Greece’s Naxos island: From Ancient Temples to Venetian Castles and Dazzling Shores

Agios Prokopios Beach, Naxos island, Greece. Credit: wikimedia commons / aldbjor CC BY 2.0

Naxos is the largest land of the Cyclades land group, and though it is comparatively chartless comparative to Greece’s galore different idylls, it is 1 of the astir enchanting places for immoderate visitor.

Despite flying somewhat nether the radar, the land is 1 of the astir absorbing places successful Greece. It boasts a magnificent past with influences from the Franks and the Venetians, who are liable for galore monuments from the Middle Ages. The land is wholly overtaken by history.

Apart from boasting a fascinating past, Naxos possesses a beauteous earthy scenery since it is the greenest land successful the Cyclades archipelago. In summation to having beauteous beaches, its agrarian villages are acceptable into a backdrop of greenish valleys and mountains.

The land is besides unsocial due to the fact that it incorporates 4 smaller islets, Koufonissia, Iraklia, Donoussa, and Schinoussa, which really beryllium to the municipality of Naxos and the Small Cyclades. Travelers present person the unsocial accidental of experiencing 5 islands successful 1 destination.

This gives added worth to the land since it offers the accidental to hop connected implicit to these smaller islets and acquisition their astir wholly untouched, romanticist beauty.

With captivating legends, myths and history, stunning landscapes, and gastronomic specialties, Naxos is decidedly worthy exploring.

The fabled past of the Greek land Naxos

In Greek mythology, the land of Naxos was wherever Zeus, the king of the gods, grew up, hiding from his begetter Cronus’ violence. This is besides wherever the deity planned to triumph his Olympian throne.

According to myth, Zeus Eubouleus, the protector of the Naxians, fell successful emotion with Semele, who was the girl of King Cadmus of Thebes. From their union, Dionysus, the deity of vino and revelry, was born.

Hera had urged Semele to inquire Zeus to look successful each his divine form.

Since Semele was a mortal, she was incapable to withstand the volley of thunderbolts that emanated from Zeus, and this resulted successful her death. She died earlier giving commencement whereupon Zeus took the fetus and placed it successful his thigh.

When the clip came for him to beryllium born, Dionysus emerged from Zeus, and helium was brought up connected Naxos by the section nymphs.

Dionysus understandably grew to emotion the island, and utilized his powerfulness to marque the onshore fertile, filled with vineyards which produced the finest wines. The section radical built a temple connected the land successful grant of Dionysus.

Naxos is besides wherever Theseus took Ariadne, the girl of Minos, the King of Crete, aft sidesplitting the Minotaur. According to myth, Theseus saw the Greek deity Dionysus successful a dream, and the deity told him to permission Naxos without Ariadne, since she was meant to enactment determination and go his wife.

Dionysus and Ariadne had 3 children, Oinopion (“Wine Drinker”), Staphylos (“Grape”), and Evanthi (“Lovely Flower”).

The Venetian Conquest of Naxos

The regularisation of the Venetians marked an important play successful the past of Naxos. When Marco Sanudo took implicit the Cyclades successful the twelvemonth 120,  helium created a dukedom, which helium named the Duchy of the Aegean, establishing the opening of a agelong enactment of specified rulers connected Naxos.

Sanudo besides constructed the beauteous castle which inactive exists astatine the precise apical of Naxos Town. The Jesuit Commercial School was besides founded determination and flourished wrong the castle.

For the adjacent respective centuries, the land was divided into 56 provinces, each of which were ruled implicit by galore Venetian nobles. The regularisation of the Venetian dukes lasted till 1564, erstwhile the Turks took implicit the full federation of Greece.

Essential sightseeing connected the Greek land of Naxos

The Naxos Portara:

The Portara, the lintel of Lygdamis’ Temple of Apollo astatine Naxos. Credit:

The Portara, oregon the Great Door, is fundamentally a monolithic marble doorway. It is located adjacent to the larboard connected the tiny islet of Palatia, which was erstwhile a hill.

At 1 point, the tyrant Lygdamis began to physique a temple connected the tiny islet. He had expansive ideas of creating a temple adjacent larger than that of Zeus successful Athens.

After the tyrant’s fall, the temple remained unfinished, leaving lone its instauration and portion of its gate, oregon Portara.

Later, nether Venetian rule, the marble was utilized to physique the Castle of Naxos, arsenic good arsenic different monuments and buildings.

Kastro (the Castle of Naxos)

Along with the Tower of Glezos, the Kastro serves arsenic a protective shield to the fortress built by Sanoudos successful the Chora, oregon Old Town, of Naxos.

Sanoudo constructed the castle connected a elevation which rises astir 30 meters (90 feet) supra oversea level implicit the remains of an past acropolis, which helium considered a suitable spot for the archetypal constitution of the city.

The astir singular diagnostic of his castle is that its walls are really made up of the outer walls of the houses of the city, which were erected on its perimeter.

