GREECE IS | MYKONOS | 2018 by GREECE IS

EXPERIENCE CULTURE, GASTRONOMY & MORE

M Y KO N O S

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ISSN: 2529-041X

ISSUE #29 | 2018 EDITION

20 - 46

W E L C O ME

Insiders talk about Mykonos through time; we explore the rich cultural agenda and admire images that capture the essence of this world-class destination.

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D ISC OVER

We revisit the excavations that revealed the majesty of Delos, and explore a simpler time on Mykonos and how the island evolved into what it is today.

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Get the most out of Hora, with its legendary nightlife and high-end fashion and jewelry, then get back to nature with some outdoor activities.

An introduction to the culinary traditions of the island and its famous kopanisti cheese, and a guide to all the best restaurants, both new and time-tested.

EX PERIENCE

TAS T E

TA S T E G A S T R O N O M Y

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WELCOME

THE ISLAND VS THE HASHTAG There’s a richness to Mykonos that even millions of social media posts can’t fully capture. BY NATA SH A BL AT SIOU / DE P U T Y E DI TOR , GR E E C E I S M Y KONOS

It is said that Mykonos is not the same island that attracted its first tourists in the mid-20th century. The landscape has changed dramatically; the original mix of visitors, including celebrities and hippies who ended up becoming best friends, has been replaced by new money and showbiz types. What’s more, the Mykonians themselves are no longer poor immigrants and sailors, but successful entrepreneurs. If you think about it, though, history appears to be repeating itself, albeit with a twist. The first travelers in the 1940s describe how, in the absence of hotels, the locals would feed them, wait on them and literally give up their beds to accommodate them. Today, Mykonians surrender their houses in the summer in order to rent them out via Airbnb and other such platforms (for a sizeable fee). Renowned for the high quality of services they offer and their excellent people skills, they still make sure to mop every inch of Hora every morning so that tourists can enjoy clean streets. In the old days, there would be pictures in tavernas of all the famous people who’d eaten there, but you had to be in the taverna to see those pictures. Today, a restaurateur won’t put the picture on a real wall; he’ll post it with a Mykonos hashtag where a thousand followers can see it, and these followers, in turn, will want to come here because their favorite celebrity did. So, I wonder, is it the island that has changed or us, the

travelers? “People come here because they saw a photo of Mykonos on Instagram or Snapchat. They basically don’t know why they’re here,” argues the young owner of the club Moni, who has been coming to the island since he was a child and is concerned by the new state of play. “The influencers, 3,000 to 4,000 people around the world, put up posts which are seen by their ‘friends’ who, in turn, say ‘let’s go there.’ They determine when a trend starts and when it ends. They can practically destroy a destination by generating too much demand for one place and then moving on to another. This is very much what happened with Ibiza and southern France,” he adds. Can a global brand survive such an onslaught of demand? The answer is far from simple, of course, but it ultimately comes down to the local community. Can it deal with more buildings, more people, more traffic, more noise pollution, more trash and less water? What the community needs to keep, to hang onto, is its essence, its true identity, which is why this issue, apart from constituting a guide to all the pleasures that can be found at this high-end destination, also presents those elements that make Mykonos unlike any other place in the world: the magical archaeological site of Delos, the beautiful main town of Hora, a busy cultural calendar and a wealth of local gastronomic products.

Live music at the 180º Sunset Bar (left), the 3rd Mykonos Folklore Festival in May 2018 (right) M Y KO N O S 2 018

SPILIA SEA SIDE

WELCOME

AEGEAN ISLANDS: LIKE NO OTHER The South Aegean is the perfect vacation destination. BY GE ORGE H AT Z I M A R KOS / R E GIONA L G OV E R NOR OF T H E SOU T H A E GE A N

With millions of visitors every year and with destinations that are among the most famous and beloved worldwide, the South Aegean is the dominant force in Greek tourism and a powerful presence in the global tourism market.

visitors the possibility of living authentic experiences in 50 different destinations, each one with its own unique identity. While these may belong to the same geographic area, in reality they constitute 50 different options.

Every year, the South Aegean receives the lion’s share of tourist traffic in Greece; it’s responsible for approximately 30% of the country’s tourism revenue. And in this period of major changes and upheaval to the status quo across the globe, it remains a nexus of challenges and opportunities. It’s the region that will take the lead in the coming years on the road towards growth and development.

That’s not all. We’re continually enriching our brand with all of those elements that precisely reflect our true identity, highlighting as many aspects of our multifaceted touristic product as possible. Our selection as the European Region of Gastronomy for 2019 helps us promote the exceptional gastronomy of the islands, as well as our rich cultural heritage and the destinations that offer authentic travel experiences.

The uniqueness of our islands constitutes the core of the competitive differentiation of our touristic product, and this forms the basis for our strategy. In the Region of the South Aegean, we approach tourism with the seriousness that is demanded by the lifeblood of the Greek economy; we’re planning for tomorrow and seeking to claim it on terms that befit a leader. Our goal is to demonstrate what the South Aegean truly is: unique, multifaceted, and unsurpassable. Everything one could want from their vacation is offered here in abundance. Dozens of gorgeous islands, each with its own particular set of characteristics, can satisfy every possible demand and transform one’s vacation into a special and personally satisfying experience. The South Aegean offers

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Our philosophy as a regional administration is to make use of every opportunity that can lead to the further strengthening of the tourism sector on our islands, which will contribute to the recovery of the Greek economy. We’re taking the lead in charting a local tourism strategy which, by extension, is part of the national tourism strategy. We are aiming for the top and we are succeeding. We’ll accept nothing less for the region with the some of the strongest tourism brands worldwide, and with dozens of islands that add substance to the concept of “uniqueness.” “Aegean Islands: Like No Other” is the identity of the South Aegean; it is the identity of Greece!

CONTENTS G R E E C E I S - I S S U E# 2 9 M Y KO N O S 2 018 E D I T I O N

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Welcome

20. WHAT’S WHAT Get to know the hallmarks of the island. 24. ELEMENTARY Simple images speak volumes. 30. MEET THE MAYOR The 36-year-old’s vision for the future. 32. MYKONIAN BY CHOICE A first-person perspective on daily life on the island. 34. AGENDA Exhibitions and festivals you won’t want to miss.

40. MYKONOS MUSE Photographer Lizy Manola on what led her to create a coffee-table book dedicated to the island.

Discover

48. DELOS How the incredible treasures of this remarkable site were brought to light. 62. THE WAY THEY WERE 1950s Mykonos as captured by the acclaimed photographer Robert McCabe. 68. WHAT HAPPENED HERE? Mykonian writer Panayótis Kousathanás on the island’s transformation.

74. THE MINES Mykonos’ forgotten industrial history.

110. NATURAL HIGHS Explore the great outdoors, on land or at sea.

Experience

112. KITE SURF Korfos: the place to soar.

80. HORA What not to miss when in town.

ISSN: 2529-041X Exerevnitis-Explorer S.A. Ethnarchou Makariou & 2 Falireos, Athens, 18547, Greece Tel. (+30) 210.480.8000 Fax (+30) 210.480.8202

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Giorgos Tsiros

(editor@greece-is.com)

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR:

Natassa Bouterakou

Taste

92. PARTY ON Experience Mykonos’ world-famous nightlife.

116. LOCAL COOKS Three generations of cooks share their knowledge.

98. SHOPPING Where to get the latest looks, even before they reach Paris and NYC.

122. KOPANISTI Discover Mykonos’ trademark cheese.

106. JEWELRY Cycladic forms meet gold and precious stones.

ON THE COVER: “Delos, an island I’ve never seen” by Cacao Rocks, from the exhibition “Les Cyclades électroniques,” Dio Horia Gallery, 2016. Acrylic on canvas, detail.

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126. DELICACIES The best local products you have to try. 124. RESTAURANTS From local tavernas to five-star venues, this island has it all.

GREECE IS - MYKONOS

is a yearly publication, distributed free of charge. It is illegal to reproduce any part of this publication without the written permission of the publisher.

ILLUSTRATION: PHILIPPOS AVRAMIDES

WELCOME GLOSSARY

WHAT’S WHAT?

Mykonos’ trademarks explained in brief BY NATA SH A BL AT SIOU

HORA White sugar-cube buildings sporting colorful doors and window frames crowd along narrow streets, all the way down to the water’s edge. Squares and courtyards are few and far between: in total, only 10 percent of Hora’s surface hasn’t been built upon. The low stone walls, staircases and potted plants create the impression that the town is one large outdoor living room, where everything happens out in the open: flirting, eating, drinking, people-watching ... and a lot of high-end shopping.

