. The museum shows a very informative documentary that helps you put your thoughts in order, because the constant invasions and upheavals make learning local history particularly difficult. After turbulent periods of invasions by the Egyptians, Spanish, Ottomans, and Venetians, the island experienced a period of peace and prosperity in the late 17th century and throughout the 18th century. The people of Kastellorizo built a shipyard, using timber from the opposite coast of Asia Minor, and gradually acquired a merchant fleet that at its peak numbered 165 ships. Between 1835 and 1910, the island’s population reached 12,000, a fact clearly attested to by old photographs.

The architecture

The houses on the island are colorful. Ochre, indigo, crimson—these colors are the first to catch your eye, along with their bold combinations. Some are well-maintained neoclassical buildings, others have been left to decay, waiting for their heirs to begin maintenance, and others are half-ruined. This is because most of the inhabitants emigrated to Australia years ago. However, all of them, built amphitheatrically, retain a distinct nostalgic nobility and dignity. Bougainvilleas entwined with olive trees and ivy, all with an old-fashioned European glamour, a grandeur of the past that lives on through old photographs and the stories of the elders. And the evil eye is everywhere, on the front doors, on the thresholds, inlaid in the floors, built into the houses, an oriental custom that dominates. Blue and light blue and a black eye following you for good luck.

Mediterraneo

Although few younger people are familiar with the film, Mediterraneo is omnipresent in Kastellorizo. It is a 1991 Italian film that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Some Italian soldiers, stranded on an Aegean island during World War II, enchanted by the beauty of the place, forget the war and interact with the locals, especially the beautiful local girl played by Vana Barba. The film was shot in Kastellorizo and traces of it can still be found today, such as the famous Blue House, the Casa Azzura from the film, or the souvenir photos with the actors in the island’s restaurants. After the film’s acclaim, Kastellorizo sank back into obscurity and oblivion. It doesn’t even fit on the map, and the island is invisible even in the weather reports. Until it returned to the spotlight in April 2010, when it was used as a backdrop for George Papandreou’s announcement regarding Greece’s appeal to the European support mechanism. From the Oscars to the memoranda…

Food

There are many restaurants along the waterfront. Tables by the sea, fresh fish and seafood, chickpea balls, octopus balls, octopus stew, and fresh squid. And maybe, if you’re lucky, a sea turtle will swim by uninvited but extremely friendly, look at you, eavesdrop on your conversations, and count your bites! Be sure to try the stuffed onions with rice and minced meat, which are very sweet and melt in your mouth. In the neighborhood of Chorafia, the ladies cook at the “Platania” tavern, open from June to October. The red soil of the island is arid. It used to produce wine. Now it only produces onions, the tavern owner tells us. Although Megisti used to produce wine in the past, since World War II, due to the forced mass migration of the inhabitants, the vines have dried up and the wineries have been abandoned. A traditional sweet is stravo, something between diplo and baklava. These are rolls of dough filled with walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon, fried and syrupy, something like folded baklava. There are carob trees on the island. They are fire-resistant, we were told. So you will also find carob honey in the market.

The frigates and the neighbors

With the invasion of so many Western conquerors, the island acquired a Western profile. Sturdy buildings, unbreakable cisterns, Italian architecture. In 1947, the Royal Navy liberated Kastellorizo, the first of the Dodecanese islands, while in its heyday there were seaplanes and foreign airlines such as British Airways, Alitalia, and Air France. The relationship with Egypt was also close. The wealthy had businesses there, as they were protected by the island’s western profile. However, Greekness was evident and obvious everywhere, even in the red rocky terrain. However, some people resented it. Hidden behind the pink bougainvilleas, the ever-present warships, a gray backdrop reminiscent of a constant threat. There had always been fear of conflict with Turkey. There are frequent interceptions, dangerous flights, and the sound of engines from warplanes. Let it happen, let’s be done with it, say some locals. With 300 permanent residents and an ever-present military force, Kastellorizo is a small island community of enormous geostrategic importance, as it is here that the Greek continental shelf meets that of Cyprus. Unfortunately, it is only when there is a crisis in Greek-Turkish relations does the island emerge from obscurity, and not when it has problems with ferry connections, when it needs medicines and basic necessities, when there are no teachers and the start of the school year is at risk. But the neighbors are not only threatening, they are also friendly and helpful. Especially when the official state turns a deaf ear, the only solution for the doctor, for trade, for access to goods is a good neighbor.

Kas, ancient Antiphellos

As Turkey is incomparably closer than Greece, it is very easy to cross over to the opposite coast, to Kas, pronounced with a thick Turkish sigma, Kaş. The journey takes about 30 minutes and costs around €35. There are two Turkish ferry lines that operate daily, but the locals prefer Fridays so they can shop at the bazaar. In Kaş, ancient Antiphellos, the ancient theater next to the sea, built in the natural hollow of the acropolis hill, is preserved in excellent condition. Kaş means “eyebrow” in Turkish, which is evident in the shape of the city, long and curved like an eyebrow.

