In the Ionian Sea, in between other exotic islands, stands grand Kefalonia Much photographed, much spoke about, much liked, by Greeks and foreigners alike. Not just because of Captain Corelli's Mandolin, the 2001 movie that attracted a lot attention, but likewise because of its large charm, its stately towns and lots of other outstanding tourist attractions.

Argostoli, Lixouri, Fiskardo, Assos, Lake Melissani ... here the names alone are something to conjure with! This, the biggest of the Ionian islands, with its sparkling azure waters, spectacular beaches and deep emerald green mountains, has been a popular holiday area for decades. The occupants of Kefalonia have a reputation for being the wittiest Greeks-- always all set with a joke, a smile and a helping hand. Their easygoing mindset toward life is contagious and within hours of your arrival, you'll feel as carefree as they do.

Things to do in Kefalonia.

Argostoli, the fun-loving capital

Set alongside a deep bay, Argostoli has a funky beauty that grows on you as you being in the lively primary square with the locals, the majority of whom are night owls. Search in the market, stroll down its good-looking flagstone streets and drink the well-known Robola fiskardo red wine in its inviting coffee shops and bars.

Explore a bit and you'll find monoliths left over from the 19th century British Protectorate duration. And for an in-depth intro to island culture from the 15th to the 20th century, visit the impressive Corgialenios Historical and Cultural Museum, one of the finest in Greece, and to the extensive Corgialenios library. The capital of Kefalonia will include a cultural flair to your holidays.

Mt. Enos: the 'Black Mountain'

The greatest mountain in the Ionian, Enos takes its name from the black pine (Abies Cephalonica) that when covered it completely and grows nowhere else. It has been a national forest because 1962, understood for its wealth of wild flowers. It's also home to an unique type of pony, Equus cabalus.

World-famous beaches

You've most likely seen these beaches prior to on posters and postcards or in scenes from films, since they're amongst the most stunning in the Mediterranean. Their waters cover the entire variety of blues and greens, lapping against pure white sand or smooth round pebbles.

Myrtos, perhaps the most magnificent, lies at the bottom of towering limestone cliffs. But don't miss Petani and Skala. Or Poros, where the forest is shown in the sea, magnifying the colour. Makry Gialos, whose blue-green waters rock to the music of beach bars, provides a cosmopolitan touch. And Xi, where pale green waves fulfill great red sand, provides a memorable change of speed. The beaches of Kefalonia are waiting to be found.

To enjoy whatever Kefalonia needs to provide, fly with Aegean.

Assos: perfection in miniature

Many people believe this tiny port is the prettiest settlement on the island. You'll capture your very first look of it from above. Constructed on a narrow strip of land, its couple of houses hug the coast, keeping their conventional Venetian-era character amidst a host of high plane, poplar, palm and olive trees. The 16th century Venetian castle commanding the whole scene is too invites you to climb up to take a closer look.

Fiskardo, sailors' sanctuary

Another bewitching mini, the attractive port of Fiskardo is hardly a trick to sailors and celeb private yacht owners. But landlubbers love it too for its lovely 18th century buildings, which give it a sensation of timelessness that transcends the joyful hubbub in its popular fish restaurants and shops.

Levitating in the depths of a cavern

The 50 tones of turquoise in the underground Lake Melissani are mesmerising. Enter the boat for a tour and you'll believe you're drifting someplace in space. With sunshine filtering in from above, the cavern advises you of a cathedral. And when your boatman bursts into song, the first lilting notes of an Italianate cantata echoing around the walls, you'll realize that this is a truly divine experience.

The 'strange' Sea Mills at Fanari, near Argostoli

When upon a time, the seawater vanished into 'swallow holes', rocky crevasses at such a rate that it was utilized to power 2 flour mills. No one knew where it went till scientists put a color in the water that wound up in Lake Melissani on the other side of the island. Kefalonia has lots of such unusual geological phenomena.