The Temple of Dionysus

Dionysus was particularly beloved and honored by the past Greeks since helium was the deity of fun, wine, and celebration, who besides bestowed fertility connected the land, including its galore vineyards.

It was believed that helium was a denizen of the island’s forests and was perpetually drunk connected wine.

The residents built a ample temple successful grant of their god, but sadly, lone portion of it survives today. From the pieces that remain, it was established that the temple was built astatine immoderate constituent successful the sixth period BC.

The Romans reconstructed the temple to Dionysus successful the archetypal period BC, and successful the 5th period AD, the temple was turned into a Christian church.

The Cave of Zas

According to myth, Zeus grew up here, uncovering refuge successful the cave portion being hunted by his father, Cronus.

It was present that Zeus became ruler of Olympus aft being fixed the powerfulness implicit lightning, and, to grant him, the residents of Naxos named the cave, arsenic good arsenic the mountain, aft him.

Remains from assorted humanities periods including Roman, Neolithic, and galore others, were recovered successful archaeological probe carried retired successful this Naxos cave successful 1962. It is besides known to person been utilized arsenic a refuge during the Ottoman Occupation.

Two antithetic paths pb to the cave. One begins adjacent the colony of Danakos, and the different adjacent Filoti. While exploring adjacent the cave, you volition besides find the fountain of Aries, which inactive has potable h2o today.

Mount Zas

Mount Zas, the tallest upland connected the island, is besides the tallest upland successful the Cyclades. The highest of Mount Zas, with an altitude of astir 1,000 meters, oregon 3,000 feet, supra oversea level, is a fashionable destination for upland climbers and hikers connected Naxos.

Trekking from Danakos, 1 passes the tiny chapel of St. Marina, arsenic good arsenic the Cave of Zas and an inscription connected a portion of past marble which translates arsenic “Mount Zas, protector of the sheep.” This shows the large value placed connected stockbreeding connected the land since past times.

Trekkers tin acquisition enchanting panoramic views of the Aegean sea, arsenic good arsenic the neighboring islands of the Cyclades, from the apical of Mt. Zas.

Bazeos Tower

This stout castle, which besides functioned arsenic a monastery, was built successful the seventeenth period to connection refuge to the residents of the land owed to changeless pirate attacks.

By the extremity of the nineteenth century, the Bazeos household owned the castle, and it was utilized arsenic their summertime residence until their past descendant precocious chose to crook the castle into a abstraction suitable for hosting taste events.

The “Naxos Festival astatine Bazeos Tower” has taken spot each summertime since 2001, offering events of taste interest, arsenic good arsenic exhibitions of modern works of art.

Sunbathing connected Naxos, Greece

Agios Prokopios

Located 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Naxos Town, the formation of Agios Prokopios is considered one of the astir spectacular beaches not conscionable successful Greece but successful the entirety of Europe.

Its wide soil beaches widen implicit 1.5 kilometers (one mile) and its crystal wide waters, which alternate from hues of airy to heavy bluish and turquoise, are the astir salient diagnostic of this sheltered bay, making it a must-visit for each vacationers connected Naxos.

One portion of the formation is an organized resort, but the different portion is near wholly unspoiled, providing a peaceful, idyllic haven connected its occidental side, wherever a chapel of the aforesaid sanction besides stands.

Meanwhile, h2o athletics lovers tin get their fill, acknowledgment to the wealthiness of activities connected connection there, including formation volleyball, windsurfing, oversea bicycling, and snorkeling.

Since Agios Prokopios served arsenic the main larboard of Naxos during the Middle Ages, a picturesque aged shipwreck tin besides beryllium recovered astatine the extremity of the beach.

Shops tin beryllium recovered successful a adjacent tiny colony on with mini markets, cafes, bars, tavernas, and car and motorbike rental agencies. Everything vacationers could perchance request is located here, connected the beach’s eastbound side.

Agia Anna

Once a sportfishing village, the 6-kilometer (four-mile) agelong Agia Anna Beach is really a continuation of Agios Prokopis Beach. This seemingly endless sandy formation is interrupted lone by its picturesque harbor, which serves arsenic an anchorage for country fishermen.

Agia Anna Beach, considered one of the champion organized beaches connected Naxos, features umbrellas and sunbeds each on its length.

Numerous types of accommodation are available, specified arsenic formation beforehand hotels, arsenic good arsenic apartments and rooms to let. You tin find a large enactment of beachfront restaurants, food tavernas, formation bars, and cafes offering some stunning views of the oversea and the surrounding landscape.

At times, the waters of the bluish portion of the formation are choppy, but the tiny larboard is protected by winds and is usually precise calm, making it perfect for a nice, relaxing aquatics adjacent with the strongest winds.

Agia Anna and Agios Prokopis are connected to Chora by buses which walk by each 20 minutes to fractional an hr from the aboriginal greeting hours to precocious astatine night.