MYKONIAN EARRINGS These ornate gold earrings inlaid with pearls were first inspired by jewelry 18th-century Mykonian sailors found on their travels. Selftaught artist Maroulina – whose clientele included Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor and other stars – managed to make them worldrenowned. Some of her work is on display today at the Folklore Museum.

MANTO A Mykonian on her mother’s side, Manto Mavrogenous donated her entire fortune to further the aims of the Greek revolution against Ottoman rule. Following independence, she became a symbol of self-sacrifice for the common good and was given an honor unique for a woman, the honorary rank of lieutenant-general.

THE PELICAN Petros was a great white pelican, rescued by a local fisherman in 1958, who soon became the favorite of every Mykonian and tourist. Well-fed and cared for, he appeared in myriad photographs and was even brought mates to keep him company. Mykonos’ mascot died in 1985, but this did not leave Mykonos pelican-less. A bird still lives on the island. His home is in the Cine Manto.

PANAGHIA PARAPORTIANI Considered one of the most beautiful buildings in Greece and often referred to as the “Acropolis of Mykonos,” it’s located in the Kastro district, near the port. What sets it apart is that it’s a complex of five churches built on different levels. 20

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PANIGYRI This is a celebration of an important religious occasion, as well as an opportunity to strengthen community spirit. There are around 600 churches on Mykonos, and each will hold a panigyri on the feast day of their namesake. On the eve of the saint’s day, the feast – food, wine and traditional music – starts after the evening mass.

WELCOME GLOSSARY

ILLUSTRATION: PHILIPPOS AVRAMIDES

WINDMILLS The power of the strong archipelago winds was harnessed to mill local grain from the 17th to 19th centuries. The dry rusks baked in the island’s ovens were exported to the surrounding islands, and sold to sailing ships who stopped at Mykonos on their way across the Aegean. The windmills, instrumental to the island’s prosperity, were rendered obsolete by technological advancements, but they remain as landmarks, and tourism has endowed them with a new sense of worth, either as rooms to let or as a pretty backdrop to cocktail-sipping and sunset-watching at Little Venice.

“ONE-HOUSE VILLAGE” What the rest of the world might see as a simple home is, on Mykonos, the center of a self-contained kingdom created by rural families so they could live autonomously. The locals call these homes horia (“villages”) as all the family’s day-to-day needs can be met on these parcels of land. Today, most of these houses have been modernized, abandoned or demolished, and only a few dozen elderly residents insist on living in what, for them, was once a whole little world of their own. 22

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DELOS The mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, this small island (only a 30-minute boat ride from Mykonos) flourished between 166 and 69 BC, becoming one of the most important trading centers of antiquity. Included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List, Delos is one of Greece’s most important archaeological sites, providing its visitors with a clear idea of the citystate that once thrived here.

MELTEMI This natural “air-conditioner,” as the locals call it, tames the summer heat and lowers the humidity. A northerly wind that can turn from a light breeze to a ferry-canceling gale, the meltemi can get on your nerves after a few days, but relief is available in wind-protected Hora or on Psarou Beach.

LOUZA & KOPANISTI These two star products go great with wine or ouzo. Louza, which you will often see hanging in the island’s butcher shops, is a dry-cured meat made from pork. It is particularly tasty and comparable to Italian charcuterie. Kopanisti is a protected designation of origin (PDO) Cycladic cheese made from sheep and cow milk and fermented for at least 60 days. It’s soft, creamy and fullbodied, with a pungent aroma, tangy mouthfeel and powerful aftertaste.

BEACHES Stretches of golden sand with sophisticated bars and restaurants, overpriced sun loungers, thumping music and the scent of suntan oil hanging in the air, or remote spots where the breeze carries wafts of wild thyme? Mykonos’ “beach menu” has something for everyone, regardless of taste, budget or mood.

WELCOME IN PIC TURES

ELEMENTARY

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THE CAPITAL After sundown, Hora radiates that kind of bright light you see in big cities. Its labyrinthine lanes fill to the brim with well-dressed visitors, maxing out their credit cards in chic boutiques, trendy galleries and pricey jewelry shops. If you didn’t come here just for the consuming-and-living-thegood-life bit, then abandon the main streets for a while and duck into the alleyways. There, take your time and admire the two-story houses, their simple yet elegant external staircases, and the cascades of bougainvillea – all this with the scent of basil discreetly perfuming the air.

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100% NATURAL Mykonos is renowned for its dozens of beaches, but not every swimming spot is crowded or covered with sun loungers. You can find secluded, sandy shores or rocky stretches where you can be on your own. One such spot, pictured here, lies between Elia and Agrari. While walking along the dirt trail that connects these two beaches, you’ll discover that there’s another side to the island: one that’s still pristine and untrodden and allows you to connect with the environment without interference – no apps, loud music or cocktails.

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Â© PERIKLES MERAKOS M Y KO N O S 2 018

BAREFOOT LUXURY Hippy-chic attire, high-end services, sophisticated design â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this is what the top island destinations in the world have in common, and Mykonos is one of them. But no other sea is like the Aegean, nowhere else is the light so sharp and the wind so refreshing. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s these natural elements that set this island apart and help define the lifestyle it promises its visitors: a balance between simplicity and indulgence, a barefoot luxury if you will. Scorpios (pictured here), on Paraga Beach, is the place that introduced this philosophy here, combining a Bedouin-style decor, an organic gastronomic menu and a sunset ritual that involves signature cocktails, eclectic music and an almost tribal sense of belonging.

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Â© PERIKLES MERAKOS M Y KO N O S 2 018

WELCOME INSIGHTS

TALKING TO THE MAYOR KONSTANTINOS KOUKAS, ON THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF MYKONOS Accustomed as I am to having to deal with a certain amount of protocol when arranging interviews, scheduling a meeting within just half an hour via text message immediately put my communication with Mykonos’ youngest-ever mayor, 36-yearold Konstantinos Koukas, on a more relaxed footing. We met at a local taverna (called Maereio) in the center of Hora and shared dishes he selected with obvious familiarity. “The season has started strongly,” he says with a smile. “It looks like we’re going for a record year. Last year, we welcomed 1.2 million arrivals by air and 1.3 million by sea at the old and new ports – 700,000 of which were from cruise ships. The market we draw from is expanding even more this year, to the East and to Australia. Next week, we’re expecting our first Qatar Airways flight from Doha – Australians, Japanese, Asians and Brazilians appear to be our new clientele.” (A few days later, he sent me a video of the island’s traditional dancers welcoming that flight, along with a text with lots of emoticons and smiley faces). I ask him whether the island can support even more tourists. “We’re famous, but what we need is a different clientele,” he replies. “The objective is to extend the season so that we have a viable, year-round Mykonos, and this means redefining our identity. We need new, high-caliber tourists.” Water sufficiency appears to be one of the many issues 30

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that are causing him some concern as the tourist season gets into full swing. After a very dry winter, the water reserves are lower than usual at this time of year. In response, he is planning a campaign, in cooperation with Mykonos’ hoteliers, to raise awareness about water conservation. “Water is a natural resource and we need to respect it, just as we do the seas, the trees and the environment in general,” he says. “In the Cyclades, where water is scant, there’s all the more reason for this.” Improving the locals’ quality of life is the other big challenge. “Education, culture, sports: that’s our focus,” says the mayor. “It’s about the youth. We’re building a new high school at Ano Mera, and the island’s first indoor sports arena. We’re organizing significant sporting events like the Aegean Games and the Mykonos Run. In terms of culture, we’re hosting the exhibition “Vanity: Stories of Jewelry in the Cyclades”for the second year, and we’re getting ready to start restoration work on the Ancient Theater of Delos.” As we leave the restaurant, he invites me to the final of the Cyclades soccer league the following day: Mykonos vs Syros. In a stadium packed with local teenagers, the Mykonos squad took the game and the championship – to the joy of their fans. Securing a prosperous future for these young people represents the biggest challenge that lies ahead, not just for the mayor but for every Mykonian.