A paradise for sea activities

Kefalonia is the ideal island to check out by boat, with unlimited personal beaches and bays of exceptional charm, such as Myrto and Makri Gialos. Go to coves that welcome the uncommon charm of all the important things to do in Kefalonia, perfectly encapsulate the aesthetic of this Ionian idyll. For enthusiasts of action and activities, Kefalonia offers all sorts of water sports at all the big organised beaches, along with sea kayaking and diving in outstanding areas filled with surprises such as little caves bursting with undersea life.

The Cyclades area of Greece comprises of around 200 islands, which vary from the large and recognized (Mykonos and Ios, for instance) to the tiny and uninhabited. As an outcome, travel here offers a multitude of alternatives, although this part of Greece is surely known for two highlights above all else: the celebrations and the beaches.

While partying is invariably limited to the larger, more tourist-ready islands, beach-going can be experienced any place you are in the Cyclades. Head on down to among the following, and a delighted day spent relaxing amongst marvelous shoreline landscapes is all but ensured.

Red Beach, Santorini

Of all elegant Santorini's preferable beach areas, Red Beach might well be the most remarkable. Nestled into a piece of reddish volcanic rock, the beach is little and hot, with the sun beating down on it for much of the day. Snorkeling here is particularly popular offered the fascinating underwater developments of the surrounding rock.

For budget travelers, Santorini is an appealing summer season location that blends village life with a dynamic traveler's scene. Life here is not particularly inexpensive; Vacation home Manos is an outstanding hostel in Santorini that will assist minimize your day to day expenses. Clean and family run, its swimming pool is a great location in which to invest lazy days viewing the sun rise and fall.

Kalamos, Ios

Ios has a reputation for being a tourist and night life hub in this part of Greece, with the town of Hora blazing a trail in terms of daytime sightseeing and nighttime hedonism. And yet, while there are certainly tourists-aplenty here, it's still surprisingly easy to discover a deserted stretch of sand.

Kalamos is one such stretch of sand. To be found on the where is andros island eastern coast of the island, it's a beautiful little bit of shoreline that scandalously couple of travelers visit. Bring a towel, a book and your swimwear and merely soak up this spectacular and undiscovered gem of a beach.

Paradise Beach, Mykonos

When listing party-happy parts of the Cyclades, Mykonos is constantly going to remain in the mix. This is package-holiday main, and together with genuine Greek culture the tourist visiting Mykonos will undoubtedly find a multitude of made-for-tourist hotels and foreigner-frequented dance clubs.

The beaches here show the island's celebration atmosphere: they are young and lively places, usually filled with music and the chatter of youth. Paradise Beach and its cousin, Super Paradise Beach, are probably the essential examples. They may not be the most instant appealing places, but they definitely are fun.

Chrysi Atki, island andros greece Paros

Paros is considered among the most gorgeous of all the island's in the Cyclades, with its lots of whitewashed villages and miles upon miles of picture-perfect shoreline providing an appealing mix. While it's the second biggest of all the islands in this region of Greece, Paros is known for being more easygoing than Mykonos and Ios.

Chrysi Atki is a great family-friendly area situated 9km chora andros greece south of Naousa. Aside from the typical, activities here consist of browsing and windsurfing, with devices rental and lessons both available. Santa Maria beach is another favorite among travelers. Here things to do in andros island greece you'll find crystal clear water and perfectly soft sand ... Cycladic architecture is famous for its individuality and beauty. In truth, the rapid development of tourism over recent years has actually extended its track record well beyond the borders of Greece. When you visit a Cycladic town or town for the very first time, you might have the feeling that you are inside a charming stage set.

The early Cycladic home builders worked in the very same basic yet daring style that differentiated the artists who produced Cycladic idols some 5,000 years earlier. With the authentic and untainted impulse of folk artists, these artisans built structures that were adapted not only to the everyday requirements of the inhabitants, however likewise to the appeal and grace of the Cycladic landscape.