Agios Georgios

The Megisti island complex includes thirteen islets, one of which, a small island of this Greek archipelago, is Agios Georgios, a stone’s throw from Kastellorizo, less than a nautical mile away! The other islets are Agrelia, Voutsakia, Megalo Mavro Poini, Mikro Mavro Poini, Polifados One, Polifados Two, Ro, Savoura, Stroggili, Tragonera, and Psomi, a rocky islet shaped like a loaf of bread, bordering Turkey, and Psoradia. You get there by boat, which functions as a water taxi. It takes you to the island and, when it’s time to return, you call and the boat comes to pick you up. At Agios Georgios, there are sunbeds and umbrellas, as well as a picturesque taverna. It is the taverna of a couple who have been the subject of many news reports. Tsikos, a native of Kastellorizo, married Huri Gul, a Turkish woman from the neighboring island of Kas. It was the first mixed marriage, which was initially viewed by some as treason, but Tsikos maintains that their marriage brought the two peoples closer together. Of course, the “Saint George of the Island” chapel is an idyllic place for ceremonies. We were lucky enough to see the decorated caique that carried the bride and groom from the port of Kastellorizo to the rocky islet, while the chapel bell rang joyfully. There, on the watery border between Greece and Turkey, on the border between heaven and earth, between the secular and the monastic.

The Museum of Riddles

What is the island’s connection to riddles? Let’s start with the mythical Medusa. In mythology, Medusa was a mortal Gorgon who, according to ancient writers, came from Kastellorizo. Following in Medusa’s footsteps is Pantazis Houlis, the founder and driving force behind the Megisti Riddle Museum. We met him at his home, which doubles as an exhibition space, museum, and warehouse. A mathematician, former professor at the University of Western Australia, and a genius, he welcomes us and introduces us to the house of riddles, where there are about 4,200 riddle exhibits, many of which are his own inventions and creations. You don’t know where to look first! Anagram games in front of mirrors. KASTELLORIZO becomes ZESTO KORALLI (hot coral) if you mix up the letters. Pantazis disagrees with Babiniotis, who chooses the single “l”, instead of two. Locks that won’t open, houses that expand and contract, riddles everywhere, neatly arranged on shelves, placed in boxes, left lying around. You will see folding puzzles, the secrets of Atlantis, the 24 colored snakes on Medusa’s head, and even Archimedes’ Ostomachion, an ancient puzzle with 536 ways to rearrange its pieces. There are no set visiting hours for the Riddle Museum, as tours are by appointment only. However, it is recommended that groups consist of four to ten people. Pantazis Houlis, now a permanent resident of Kastellorizo, spoke to us and convinced us of the charm of intellectual games. And if you have ever wondered what kind of minds produce riddles, explain them, and solve them, Pantazis will answer all your questions. We met him a few months later in Athens, at the Library of the Hellenic Parliament, with our students, at the Riddle Festival he has been organizing in recent years.

The residents

There are almost 300 permanent residents and just as many military personnel. However, the Greek community from Megisti is extremely large and active. There are many Kastellorizo fraternities, especially in Australia. Kastellorizians everywhere feel nostalgia and arrive in their homeland in the summer. At the same time, Kastellorizo retains some of the cosmopolitanism bequeathed to it by the Italians who “discovered” it in the 1970s, bought houses there, and visit it often. Another reason to visit tiny Megisti in August is the Kastellorizo International Documentary Festival “Beyond Borders,” established in 2016 by the Hellenic Foundation for Historical Studies. Its purpose is not only to highlight the cultural heritage of Kastellorizo, but also to make it a point of reference for documentary filmmakers internationally. There are few hotels on the island and few rooms. Therefore, especially during the Festival, you should make sure to book your accommodation in advance.

The few children on the island attend school at the old Santrapea Urban School, a magnificent building reminiscent of urban Athens. It was built in 1903 with money donated by Loukas Santrapes (1852-1911), an expatriate from Kastellorizo who made his fortune as an engineer in Egypt. Aiming to provide a high level of education, the Santrapea Urban School was created based on the principles of the mutual teaching method, while the teachers came from the island, Athens, Rhodes, Smyrna, and Constantinople. From then until today, the children of Kastellorizo have been learning to read and write at this school. In the pebbled courtyard of the school, the crater caused by a war projectile has been preserved. There we saw the children of the island playing. Tough, sun-kissed children competing in games of tag and diving. The symbol of the municipality of Megisti is an anchor crossed with a cross, with a bright red heart above them. The island’s motto: Faith – Hope – Love.