WELCOME RE AL LIFE

“POPULARITY COMES WITH A PRICE” APHRODITE DELLAPORTA I have lived on the island since 2010. The next year, I gave birth to my daughter and decided to raise her here. The locals welcomed me and this made me feel free. In other small communities in Greece, those that are more conservative, being a single mother could have been a problem. But Mykonians not only accept those who are different, they embrace them. For instance, there’s this local lady who opened her home to accommodate my relatives when they visited – and we’re a big family! Or those times when the owners of my local taverna would cut our bill in half, just because we were such a large and happy group. Even today, when I go shopping, the store owners will throw in a couple of eggs from their own hens or offer me freshly baked cookies for my daughter. How things change from summer to winter is amazing, especially in Hora. In the summer, there are so many people on the street that the throng can carry you past the lane you want to turn into. In the winter, you can let your kids loose on the streets and it’s fine. That change of pace is necessary: intensity and hard work for a few months and then rest and family life. Nobody can work 15 to 18 hours a day, 12 months a year.

The climate is mild in winter, with just a little rain, a lot of humidity and much more wind, which can even cause the occasional cancellation of the ferry service. The children go to school, and those of us who work summer jobs have the time to take a calm stroll around Yialos, to draw out the coffee break a little longer, or to just sit on the balcony and enjoy a gorgeous sunset. The locals are open and kind – much the same as they were when the first tourists came to the island. They still go to Sunday mass and take part in traditional celebrations. And we, all the non-Mykonians, are always invited to join them. In the past couple of years, however, I feel that things are changing. Civil servants like teachers, police officers and doctors are finding it almost impossible to rent a home on a year-round basis, as many owners find it more lucrative to deal exclusively with summer visitors. It’s hard to believe. You get a knock on your front door and there’s someone who asks how much you want for your house for three months. They’ll agree to whatever price you name. Most people do take advantage of this, of course, but if the island’s popularity keeps increasing, soon there won’t be an off-season. And I’m not sure that I would or could live on an island that never rests.

Afroditi Dellaporta is a member of the Mykonos Municipal Tourism Committee and project manager for promotional activities at international tourism fairs and events of culinary interest.

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ART AGENDA

CELEBRATING CREATIVITY The island’s cultural venues are in full summer swing

BY X E N I A GEORGI A DOU

MYKONOS ART FESTIVAL

MYKONOS ART FESTIVAL UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30 Seven decades after he first visited the Mykonos Annex of the Athens School of Fine Arts, acclaimed visual artist Costas Tsoclis returns to the island in collaboration with ASFA and the National Museum of Contemporary Art to inaugurate the new Mykonos Art Festival with one of his installations. The festival’s program also includes concerts by prominent Greek artists (George Dalaras, Lavrentis Machairitsas on 12/07, Eleonora Zouganeli on 31/08), theater performances from the Athens-Epidaurus Festival and a film section (titled “Food in Cinema”) at the 34

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ANTONIS POLYKANDRIOTIS (1904-1990), “LITTLE VENICE ON MYKONOS,” MUNICIPAL ART GALLERY.

open-air Cine Manto, organized by the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in collaboration with the Gastronomy Club of Mykonos (28 and 30/09). mykonosartfestival.com

MUNICIPAL ART GALLERY OF MYKONOS The Municipal Art Gallery of Mykonos, housed since 1952 in the home of Mykonian painter Maria Inglesi in the center of Hora, hosts a rich program of exhibitions, both in its historic central building and in its two annexes. A standout is the group exhibition with a focus on Mykonos as depicted by great 20th-century artists.

JULY 3 - JULY 31 The exhibition “Mykonos through the Gaze of Artists: From the Interwar Years to 1960” in the Matogianni and Kalogera halls will, for the first time, present works by celebrated visual artists who lived and worked on Mykonos in the early to mid-20th century and who were inspired by the island’s light, landscape and architecture. The works are drawn primarily from private collections. The exhibition will also feature archival and photographic material. UNTIL OCTOBER 16 A series of interesting solo exhibitions featuring artwork by Greek and foreign artists will include pieces by the internation-

ally renowned Lebanese artist Hawini (until 30/06, Kalogera Hall), a series of oil-on-canvases by the up-and-coming painter Vasilis Antonakos (1-10/08, Kalogera Hall), mosaics by Dimitrios Chorianopoulos (21-31/08, Matogianni Hall) and religious icons created by Nana Georgi and Angi Stathopoulou using Byzantine techniques and egg tempera paint (11-20/08, Syrioti Hall). There will also be a display of handmade jewelry by Lilian Syrigou (21-31/08, Syrioti Hall), photographs by Maria Rampia in an exhibition titled “Memories of Light” (1-10/09, Matogianni Hall) and sculptures inspired by Delos, executed by Petroula Oikonomopou-

ART AGENDA

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF MYKONOS AUGUST 26 On the night of the August full moon, the courtyard of the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos will host an atmospheric musical event featuring two instruments and one voice. Evi Mazi (vocals and flute) together with Stathis Anninos (piano) will present a program inspired by the sea, featuring classical, folk and popular songs from around the world, as well as music from film scores. Begins at 20:30. • Archaeological Museum of Mykonos, Old Port, Hora, Tel. (+30) 22890.223.25

TASTE OF MYKONOS SEPTEMBER 28-30 Mykonian tyrovolia, a fresh sheep’s and goat’s milk cheese that is used mainly to make the delicious local pies, will be the star of the show at the festival organized by the Gastronomy Club of Mykonos in cooperation with the Charitable Foundation of the Municipality of Mykonos for the Environment, Education 36

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and Development. The main activities – including street cooking in Hora and Ano Mera, visits to working dairies and food-tasting evenings – will be augmented by events such as art exhibitions, puppet theater performances, music evenings and screenings of short films. www.tasteofmykonos.gr

ANCIENT THEATER OF DELOS OCTOBER 6-7 The Ancient Theater of Delos returns to life for only the second time in 2,100 years. Following the successful performance of “Ekavi (Hecuba): A Refugee on Delos,” the theater will now see a production of “Hera,” with a libretto by Elsa Andrianou, director of studies of the Drama School of the National Theatre of Greece, and music by the acclaimed composer, theater director and deputy artistic director of the National Theatre of Greece, Theo Abazis. “Hera” will grace the Delos stage for only two performances. The one-act work, which in terms of style strikes a balance between opera and contemporary music theater, addresses the fear of mortality and the tedium of immortality. The performance will begin at 17:00, and there will be limited seating, minimal scenery and props and no microphones or amplifiers. www.mykonos.gr

lou (11-20/09, Kalogera Hall). Last but not least, the group exhibition “Artists of Mykonos” will feature a wide range of works created by local artists (2130/09, Kalogera Hall). • Municipal Art Gallery of Mykonos: Matogianni Hall, 45 Matogianni, Hora • Kalogera Hall: Kalogera and Panachradou Street, Hora • Syrioti Hall, Meletopoulou Street, Hora, Tel. (+30) 22890.271.90

“VANITY”: THE BOOK The two-volume catalog of the exhibition “Vanity: Stories of Jewelry in the Cyclades,” which is currently being hosted at the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos, comes in an impressive silver box and tells the story of seven millennia of jewelry-making on these islands. It’s a narrative driven by vanity and the human desire for adornment as a means of projecting beauty and power. The book features the 230 archaeological finds from 19 islands that are on display at the exhibition, as well as creations by modern designers who draw their inspiration from antiquity. The production of this stunning coffee-table book was overseen by Kois Associated Architects, who were also responsible for staging the exhibition, with graphic design by the studio About and photography by Errikos Andreou, Apostolos Koukousas and Giorgos Sfakianakis. The catalog is available at the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos (€80).

ADVERTORIAL

Imagine a place where sea and sky mesmerize adventurous souls – a blue oasis where the sun wraps each day in brilliant white. The whitewashed stone bungalows and private villas of Mykonos Blu, one of the most sought-after hotels in the Aegean, are thoughtfully designed to reflect the cubist style of the Cyclades and overlook the world-famous Blue Flag beach of Psarou. Its 103 island bungalows, suites and villas, some with private pools and Jacuzzis, gardens, terraces and gyms, take full advantage of the brilliant Aegean light. The villas are ultraspacious, airy and sun-filled, with cool shaded terraces where you can enjoy tranquil moments and panoramic views of the sea. No two villas are the same, but each one is furnished to soothe and inspire. In short, Mykonos Blu offers the luxurious refuge you need from the pulsating nightlife of Hora. Of course, the proximity to town is also one of its main advantages. Aside from the 16 private pools, there are another 3 sharing pools for designated rooms, and a jaw-dropping infinity pool. Steps lead down to the sandy beach, which features changing cabins and showers, luxurious sun loungers, towels and umbrellas free of charge. You can also enjoy lunch and drinks served at your sun lounger, as well as a romantic or family dinner on the beach.