One rarely encounters public squares in Cycladic villages. Public spaces in settlements are, as a rule, quite small. The common area is generally the street, with its remarkably healthy structure exteriors.

The street is characteristically paved with whitewash-outlined polygonal or rectangular flagstones. The pattern of the flagstones is usually adapted to fit along the outsides of the structures, which are of 2 main designs: narrow-facade ("stenometopo") and broad-facade ("evrymetopo"). Structures in the same cluster or on the same block are more than likely to be in the same design, with similar features. For that reason, a row of narrow-facade homes will have around the same measurements and the very same design. The houses usually have two floors, with an outside staircase that permits separate access to the upper storey from the street.

The outside staircase exists despite whether the house is utilized as a single-family home or 2 separate households individually own the ground flooring and upper floor.

Separate ownership of individual floors is a popular tradition in the Cyclades, dating centuries back. It apparently started due to the fact that of the absence of area within the strengthened settlements that were integrated in the latter part of the 14th century when the islands initially ended up being settlements. Later on, however, separate-storey ownership continued even after the pirate incursions had eased off (primarily following the Battle of Lepanto in 1571), with the settlements then able to spread out beyond the walls. Although the primary factor for this is that it served the institution of the dowry, separate-storey ownership pleased other needs too, In Mykonos, for example, peasants who went to Hora (the Town) to sell their products and do their marketing wanted storage spaces and simple shelter. So, they acquired these ground floors from the locals.

The outsides of Cycladic structures are simple and unembellished, whitewashed, with only a few windows and a specific type of roofing system, which comes in three variations: risen, inclined, or pitched. For the most part, Cycladic houses resemble connected stark-white cubes.

Perched on cliff-sides, with an economy of space guaranteed by native resourcefulness, these single ortwo-storeyed houses mix with church facades, fountains, windmills (where they exist) and dovecotes to make up pictures seen no place else worldwide.

Naxos is and constantly has been a cross-roads, where archaeologists, historians, scholars of all kinds, artists, and ordinary individuals with an interest in history, archeology and folklore can meet, drawn by the value of the culture which has actually flourished on the island down the centuries.

Among the archaeologists to have dealt with Naxos since the start of the 20th century are Professors Welter, Doumas, Lambrinoudakis, Drandrakis, Klon Stefanos, Christos Karouzos, N. Kontoleon, N. naxos beaches Zafiropoulos, F. Zafiropoulou and G. Gruben, teacher of the history of architecture at the University of Munich and Korres (who is responsible for the restoration of the Athens Castle). These scholars have concluded that Naxos was not merely considerable but of decisive importance for the history of the Cyclades and of the Greek world in basic.

Its size, its central position in the Aegean, the fertility of its soil and the prosperity that these aspects created assisted to ensure Naxos its self-sufficiency down the ages.

Pindar calls Naxos "rich" and Herodotus guarantees us that Naxos, surpassed the other islands in prosperity. Simply as today, the fruit, olive oil and above all wine of Naxos were well-known in antiquity: Archilochus of Paros even went to far as to compare Naxiot white wine with the nectar drunk by the gods on Olympus!

The island would https://agreekadventure.com/naxos-beaches-things-to-do/ appear to have actually had comprehensive grazing-grounds in ancient times, and Naxiot animals were so highly thought about that when in the sixth century BC Polycrates, autocrat of Samos, was searching for breeding animals with which to improve his stock, he sent out to Naxos for goats. The marble and emery of Naxos were soon in use in art and life far beyond the bounds of the island. The myths relating to influenced by tradition and the capture of Dionysos by Naxos show its god's supreme accomplishment, pastoral sea just off Naxos.

It is stated, for example, that Zeus himself was raised there, and was worshipped as Zeus Melosios, protector of the flocks. Apollo, who had an unique connection with the island, was likewise worshipped as the protector of the flocks especially of the rams and likewise of flowers.

Ares, god of war, was once forced to take refuge from his pursuers in the depths of the earth of Naxos, where he hid in what the myth calls "the stone that eats iron., an obvious referral to emery.