Swimming

There are no beaches on the rocky coastline of Kastellorizo, with the exception of a few meters of pebble beach at Piso Gialos. However, there are many spots with smooth rocks, such as Plakes (accessible by footpath or boat) just outside the port towards the cape of Agios Stefanos, the pier of the port, and many other spots. From the lighthouse, you can also dive straight in and then lie down on a sun lounger. Or from the red rocks where the children jump, where the older boys challenge the younger ones and encourage each other to jump into the sea from a high rock, like an initiation, like a rite of passage. Jump, your mother won’t find out. And I watch this display of reckless daring in horror, thinking of their mothers.

The blue cave

A blue cave for foreigners, but for the locals it is the Cave of Parasta or Fokiali. It is pure magic, bordering on the unbelievable. You enter through a small entrance with a taxi boat. Be careful, though, that there is no wind, because the boat cannot pass through the opening, as the entrance is only one meter above the water. It is like a stone dome with a tiny entrance that barely fits the boat, provided that all passengers lie down and are careful not to stick their heads out! And once you enter, the magic begins. White stalactites hang from the ceiling and reflect otherworldly colors. It’s like being in the special effects of a movie. Awe! You jump off the boat and swim in the incredible blue color caused by the reflection of the sun inside the cave. The deeper you go, the more turquoise the waters appear, illuminated by the light entering through the small opening of the cave. The waters are crystal clear. The feeling is otherworldly. The cave is very deep. It is like a huge hall which, if you continue into the darkness, will lead you to other halls. And if you are lucky, you will see seals, which is why the cave is also called Fokiali.

Ro and its Lady

Ro can be seen from Paleokastro at the intersection of the road to the airport. Stroggili is further east and cannot be seen. Ro recently acquired a pier, so ships no longer dock on the rocks. Ro’s lady has a name. She is Despoina Achladiotou (1890-1982). She refused to leave the island and take refuge in Cyprus or Palestine in 1943-45, as ordered. You will find her statue with a huge Greek flag next to it in “Chorafia.” However, in order to understand the thinking and motives of the Lady of Ro, we must understand the historical context. Unfortunately, history does not leave the lives of ordinary people unaffected. During the 20th century, Kastellorizo became a bone of contention, as rival great powers claimed it as their own. In 1913, the inhabitants rebelled and demanded union with Greece. With the outbreak of World War I, France wanted to make the island a naval base and occupied it by trickery. The period from 1915 to 1921 was one of French occupation, while from 1921 to 1941 it was under Italian rule. On March 18, 1926, a devastating earthquake worsened the situation. In 1941, the island was occupied by the British. During World War II, Megisti was bombed by the Germans, the settlement was razed to the ground, and the island was deserted. The few remaining inhabitants were taken to Cyprus and Palestine, but at the end of the war they returned and started from scratch. Kastellorizo was incorporated into Greece on March 7, 1948. Despoina Achladiotou had settled in Ro with her husband in 1924. She stubbornly remained there, even in 1943, with her blind mother, when all the other inhabitants of the island left for the Middle East and Cyprus. Two women alone during the occupation. It was then that she began to raise the Greek flag every morning and lower it at night. Until her death, she raised the Greek flag on the remote island every morning and lowered it at sunset.

The Lady of Ro expresses the pride of the place. So do the famous couplets, the anthem of the island:

My little Kastellorizo, your mountains are high
and you have beautiful girls who cut your branches.

My little Kastellorizo with your many boats
and you have beautiful girls and brave sailors.

My little Kastellorizo, so bitter
and of the twelve islands, you are the most famous.

The trails of Kastellorizo

You look at this little island on the map and think, since it’s so small (only 9 square kilometers), there’s nothing to do there. Until a few years ago, there wasn’t even a map of Kastellorizo! But in 2021, with funding from the National Bank of Greece, the cartographic company TERRAIN went to the island, mapped it, and published the first detailed map of Kastellorizo (you can purchase it from the company’s e-shop at www.terrrainmaps.gr). And then, for the first time, the island’s beautiful trails, which until then were known only to a few locals and no one else, came to light and became known. That same year, TERRAIN conducted a study on behalf of the Municipality of Megisti for the creation of a network of marked hiking trails. It selected the best of these and designed a network of 13 hiking trails with a total length of 30 kilometers. At the same time, in collaboration with the well-known Greek climber Aris Theodoropoulos, it proposed the creation of 150 climbing routes in five climbing areas on the island’s impressive cliffs. The project will soon be put out to tender and, once implemented, Kastellorizo will become an attractive destination for very special hiking and climbing experiences!

Below, we have selected five of the best hiking trails from this study, and we present them here with their official numbering. One of them, Route 7, has already been marked as a pilot project, and it is easy to walk it by simply following the signs. The others are not yet marked, but with the descriptions we provide and the TERRAIN hiking map (which you can find on site and in stores on the island), you will have no trouble walking them.