More dining options are available at the hotel’s gourmet restaurants, the Mediterranean Aegean Poets, and the brasserie-style L’Archipel, while superb cocktails are served on the Sky Terrace. For privacy, a 24-hour in-room dining service is available. Kids will love the playroom, the spacious lawns and gardens, perfect for games, the nearby watersports facilities, and the children’s menus at the restaurants. Once a week, the hotel hosts live music entertainment suitable for the entire family. Babysitting services are also available, as well as an on-call pediatrician. Mykonos Blu has one of the largest conference centers in the Cyclades, with facilities that can host up to 200 people and are equipped with the latest in audiovisual technology, as well as multipurpose spaces for beach events. WiFi is available throughout the hotel. The hotel also offers the state-of-theart Elixir Wellness Center, where you can recuperate after a night out or a day under the sun. It features a fitness room with cardio equipment and a sauna, both free of charge, and offers a wide range of treatments, including facials, body massages, manicures, pedicures, and more.

GRECOTEL MYKONOS BLU • Psarou, 84600, Mykonos • Greece • Tel: (+30) 22890.279.00 • grecotel.com • mykonosblu.com • #grecotelmykonosblu

WELCOME FIRST PERSON

MYKONOS MUSE What began as a teenage love affair turned into a life-long commitment to the island and, more importantly, its people. BY LIZY M A NOL A

y first visit to Mykonos took place when I was in my late teens; I came with friends. We arrived amid strong winds and high seas on an August day in 1978. Everything was beautiful; an island entirely different from anything I’d seen before, almost bare of vegetation, with just a handful of bushes and trees tormented by the northern winds. It was picturesque and smelled of whitewash and basil. Its main town, Hora, is still among the prettiest in the Cyclades. I love the bright-white, two-story houses, their wooden balconies, doors and windows painted in brilliant colors; the maze of alleys and streets; and the walls with rounded corners, a trick used by local builders to enable the passage of animals at tight turns. Panaghia Paraportiani still stands as the town’s symbol, a church lauded by architects, writers and intellectuals in general. I was awed by the gorgeous sunsets at Little Venice, where the captains

had built their homes on the water’s edge so they could transfer their cargo right into their storage rooms, and enchanted by Petros the Pelican, the island’s mascot. The countless chapels with their red-tiled roofs, the ornately carved dovecotes and the windmills that stood sentry over the sea, witnesses to the toil of people of a bygone era, all of it swept me away. I was young and full of enthusiasm. It was a time when nudism was fashionable, as was romance and falling in love. Passions and friendships abounded, and we lay on the hot sand having philosophical discussions and enjoying our freedom, without prejudices or limitations. Sunset would find us on the beach where our senses were always honed to anything that was new, real and authentic. I remember there were always interesting people arriving on the island from all over the world. The gay crowd with their amazing sense of style; the socialites, actors and singers; the photographers,

The sunset crowd at Little Venice. (Photo: Lizy Manola)

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WELCOME FIRST PERSON

designers and models; hippies, family types and politicians – all becoming one big group of friends. But the special quality that Mykonos has always had is its own people. The Mykonians are hospitable, friendly and tolerant of their visitors’ tastes and pleasures. I remember elderly ladies clad in black headscarves watching young foreign girls in their tiny hot pants and commenting on how lovely they were, rather than frowning upon their immodesty – and all this at a time when nudism and homosexuality were taboo on the other Greek islands. The Mykonians enjoyed the people who came to visit just as much as these visitors enjoyed the island; Mykonos was a place of pleasure, joy and freedom. Eventually, the carefree summers of unfettered youth ended, but I kept going to Mykonos. I built a home high in Hora about 30 years ago, and raised my children in it. Their heights as they grew are notched on the door of a wooden armoire; my son is now taller than the cupboard itself. When I open the window every morning, the first thing I see is the port and the beautiful sea. I head down the same road every day to have my morning coffee at Yialos. At that hour, you’ll only come across locals. They’re a chatty lot and like to start their day with a briefing on all the island’s news. When the Etesian winds abate and allow the fish to come out, the fishermen put their catch on display on a long marble counter, next to the crate of vegetables and fruits that the farmers

01. Babis Pasaoglou, Keith Richards and Minas at Astra Bar, early 1990s (Photo: Personal collection). 02. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana at Nammos (Courtesy: Nammos). 03. Selinas and Babelis performing traditional songs (Photo: Lizy Manola). 04. Sunset at the Alemagou Beach Bar (Courtesy: Alemagou) 05. Sun-dried octopus (Photo: Lizy Manola). 06. Elizabeth Taylor in Maroulina’s shop (Photo: Personal collection). 07. Valentino dining at Philippi Restaurant, 1980s (Photo: Personal collection).

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WELCOME FIRST PERSON

Scorpios (Photo: Steve Herud).

turn up with every morning. That’s where I do my shopping for the day, adding a bouquet of sunflowers, sprigs of basil and chrysanthemums – gorgeous! I take a different route on my way back home, leaving the port behind me and heading along what I like to call Memory Lane. I think back on nights at Remezzo and 9 Muses, two legendary bars that were frequented by the likes of Sophia Loren, Julie Christie, Henry Fonda, Paul Newman, Brigitte Bardot, Yul Brynner, Jacqueline Bisset and so many more celebrities from all around the world! I continue to Manto Square; our classic rendezvous point was here, at the taxi rank in front of the statue. What I’m paying honor to now, though, is Manto Mavrogenous herself. She was a wealthy and educated woman, a Mykonian on her mother’s side and a leading revolutionary, who invested all of her consid44

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erable wealth to buy weapons for the 1821 Greek War of Independence. I think that Mykonos has a little of her rebellious nature. I head uphill towards my house along Matogianni, the main street of Hora, where later in the evening happy music will be spilling out of the open doors of the bars and boutiques. A little further up on my right, I spot the Municipal Library, housed in a lovely neoclassical building, before I pass through Aghias Kyriakis Square, the home of the legendary bar Pierros, a gay mecca that the Italian artist and entrepreneur Piero Aversa opened in 1973. Beyond here is the crossroads where Vengera once stood; it was a café-bar where we’d all meet for endless breakfasts and conversations. Today, the spot is home to the jewelry store Kessaris Mykonos, where every day in August I see Karolina Wells sitting on the stoop. An American naïf painter who has captured life on the island in her own special way, she came to Mykonos as a tourist in 1962 and never left. Across the street on the

THE SPECIAL QUALITY THAT MYKONOS HAS ALWAYS HAD IS ITS OWN PEOPLE. THE MYKONIANS ARE HOSPITABLE, FRIENDLY AND TOLERANT OF THEIR VISITORS’ TASTES AND PLEASURES.

WELCOME FIRST PERSON

01. Drag queens at Jackie O (Photo: Lizy Manola). 02. Kalo Livadi Beach (Photo: Filippos Economou). 03. Kostas Zouganelis, founder of the legendary 9 Muses Club (Photo: Lizy Manola).

right, there’s a massive red bougainvillea, a huge organic umbrella offering its shade to anyone who wants a moment out of the sun. The main street takes me past the town’s most popular spot, Tria Pigadia, where the famed bar Astra has stood unchanged for the past 30 years. Before this arid island became an international destination, the locals would come here every day to get fresh water from the spring; legend has it that if a foreign man drinks from here, he’ll fall in love with a Mykonian woman. As I pass the wells marking the springs, I realize I’m running late. I hurry towards my sanctuary, my beloved garden with its mulberry tree and its oleanders, geraniums and bougainvilleas. Yes, Mykonos has changed since I first 46

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visited. We shouldn’t forget that, before it became what it is today, the people here had a hard life, eking out a living as farmers or fishermen. The windmills that we see as attractive emblems were of vital importance; they were used to produce flour. Yialos, now teeming with tourists, was festooned with nets from the fishing boats, while Little Venice was built as it was so that boats could approach the shore and toss over their loads. Of course, the locals no longer do almost any of this, and the places where they used to live and work serve different functions now. But let me tell you something about these people: they remain as hardworking as always, and at heart, they’re still the same party animals they were. For all its changes, Mykonos has not lost its soul.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lizy Manola is a Greek-born photographer who has spent the last 10 years traveling to and working in places where local culture has been preserved and everyday life retains a natural authenticity. She is currently involved in a longterm project concerning religious ceremonies in peculiar places of worship. Her work has appeared in solo and group exhibitions in Athens and worldwide. She lives and works in Athens and New York.