Above all, however, it was Dionysus who embodied all the agrarian beauties and advantages of Naxos. It was here that the god was born and raised, according to the regional misconception, and all the misconceptions agree that it was on Naxos that he satisfied and married

Ariadne, after she had actually been abandoned on the island by Theseus. The marital relationship in between Ariadne and Dionysus, her death and the renewal which that death fore-shadows were the focus of wild celebrations on Naxos in antiquity, where this cult, focusing on the ripening, death and regrowth of nature was most highly established.

The very first residents of Naxos are stated by the misconceptions to have actually been click here Thracian, under Boutes, boy of Boreas (the north wind). In his desire to find wives for his companions, Boutes took the rather extreme step of searching some Maenads in Thessaly; he caught some, including Coronis and lphimedeia, and brought them back to the island.

The misconceptions relate that the Thracians held Naxos for 2 a century, being been successful by Carians from Asia Minor, whose king Naxos offered the island its name. Historical finds show that there was a fairly well-developed society on Naxos as early as the late 4th millennium BC, about the end of the Neolithic age.

Geologically, the island of Naxos becomes part of the Attic-Cycladic Complex. This is a former continent that was comprised of the Cyclades, southern Euboia and Attica. Normally speaking, the Attic-Cycladic Complex consists of metamorphic rocks. These are rocks that have gone through high pressures and temperatures as an outcome of having been submerged during the formation of the mountains in the lower levels of the earth's crust. Throughout the metamorphosis of the rocks, the minerals and rocks are re-crystallized, there is extreme schist-production activity and the development of new minerals with the exchange of material. The rocks that were formed during this procedure of transformation can be either sedimentary deposits or brand-new formations and date to as early as the Mesozoic duration, i.e. 245 - 130 million years back. Just one area of these, the most affordable strata, is older and is approximated to be 355 million years of ages, formed during the Paleozoic era.

As such, the rocks that we see in Naxos today were very first metamorphosed between 40 and 45 million years earlier, throughout the duration known as the mid-Eocene. During this very first stage of transformation it is calculated that the rocks were immersed 40-50 thousand metres listed below the earth's surface.

The 2nd stage of transformation occurred in the region 25 million years earlier, during the Oligocene period. These rocks came to the surface during the development of the Alpine orogenic system. In addition, with the submergence of the rocks and the parallel rising of the earth's crust, an infiltration of granite magma occurred concurrently.

A 3rd stage of transformation took place 17 million years earlier and was defined by high temperatures and the infiltration of granitic diorites.

Nearly the entire of the island of Naxos, then, is comprised of metamorphic rock, such as: marble, granite, schist, gneisses, amphibolites and migmatites. Furthermore, there has been a seepage of lava, producing the granite that makes up one-third of naxos island the island, whilst almost the whole of the rest of Naxos is made up of taken shape schist and marble.

Naxos is and always has actually been a cross-roads, where archaeologists, historians, scholars of all kinds, artists, and ordinary people with an interest in history, archeology and folklore can meet, drawn by the value of the culture which has thrived on the island down the centuries.

Amongst the archaeologists to have actually worked on Naxos considering that the start of the 20th century are Professors Welter, Doumas, Lambrinoudakis, Drandrakis, Klon Stefanos, Christos Karouzos, N. Kontoleon, N. Zafiropoulos, F. Zafiropoulou and G. Gruben, teacher of the history of architecture at the University of Munich and Korres (who is accountable for the restoration of the Athens Castle). These scholars have actually concluded that Naxos was not simply substantial but of decisive importance for the history of the Cyclades and of the Greek world in basic.

Its size, its central position in the Aegean, the fertility of its soil and the success that these factors produced assisted to guarantee Naxos its self-sufficiency down the ages.