ROUTE 2: SETTLEMENT – PLAKES – AGIOS STEFANOS (3.3 km / 1 hour and 30 minutes)

This is the easiest hiking route, starting from the settlement. Hikers have the opportunity to walk on one of the oldest trails on the island, which has preserved many of its stone embankments in excellent condition, as well as a small stone bridge at the point where it crosses a stream. Throughout the hike, you can enjoy excellent views of the sea and the village (especially on the way back), pass by old estates with stone fences, and end up at the chapel of Agios Stefanos at the northernmost tip of the island. A detour from the route allows you to go to Plakes, the most popular swimming spot on the island. The return to the village is via the same route, which offers a completely different view.

ROUTE 5: SETTLEMENT – PALEOKASTRO (1.5 km / 50 minutes)

Route 5 starts from the heart of the settlement, on the coastal road of the port, follows the airport asphalt road for a short while, as well as a section of the old cobbled road that was the main road of the island before the asphalt road was built, and then climbs the slope of Paleokastro, following an ancient stone-built path with steps, built embankments, and built passages over the streams. This path leads to the most important cultural attraction of Kastellorizo, the hill of Paleokastro, where you can find the ruins of the ancient acropolis of the island with its impressive walls, ancient water tanks, ruins of buildings and temples from the more recent habitation of the area. The view from the hill of Paleokastro is also impressive, as is the view of the settlement on the way back. This route is relaxing and enjoyable for all hikers.

ROUTE 7: SETTLEMENT – MONASTERY OF SAINT GEORGE ON THE MOUNTAIN (1.5 km / 1 hour)

Route 7 has all the characteristics to become the most popular hiking route in Kastellorizo. It starts from the center of the settlement and the port, climbs through the inner cobbled streets to the southern part of the hill with the old mansions and beautiful folk houses, passes by the imposing church of Agios Georgios Chorafiou, and from there, a paved cobbled path with 400 stone steps of unique beauty begins, leading the hiker to the edge of the plateau above the rocks that close the settlement from the south, with a magnificent view of the port! The second part of the route is a path that crosses the plateau, passes by old estates with stone fences, and ends at the monastery-fortress of Agios Georgios tou Vounou (Saint George on the Mountain), built in 1759, which has been recently renovated and is one of the most important cultural attractions of Kastellorizo. To return, follow the same route in reverse, enjoying a different view, or continue on Route 8 to complete an extremely enjoyable circular route.

ROUTE 8: SETTLEMENT – AVLONIA – MONASTERY OF SAINT GEORGE ON THE MOUNTAIN (2 km / 1 hour and 15 minutes)

Route 8 is an excellent alternative and “sister” to Route 7. It also starts from the center of the port, through the neighborhoods of the settlement. It climbs up to the Avlonia plateau via a paved path with stone steps and built embankments, offering exceptional views as hikers ascend. On the Avlonia plateau, the trail passes by the ancient cemetery with its rock-cut tombs, ancient buildings, and many ancient wine presses. The newer estates with tall stone walls that hikers will encounter on the Avlonia plateau are also very interesting. The destination of this route is the historic Monastery of Agios Georgios on the Mountain, from where hikers can continue on Route 7 to return to the village.

ROUTE 10: THE FRENCH TRAIL (1.8 km / 45 minutes)

Route 10 is unique in the entire Aegean, in that a large section of it, approximately 1,000 meters long, is a perfectly preserved stone-built road from the early 20th century. This road was built by the French during their occupation of the island in the early 20th century, to transport their cannons to the fortified positions inland. In some sections, it retains embankments over 3 meters high, as well as its stone gutter along the entire length of the road. The starting point of Route 10 is the Monastery of Agios Georgios on the Mountain, so you can walk it as a continuation of a hike that starts from the village (Routes 7 and 8). At the end of the route, you will find yourself in Navlaka Bay with its crystal clear waters and impressive red rocks, an ideal spot for a swim. To return from Navlaka Bay to the village, the best option is to take a water taxi.

Useful information about accommodation/dining, as well as how to get to the island, can be found on the municipality’s website:

https://www.kastellorizo.gov.gr/en/

We would like to express our warmest thanks to:

-The Deputy Mayor for Tourism, Stratis Amygdalos, and the Deputy Mayor for Technical Works, Andreas Konstantelos.

-Amalia Amygdalou & Michalis Achladiotis for their warm hospitality at the Hotel Poseidon and Stamatia Studio accommodations, respectively.

-Captain Giorgos Karagiannis, who took us on his boat to see the island’s unique sea caves and more.

-Pantazis Houlis, founder of the riddle museum, for the time he spent with us exploring the island’s hiking trails.