For her new coffee-table book “Mykonos Muse” (Assouline, May 2018) Lizy Manola has collected photographs taken by her and many other photographers, capturing all facets of this amazing island.

discover M YKONOS

HERITAGE

The excavation of Delos by the French School of Archaeology; Mykonos as captured by famed photographer Robert McCabe in the 1950s and how it has changed; and the forgotten mines that led the early economic development of the island. A detail from a mosaic floor (2nd c. BC), House of the Dolphins, Delos. M Y KO N O S 2 018

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DISCOVER HISTORY

Delos Revealed

The remains of a sacred sanctuary of the gods at the center of the Cyclades, the ruins of Delos have been a rich source of archaeological discovery and adventure for nearly 150 years. BY JOHN LEONA R D

Its narrow lanes and open squares once teeming with Greeks and Romans from all walks of life, its port a maritime crossroads frequented by ships from every corner of the Eastern Mediterranean, Delos is now a peaceful ruin-strewn paradise.

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49 Â© PERIKLES MERAKOS, EPHORATE OF ANTIQUITIES OF CYCLADES/HELLENIC REPUBLIC, MINISTRY OF CULTURE & SPORTS/ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECEIPTS FUND

DISCOVER HISTORY

rchaeological activities on the Aegean island of Delos span more than 150 years, from the French School at Athens’ early explorations on horseback to last year’s 3D modeling of the ancient ruins, carried out using drones. The story of the gradual transformation of the initial antiquarian fascination with Delos into today’s pioneering scientific endeavors begins long ago, with the earliest expressions of archaeological interest by the newly founded Greek state. Soon after Greek independence was secured in the 1820s, an antiquities law was passed (1834) and Greece’s Archaeological Service was established to protect the country’s millennia-old heritage. During the same time period, the independent Archaeological Society at Athens (formed in 1837) was engaged in early excavations on the Acropolis, restorations of the Parthenon and unveiling of other key neighboring monuments. (Today, the society continues to play a major role in the study of ancient Greece through efforts that include scholarly publishing.) Parallel to these domestic efforts, foreign powers, similarly roused by the findings and accounts of early travelers, diplomats, architects, artists and other classical enthusiasts and scholars, began laying plans for their own involvement in the exploration of Greece’s glorious past. Delos, always a site of foremost historical and archaeological concern, immediately became a focus for the French School, the first of the foreign archaeological schools or research centers to be established in Greece (1846).

01. The lions of Delos, a stately rank of marble offerings dedicated to the sanctuary of Apollo by Naxos, late 7th c. BC. | 02. The theater, whose patrons were met with an unmatchable view of the blue straits, and Delos’ sister island of Rineia. | 03. House of the Dolphins (2nd/1st c. BC), known for its unusual circle-in-square courtyard mosaic, signed by “Asclepiades,” and its Tanit (Phoenician goddess) symbol on the foyer floor. | 04. A barefoot worker standing beside a recently re-erected statue of a lion (late 7th c. BC); early 20th century.

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COVETED AEGEAN CROSSROADS Perhaps no island was more famous or significant in post-Bronze Age Greece than sacred Delos, located at the center of the Cyclades. Mycenaean mariners from the Greek mainland left vestiges of a late 2nd-millennium BC occupation, but greater settlement came in the Iron Age, especially after 800 BC. In myth, Delos, a desolate, free-floating island, blessed with a special light, was the place where Leto, pregnant by Zeus, sought refuge from Hera to give birth to her twins, Apollo and Artemis. The Third Homeric Hymn (early 6th century BC) extols: “Rejoice, blessed Leto, for you bore glorious children… as you rested against the great mass of the Cynthian hill hard by a palm

tree by the streams of Inopus.” Through the 7th and 6th centuries BC, Delos and its sanctuaries became objects of desire for rivalrous political powers, including Naxos, Paros, Athens and Samos, all of whom bestowed on the island impressive sculptural dedications and architectural enhancements in their respective bids for control. The Persian Wars (490-479 BC) were an East-West conflict that left centrally located Delos the ideal spot to convene the league of allied Greek city-states, founded by Athens in 478 BC. Athens steadily strengthened its hold over the island and the Delian League, transferring the allies’ treasury to the Acropolis in 454 BC and imposing a purification in 426 BC. Tombs and funerary goods were removed M Y KO N O S 2 018

Extraordinary among Delos’ treasures are its sculptures, mostly 2nd/1st c. BC; Hellenistic gallery, Archaeological Museum of Delos.

from Delos and redeposited on neighboring Rineia island; henceforth, expectant mothers and anyone approaching death would also have to be ferried away across the channel. Delos remained mostly under Athenian hegemony until after the death of Alexander the Great, when it gained complete independence in 314 BC. Given the chance by Alexander’s successors to develop in peace, Hellenistic Delos prospered through royal and other offerings or benefactions, enjoying expanded sanctuaries, distinctive architecture and an increasing role as a maritime crossroads, interregional marketplace and

sumptuous place of residence for affluent merchants. In 167 BC, Rome placed Delos under Athenian administration once again, making it a free port and central economic hub within the Greek East. The island became one of the largest clearinghouses for eastern luxury goods heading west to Italy, as well as for slaves. With the sacking of Delos in 88 and 69 BC, however, by the anti-Roman king of Pontus, Mithridates VI, the island rapidly declined. It experienced a limited resurgence between the late 3rd and 6th centuries AD, then sank into centuries of abandonment and progressive decay.

USING NEARBY MYKONOS AS A BASE AND SUPPLIER OF WORKERS, FOOD, EQUIPMENT AND OTHER MATERIALS, ALBERT LEBÈGUE BEGAN DIGGING ON THE PROMINENT SUMMIT OF MT KYNTHOS IN 1873…

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THE DIGGING BEGINS An early French report from Delos (made in 1847) was somewhat disheartening; both the great Sanctuary of Apollo and the infamous Roman port town appeared to lie completely ravaged in a field of ruin. By 1873, however, the French School’s second director, Émile-Louis Burnouf, was pressing for an initial campaign of excavation. Using nearby Mykonos as a base and as a source for workers, food, equipment and other materials, Albert Lebègue began digging on the prominent summit of Mt Kynthos, where, aided by inscriptions, he identified the Sanctuary of Zeus Kynthios and Athena Kynthia. He also found an artificial cave on the hill’s western slope, later determined to hold a Hellenistic temple of Heracles. Overseeing Lebègue’s activities, in accordance with the protocol still in effect today for all foreign missions, was a representative of the Archaeological Service, Panagiotis Stamatakis. He himself excavated the Sanctuary of Hera, north of Kynthos, where he brought to light 70 inscriptions and 27 sculptures.

Â© ELIAS ELIADIS

Detail of a tiger wearing a wreath of grapevines around his neck; House of Dionysus.

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TEMPLES, TEXTS AND MAIDENS Théophile Homolle (French School director, 1890-1903) succeeded Lebègue on Delos in 1877 and turned his attention to the heart of the archaeological site – the Sanctuary of Apollo and its surroundings. Over the course of four months, he excavated most of the main (Delians’) Temple of Apollo, the Poros Temple and the Oikos of the Naxians. He continued to dig with the same intensity over the next four years. By the time the first general site plan was completed by Henri-Paul Nénot in 1880, the three Apollo temples, the Oikos of the Naxians, the Altar of Horns (Keraton), the Pythion, the Agora of the Delians, the Agora of the Italians and the Letoon were all shown fully or partly excavated, as was much of the Artemision. Two additional drawings by Nénot presented a graphic reconstruction of the central sanctuary and a general view from the sea. Among Homolle’s finds were many inscriptions and sculptures that provided a trove of information on the decrees, dedications and administration of Delos, as well as an early appreciation of Archaic kore figures – years before the now-preeminent marble ladies were discovered (1885-1890) on the Athenian Acropolis. 54

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COAST TO COAST In two subsequent periods of French School activity – 1881-1895 and 19021913, separated by a six-year interval in which French archaeologists focused instead on Delphi – Homolle and his collaborators made advances on many fronts. They expanded their excavations to the Inopus Valley beside Kynthos, the adjacent theater district, the western shore, the northern Sacred Lake district and across the island to the eastern gymnasium and stadium. The first great Hellenistic residence, the House of the Dolphins, was revealed in 1883, followed (1894) by those of the Trident, the Hill, the Lake and the Diadoumenos, each rich in household artifacts, mosaics, frescos or marble sculptures. That same year, the first archaeological map (1:2000) of Delos was completed by Henri Convert and Émile Ardaillon. Following excavation of the “Purification Pit” of 426 BC on the island of Rineia (1898-1900), by Dimitrios Stavropoulos, first curator of Delos, a small museum was established on Mykonos (1902) to house and exhibit its important contents. Living conditions on Delos improved in the 1880s, as the first of several dig

01. Damaged bust of the owner (possibly a banker) of the House of Seals (ca. 150-100 BC) which was destroyed by fire. 02. Two workers (ca. 1894) with the newly discovered Diadoumenos (“fillet-wearer”), a 2nd c. BC marble copy of a Classical bronze original by Polykleitos.

houses (small overnight accommodations) were built. Mosquitoes, however, remained the cause of frequent fevers for archaeologists and workers during wet, non-summer months, leading to a copious consumption of quinine, and eventually to the filling in of the Sacred Lake.