Pindar calls Naxos "rich" and Herodotus ensures us that Naxos, surpassed the other isles in success. Simply as today, the fruit, olive oil and above all red wine of Naxos were famous in antiquity: Archilochus of Paros even went to far regarding compare Naxiot red wine with the nectar intoxicated by the gods on Olympus!

The island would seem to have had extensive grazing-grounds in ancient times, and Naxiot animals were so extremely thought about that when in the sixth century BC Polycrates, autocrat of Samos, was looking for reproducing animals with which to improve his stock, he sent to Naxos for goats. The marble and emery of Naxos were quickly in use in art and every day life far beyond the bounds of the island. The myths associating with inspired by tradition and the capture of Dionysos by Naxos reflect its god's supreme victory, pastoral sea simply off Naxos.

It is said, for instance, that Zeus himself was raised there, and was worshipped as Zeus Melosios, protector of the flocks. Apollo, who had a special connection with the island, was also worshipped as the protector of the flocks especially of the rams https://agreekadventure.com/naxos-beaches-things-to-do/ and likewise of flowers.

Ares, god of war, was as soon as required to take refuge from his pursuers in the depths of the earth of Naxos, where he concealed in what the myth calls "the stone that consumes iron., an obvious reference to emery.

Above all, however, it was Dionysus who embodied all the bucolic beauties and benefits of Naxos. It was here that the god was born and raised, according to the local misconception, and all the myths agree that it was on Naxos that he satisfied and married

Ariadne, after she had been abandoned on the island by Theseus. The marital relationship between Ariadne and Dionysus, her death and the rebirth which that death fore-shadows were the focus of wild celebrations on Naxos in antiquity, where this cult, focusing on the ripening, death and regrowth of nature was most highly developed.

The first inhabitants of Naxos are said by the myths click here to have been Thracian, under Boutes, kid of Boreas (the north wind). In his desire to discover better halves for his companions, Boutes took the rather extreme step of hunting some Maenads in Thessaly; he caught some, including Coronis and lphimedeia, and brought them back to the island.

The misconceptions relate that the Thracians held Naxos for 2 hundred years, being prospered by Carians from Asia Minor, whose king Naxos provided the island its name. Archaeological finds show that there was a fairly strong society on Naxos as early as the late 4th millennium BC, about the end of the Neolithic age.

Geologically, the island of Naxos is part of the Attic-Cycladic Complex. This is a former continent that was comprised of the Cyclades, southern Euboia and Attica. Generally speaking, the Attic-Cycladic Complex contains metamorphic rocks. These are rocks that have gone through high pressures and temperature levels as an outcome of having actually been immersed during the development of the mountains in the lower levels of the earth's crust. During the transformation of the rocks, the minerals and rocks are re-crystallized, there is extreme schist-production activity and the creation of new minerals with the exchange of material. The rocks that were formed during this process of transformation can be either sedimentary deposits or brand-new developments and date to as early as the Mesozoic period, i.e. 245 - 130 million years earlier. Just one section of these, the lowest strata, is older and is estimated to be 355 million years old, formed during the Paleozoic era.

As such, the rocks that we see in Naxos today were very first metamorphosed between 40 and 45 million years back, during the duration called the mid-Eocene. Throughout this very first phase of transformation it is calculated that the rocks were immersed 40-50 thousand metres listed below the earth's surface area.

The second stage of transformation happened in the area 25 million years back, throughout the Oligocene period. These rocks concerned the surface area throughout the development of the Alpine orogenic system. In addition, with the submergence of the rocks and the parallel rising of the earth's crust, an infiltration of granite lava took place simultaneously.

A third stage of metamorphosis occurred 17 million years back and was defined by high temperatures and the infiltration of granitic diorites.

Practically naxos island the whole of the island of Naxos, naxos beaches then, is made up of metamorphic rock, such as: marble, granite, schist, gneisses, amphibolites and migmatites. Moreover, there has actually been an infiltration of magma, creating the granite that makes up one-third of the island, whilst nearly the whole of the rest of Naxos is comprised of crystallized schist and marble.