Andros

Andros is the northernmost island of the Cyclades with a great naval tradition, sandy beaches, mountain ranges alternating with fertile plains, lush vegetation and flowing streams.

The capital of the island, Hora, is home to famous Greek captains and ship owners, and is a remarkable combination of medieval, neo-classical and island styles. Flights of stairs, a spacious square with trees, narrow streets, remarkable churches and museums, shops, cafes and restaurants play their part in the beauty of the place. To top that beauty off, there is a Frankish castle on an islet connected to the main island with an arched stone bridge from the 13th century.

On the island, you will come across chestnut, walnut, sycamore, oak, weeping willow, poplar, mulberry, osier and olive trees, fields of thyme, crocus and sage, and, in between, paved paths connecting them to the beautiful villages of Messaria and Faneromeni, the latter situated within a 1000-year old castle perched at an elevation of 600m. Don’t forget to pay a visit at the monasteries of Zoodochos Piyí in Batsí and of Panayia Tomarhiani in Korthi.

Paleopolis is 16km west of Hora, and used to be the ancient capital town of Andros, having prospered from the classical to the late Roman times. While in the area, visit the prehistoric settlement of Plaka, the settlement of Zagora dating to the Geometric period (10th-8th centuries BC), and the fortified Neolithic settlement of Strofilias (4,500-3,300 BC), with rock paintings of animals, ships and linear designs.

The globally acknowledged Museum of Contemporay Art in Hora houses unique collections of paintings and sculptures, whereas the archaeological museums in Hora and Paleopolis exhibit the ancient history of the island. A must-see is the Cyclades Olive Museum in Pitrofos, a fine example of a small pre-industrial, animal powered, olive oil producing unit.

Website: www.andros.gr

Source: GNTO

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