BOOM TIME! A RAILROAD COMES TO DELOS Fieldwork reached its peak on Delos during the tenure of French School director and epigraphist Maurice Holleaux (1903-1912). This was a time of more orderly, all-encompassing scientific investigation, specialist collaboration and burgeoning publication of results. In line with generally accepted practice, however, Roman and Byzantine monuments continued to be removed, to expose Hellenistic, classical and earlier horizons of inhabitation.

Â© ANDRONIKI CHRISTODOULOU

Commercial crossroads: Western amphorae (Italy, Massalia, 2nd/ 1st c. BC), with the Establishment of the Poseidoniasts of Beirut behind.

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IN 1903, WORKERS FILLED 60,990 CARTS WITH 31,000 CUBIC METERS OF EXCAVATED MATERIAL – SUBSEQUENTLY DUMPED IN THE SEA AT THE ANCIENT PORT TO CREATE A JETTY.

The ports of Delos were once crowded with ships, goods, pilgrims, merchants, nobles and slaves from all around the Eastern and Central Mediterranean.

New support for the French School’s Delian coffers came in 1903, when a wealthy French-American, Joseph Florimond Loubat, began making annual donations of 50,000 francs. This meant excavation could continue for four to six months a year, in multiple areas of the site, aided by as many as 200 workers, mostly from Mykonos. In addition, a narrow-gauge railway was transferred from the Delphi operation in 1902. Sixty-eight train carts were soon running on a rail network with four platforms, eight crossings and almost 3.5km of iron track. A two-horse stable and a blacksmith’s forge were also installed. In 1903, workers carrying straw baskets filled 60,990 carts with 31,000 cubic meters of excavated material – subsequently dumped in the sea at the ancient port to create a jetty. During this boom era, previously half-unearthed buildings were fully revealed, including the Agora of the Delians, the Stoa of Philip V and the Stoa of Antigonos. Also excavated were the Minoan Fountain, the House of Cleopatra and Dioskourides, and the House of Dionysus. Evidence of earlier occupation was detected beneath the Apollo and Artemis sanctuaries, while, south of the Agora of the Delians, archaeologists discovered a rich cache of Geometric and Archaic ma56

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terial, a Byzantine church and a hoard of 3,636 late Roman coins, mostly of Constantine, Maxentius and Licinius. Furious activity by Holleaux’s teams, carried out in all cardinal directions, further exposed the southern sanctuaries of foreign gods; the Heraion; the theater, with its massive cistern and adjacent shrines; and the Agora of the Competaliasts, the seafront shops and the ports. In the north, they laid bare the Agora of the Italians, the Establishment of the Poseidoniasts of Beirut and the Hypostyle Hall, as well as the Dodekatheon, the Granite Monument, theTerrace of the Lions, the Palaestra of the Lake and the Granite Palaestra. On the eastern shore, they further investigated the Gymnasium, the Stadium, associated houses and, in 1912-13, a possible synagogue (mid-2nd century BC). Thousands of resulting artifacts were accommodated in the newly constructed Delos Museum (1904, 1906, 1909-1911), and in the Mykonos Museum, while the greatest treasures were shipped off to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

LEGACY With the start of World War I, the pace of the Delos investigations diminished, never again to reach the intensity of those years between 1873 and 1913. The leg-

acy of that period has been not only the artifacts and architecture revealed, but an enormous collection of drawings, sketches, watercolors and photographs – the earliest from 1879. Lessons have been learned about excavation, conservation and restoration practices. Moreover, the rich, diverse body of Delian evidence has provided the basis for studies of ancient religion; public and private architecture and furnishings; archaic to Hellenistic sculpture; the management of public and sacred monies; ancient demographics; and the ancient economy. Perhaps most importantly, the French School has set a precedent of thorough, speedy dissemination of archaeological results.

Source: Delos 1873-1913, published by Melissa Publishing House and the French Archaeological School at Athens (www. melissabooks.com)

DISCOVER HISTORY

DELOS UNDER THE STARS A correspondent for Le Figaro recalls his eye-opening experience of visiting the excavation on the sacred island 20 years ago.

BY CHR ISTOS ZA M BOUN IS

was a correspondent for Le Figaro living in Paris when I was assigned to travel to Greece in 1996 for a tribute marking the 150th anniversary of the French School at Athens, the first archaeological school that France opened abroad. Among the many sites explored by that institution, I chose the island of Delos for the light – and the photographs it would give me. The school sent its first mission to Delos in 1873, a century after a Russian officer made off with a ship full of antiquities from the island. He was not alone, of course. Up to the 19th century, when romanticism spread its wings across Europe and the science of archaeology became a profession rather than a hobby, countless amateurs had been given a free pass by bribe-friendly Ottoman authorities to plunder Greek antiquities, 58

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foremost among whom was Lord Elgin, who literally stripped the Parthenon of its sculptural embellishments. The public can admire the product of this looting at the British Museum. Our good friends the French were hardly better, judging by some of the exhibits at the Louvre, starting with the Venus de Milo. Alas for these amateurs, the establishment of the Greek state after the 1820s War of Independence curbed their lucrative trade. Strict rules were established to control antiquities theft, the main one being a ban on any object excavated in Greek territory being transported abroad. For all their enthusiasm, those early adventurers and explorers had to live and work in very adverse conditions. Delos was and still is uninhabited, dry and barren, with the drought most intense from early May to late September. The sun-

shine, which is so beneficial to all sorts of psychological ailments and is possibly stronger than on any other Cycladic island, makes laboring in the open almost impossible. It was the strength of the sun, in fact, that made this otherwise insignificant dot in the Aegean the birthplace of Apollo, the god of light. Yet nothing can discourage the descendants of Voltaire and de Chateaubriand. Indeed, as one of these French archaeologists noted in his diary, they had been brought up to love and worship Greece, grateful for its contribution to humanity. “The glorious names of its mythology and history have been familiar to us since childhood; the works of its poets, historians, orators and philosophers are an intrinsic part of our intellectual heritage; the creations of its artists are among those that gave our most powerful un-

01. Johannes Paris and Albert Gabriel arrive at the ancient port of Delos (1911), aboard a traditional lateen vessel.

02. French and Danish colleagues take a break from excavation to pose for a photograph in the Hypostyle Hall (1909).

derstanding of beauty; and the principles that inspired its philosophy are among these that we cherish as fundamental to our own lives,” he wrote. Apollo’s birthplace became a second home to the “Athenians,” as the French archaeologists posted to the Greek capital were nicknamed. When I arrived on Delos, I was faced with a practical quandary. The best light for taking photographs is shortly after sunrise and just before sunset. The boat connecting the small island to Mykonos, however, is scheduled to coincide with the opening hours of the archaeological site, from 8:00 to 20:00. My request to spend the night there was initially turned down by the French archaeologists working at the site; no one is allowed to stay on the island. A few arguments later and the issue was settled.

IT WAS THE STRENGTH OF THE SUN, IN FACT, THAT MADE THIS OTHERWISE INSIGNIFICANT DOT IN THE AEGEAN THE BIRTHPLACE OF APOLLO, THE GOD OF LIGHT.

Among the points supporting my argument was the upcoming visit of France’s prime minister, Alain Juppé, to celebrate the anniversary; Le Figaro readers’ love of archaeology; and, of course, the artistic value of the photographs. That unexpected overnight stay on the island of the light-giving sun was one of the most sacred experiences I have ever had in my life. It was as though,

true to its name (which derives from the Greek word for “apparent” or “out in the open”), Delos visited upon me incredible clarity, through the spirit of the god untouched by death. I was injected with such energy that night and the next day that I now make a point of taking the boat over to Delos for a fresh dose every time I visit Mykonos, in what has become, for me, a pilgrimage. M Y KO N O S 2 018

DISCOVER EXHIBITION

CYCLADIC SNAPSHOTS

A comprehensive look at how treasures from Delos were brought to light and restored. BY X E N I A GEORGI A DOU © FRENCH SCHOOL OF ATHENS

The marvelous exhibition “Cycladic Snapshots: Monuments and People,” shown last winter at the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens travels to the Cyclades this summer. The refurbished Archaeological Museum of Delos will display artifacts and other material that shed important light on the excavations at one of the ancient world’s most amazing sanctuaries. Key finds from the museums of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades, many of which are being shared with the public for the first time, as well as archival material from the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the French School at Athens,

tell the fascinating stories of the people who worked tirelessly on the excavations on Delos from the late eighteen hundreds to the first decades of the 20th century. It features some of the outstanding objects recovered by Dimitrios Stavropoullos, the first Greek curator of Antiquities for Delos-Mykonos, as well as a look at the monumental preservation efforts carried out by Georgios Polykandriotis, a selftaught artist and passionate restorer who worked at the museums of Mykonos and Delos during the first half of the 20th century. Exhibits include the mosaic from the House of Dionysus on Delos (pictured

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above), pottery from the 5th century BC “Purification Pit”, pottery from the Delian graves dating to the 2nd century BC, funerary gifts from the 4th century BC “Purification Pit” on Rineia and statuettes from temples on the island, including one of the godess Isis. Other parts of the original Cycladic Snapshots exhibition will be on display at the Archaeological Museum of Thera in Fira, Santorini, and at the Archaeological Museum of Naxos. Archaeological Museum of Delos, Tel. (+30) 22890.222.59. Until December 31. •

DISCOVER MEMENTOS

THE WAY THEY WERE The age of innocence for Mykonos, as captured on film by the renowned American photographer Robert A. McCabe. T E X T B Y PA N AYÓ T I S KOU S AT H A N Á S T R A N S L A T E D B Y M I K A P R O VA T A - C A R L O N E

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FISHERMEN (1955) The seafront of Yialos once belonged by right to fishermen, boatmen and dock workers. Here, trawlermen, probably from Evia, carry their nets across the sand before cleaning and mending them on the marble promenade. In the background are the Archaeological Museum and the Kaminaki district; high above, the Church of Aghios Vasilis, built partly into the rock, and further below, the newly built Leto Hotel.

SUMMER SMILES (1955) Two young girls (with the healthy glow of the sun, the etesian wind and the sea on their faces) stand at the entrance to the Monastery of Aghios Panteleimon, in Marathi, on July 27, the saint’s feast day. There was only one person we found who remembered these two young girls, but he could not say if they were still alive. It may be that they emigrated long ago – life in a foreign land is also a kind of death.

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Â© ROBERT MCCABE

DISCOVER MEMENTOS

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AT REST (1957) Two fishermen (the one on the left is Nikolas Nikou with his daughter), at Aghios Haralambos. Opposite is the beach of Megali Nammos; high above is the hill where the Mycenaean tomb of a Mykoniot princess was discovered a few years ago; it is believed that the princess died at an early age. Successive terraced fields resembling musical staves alternate harmonically with the drywall structures. The sky sprinkles the sea rakishly with silver and gold coins that are spun playfully in their turn by the etesian wind and the light of the sun.

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DISCOVER MEMENTOS

ALL ABOARD (1955) The Despina (affectionately known as “Despinaki”) departs from Mykonos en route to Syros, Tinos and Piraeus. The passengers are all settled in, with their hampers full of treats. They intend to thoroughly enjoy what was then a journey of several hours from Mykonos back to Piraeus, provided the weather held; but when the boat was caught in those torrential gales that only the Aegean, of all the seas in Greece, can unleash, then all the feasting, music, dancing and romancing that characterized these crossings were abandoned on the spot, replaced by nausea and screams.

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DISCOVER MEMENTOS

FEAST (1955) The glorious celebration of the Feast of St Panteleimon on July 27. In Robert McCabe’s exceptional photographic study of characters and moods, Vasilis Athymaritis, a fine fellow of a priest, holds pride of place. He relished telling long, elaborate stories of the island, of its mythical past and of its people.

INFO “These photographs are from Robert McCabe’s forthcoming book of photographs of Mykonos in the 1950s. It will be available in late September from Patakis Editions.“

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DISCOVER OPINION

WHAT HAPPENED HERE? Mykonos’ foremost literary figure discusses the radical changes that tourism has wrought upon the island’s body and soul. B Y PA N AYÓ T I S KOU S AT H A N Á S

General view of Hora and Yialos from the hill of Dagous. Megali Ammos and Korfos are in the background (1970s).

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ocals and outsiders, residents and visitors, we all bear a deep responsibility for the fate, good or bad, of this place. I should mention, first of all, the unbelievable changes that have occurred at Platy Gialos Beach. As a child, I often went there in the summer; it was where the “cottage” was, the rural farmhouse of Grandpa Panayiotis and Granny Anezo. And, of course, Platy Gialos isn’t the only place to have suffered such brutality. Other intrusions and modifications, just as great or even greater, to the island’s unique natural and architectural beauty can be found everywhere. In order to comprehend the radical changes that mass tourism has brought in recent years, it suffices to look at the travel stories of summer visitors from the 1950s and 1960s. They all speak enthusiastically not only about the beauty of the place but also

about the warmth and hospitality of its inhabitants. There, on the sands of Platy Gialos, and on other beaches, too, villagers generously treated the visitors of that period to whatever was on hand to give: a bunch of grapes and a few figs on a ceramic plate, a carafe of cool well-water to ease the summer heat. The locals would set these offerings down and then just disappear. “Good Lord, we don’t want the stranger to think we’re expecting to be paid!” It was gestures like these that slowly built up the so-called “tourist miracle,” tourism that was, in fact, neither a miracle from above nor a bolt from the blue. On the contrary, it was built slowly, patiently, and steadily on the island, beginning as far back as the 1920s. These days it’s difficult to find gestures like that; that ethos has been frayed beyond recognition. After all, who has the time © PERIKLES MERAKOS

The same vista today, after half a century of unbridled construction.

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DISCOVER OPINION

The church above Ornos. In the background are the Prasonisia islets (1970s).

or energy to be as tolerant and hospitable to such masses of people? Today’s tourism is much more than a small island can bear; this tiny little boat is so weighted down, it’s on the verge of capsizing. Even into the 1970s and 1980s, things on the island were still of human proportion; there were a few little tavernas, a handful of small unassuming hotels and some rooms to let, which served those who came to swim at shores free from the din of loud music and without lounge chairs sprouting from the sand or other silliness of that sort. How are beaches where 200 can sit comfortably supposed to bear 2,000 people stomping across them on a daily basis? Almost all of the island’s 45 beaches have been trampled, squeezed dry, fallen prey to the insatiable rapacity of everyone around. There are the recent, noteworthy cases of Panormos and Ftelia, but these sad stories have older precedents as well. How did this happen? What supposedly responsible party signs a paper allowing the shoreline to be so shamelessly abused, permitting villas, hotels and restaurants to be built a half-meter from the waves, blocking access to the sea except for 70

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those willing to clamber over the rocks, or fight their way through the dense, untrimmed forest of lounge chairs and umbrellas that have sprouted on the beaches? Shame on whoever signed the papers that allowed boulders to be unearthed; granite hills to be flattened; enormous homes to be built on mountaintops; or ridiculously large structures thousands of square meters in size, as conspicuous as Roman villas, to be plopped down on just a few hectares of land, sometimes even less. Laws cease to truly exist when they aren’t enforced, when mechanisms for monitoring offenses and punishing offenders fail. One shuddered to see what happened last winter to once-beautiful Psarou, whose beach is sister to Platy Gialos. Ancient gardens that had been home for centuries to fruit trees growing lemons, oranges, figs, carob beans, quince and greengage plums, as well as to grape arbors and other botanical treasures, were all uprooted and replaced by “exotic” plants, including coconut palms! The rocky ridges were flattened, the earth so thoroughly mined that the sea broke into the pit left by the excavations – nature taking its revenge – and all this just so

DISCOVER OPINION

On the left is the Cape of Ai Giorgis of Trachili, where large hotel complexes have been constructed and there is no public access to the sandy beach. To the right are the capes of Glyfadi and Aleomandra, which have also been built upon.

what was once a paradise could be turned in an endless parking lot, an enormous pleasure dome. And to top it all off, in a move that would have made us laugh if it didn’t make us cry, even camels have been brought in on occasion, to serve as mounts for the pleasure and entertainment of wealthy foreigners and plenty of senseless Greeks, too! The lure of profit has turned everything to dust, and people all over the island sport expressions of fateful apathy in the face of the island’s creeping disease. Every winter, cement mixers carry thousands of tons of cement, day and night, from one end of the island to the other. Every summer, an ever-larger army of rented and private vehicles – cars, mopeds, motorcycles, four-wheelers (technically forbidden), unlicensed passenger limousines and beater cars whose owners can’t afford their upkeep but still think of them as status symbols – barrel down the island’s narrow and dangerously unmaintained roads, terrifying the inhabitants and even causing fatalities. And what about Mykonos Town? We’ve forsaken the cool meltemi wind in favor of air conditioners; instead of the sun and the moon, we’ve chosen floodlights that

blind people day and night. Passageways and stairs, little gardens and stone walls have all been knocked down so that shops and businesses can further overrun the place. And whatever charming little corners once remained are now full of tables and chairs: even the island’s churchyards and museum courtyards are littered with loungers, pillows and nargiles! This insatiable hunger for profit is everywhere. “Where will roads like this lead us?” the great poet George Seferis asked back in 1965. All of this excess and lack of measure is sure to lead the island into great suffering and misfortune. Once, when people truly felt deprivation, tourism was a blessing, because it eased the islanders’ difficult economic straits, a result of neglect by the state; it was a joy, and a fair reward, for them to see their lives and those of their children changing for the better. Yet who could have imagined that the island’s residents, locals and foreigners alike, would become so blinded by avarice as not to realize that they’ve long since exceeded the limits the island itself sets, thanks to its size and its character? The unconscionable pilfering of the island is leading to its forced self-destruction M Y KO N O S 2 018

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There are so few permanent residents in Hora today that some ageold services are no longer required. The old oven at the Gioras bakery, which produced bread for centuries, baked its last loaf last year. Today, Gioras is a cafe and the oven is just a curiosity for customers dropping by for cake and coffee.

Marso’s house in Lakka has been converted into a restaurant and the well is used as a dining table.

as, greedily and mercilessly, it is being made to devour its own flesh. I offer this jumbled account of just a few of these disasters, in the hope of reaching the decent, respectable ears of some responsible party, if there are any left. And yet I can’t help but wonder how uncaring we have become, to make such a mess of the most beautiful place, a place we were lucky enough to call our own. The first contemporary hymns to this island can be found as early as 1925, in a letter by Nikos Kazantzakis, and soon after in 1933, in Giorgos Theotokas’s novel “Argo.” How many hidden strengths, how much resilient beauty must this island have 72

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had in order to have withstood almost a century of misuse and consumption, so much violence, stress, and distress? And how long will it continue? Similar examples from elsewhere, including from our own neighboring island of Delos, are incapable of serving as examples and of convincing us of the need to change course, even at this late date. And thus both the sensitive native and the respectful immigrant from elsewhere who came to love the island as his home feel like Seferis’ exiled friend, who, returning to his homeland, comes face to face with something unrecognizable.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PANAYÓTIS KOUSATHANÁS is a poet, writer and essayist. He was born in 1945 in Mykonos, where he lives. He studied English and Greek Literature at the University of Athens and worked for twenty years as a teacher in secondary education. He has published a total of thirty books. Awards and distinctions: Maria Per. Ralli Prize (1980), Greek State Prize for Chronicle-Testimony (2002), Greek State Prize for Short Story (2009). He was also awarded with the Mykonos Municipality Medal (2011) and the Athens Academy Medal (2014).

DISCOVER MINING

Hard Rock

Historian Dimitra Loizou-Voulgaraki recounts the story of how barite mining in the mid-20th century altered the course of the island’s development. BY NATA SH A BL AT SIOU

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The deserted mine was once filled with the voices of workers, who toiled under harsh conditions to extract barite, an industrial mineral used in the oil drilling industry.

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DIMITRIS GERLES, 81 “We worked 40 meters below sea level. At some point, a fault appeared at 23 meters and every time you went by there you got wet. I had four changes of clothes with me every day. At some point, there was so much water that the pumps couldn’t keep up, and we gave up.”

p here, overlooking the Aegean Sea, the landscape is otherworldly. When the wind blows hard, you can’t even stay on your feet. We’re at the old mine, on the northeastern tip of the island, listening to recollections from another age, back when tourism was still in its infancy and many Mykonians had to emigrate to support their families. We tour the deserted mine galleries, stepping rusting machinery; we tiptoe into abandoned buildings with disintegrating walls and gaping windows, and we come across tattered accounting ledgers left behind in what were once company offices. It is as though time here came to a screeching halt. Dimitra Voulgaraki is the daughter of a former mine worker. She is our guide, helping us discover Mykonos’ forgotten industrial history. Her personal archive is impressive; it includes rare film footage from the 1960s, along with photographs, documents, maps, ads and local press cuttings, as well as audio recordings of first-hand accounts from employees. “What prompted me to become involved in this research were the bittersweet memories of my father’s work in the mines – he worked there from the day they opened until the day they shut down. Another reason? Mykonos today may indeed be associated with tourism, but I believe that we Mykonians owe it to ourselves to preserve our memories, our identity,” she says. At the beginning of the 20th century, mining on the island was small-scale. Argentiferous lead was the resource being recovered. In 1955, an American company, Mykobar, arrived on the scene; the main focus of its activity was barite mining. A ship loader was installed in the Loulos area, and from there Liberty-class cargo vessels would transport the ore to Houston, Texas. It is estimated that over the course of its three decades of operation, some two million tons of commercial-grade barite were extracted from the Mykonos mine. Production ceased in 1983, owing to the complete depletion of all commercially exploitable veins. At its peak, the company employed as

DISCOVER MINING

MARIA I. KOUKA-BOUGIOURI, 86 “You couldn’t make any money doing anything those days. We’d usually go and work at the harvests or, because I know how, I’d sew clothing. What did I get paid? Nothing! But we’d get money at the mines. There were 20 of us hand-sorting. The engineers had me as their right-hand person for all the jobs that needed to be done. The only place I didn’t work was in the galleries. The trucks would unload onto the crusher. Whatever the weather – snow, cold or rain – the ore would come down the belt all mixed together, and we’d separate the barite from the rock. All us young girls were lined up in a row – our eyes and hands darting everywhere in order to make sure that no rock slipped through.”

ΥIANNIS KROKOS, 82 “I came to the mines in 1963 as an internal migrant from Evia. I was a laborer for the auxiliary jobs. When the mines closed in 1986, I turned to construction. What I remember most was the fair which was held in honor of the miners at the Church of Aghia Varvara, outside the facilities. All Mykonos would gather there to celebrate with us.” 04

01. The barite was transported on a mine railway (late 1950s). 02. The first bulk shipment of barite is loaded onto a Liberty ship destined for New Orleans in the US. Panagiotis Loizos is on the crawler loader (1956).

03. Mykonian workers, who were constructing the road to Panormos, dine together with the mine’s director, Lou Paraskevaidis (1958). 04. Newlyweds: the mine’s director, Lou Paraskevaidis, with his bride (early 1960s).

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IRINI ASIMOMYTI-POLYKANDRIOTI

“I’d turn on the portable stove and cook a meal; there were just a few workers – about 10 or so. What else could they do, the poor guys? They’d come over and we’d eat. But all the food we made was just plain boiled fare. There I was, in the middle of nowhere, with a babe in my arms. The snakes would be slithering around and there’d be rats scurrying everywhere, just outside the shack! My husband would be on the lookout for these vermin; he’d kill them with a double-barreled shotgun, so that they wouldn’t get inside and bite my baby.”

Mykonians thought it would be a good idea for Petros, their mascot, to have a companion, so the Mykobar mining company brought a male and a female pelican, Alfonso and Omega, from Louisiana. The reason they got these two was that no one knew what gender Petros was (1961).

YIANNIS F. HANIOTIS

“The first car ever driven from Ano Mera to Tigani was a jeep that the company had brought over. And there wasn’t a regular road to drive it on. They had to use a donkey trail, one that had been opened up a bit and leveled by Mykobar workers using only their hands and pickaxes. The first professional driver to arrive – before then, there wasn’t one on Mykonos – was Panagiotis I. Loizos [Dimitra Voulgaraki’s father], who came from Piraeus and became the driver of this jeep, and then remained with Mykobar until he retired. He started off as a driver, became a bulldozer operator, then an excellent grader operator; he built almost all the roads you see on Mykonos today!”

many as 300 people. A good number of Mykonians – including women – worked there during a period of extreme poverty, joined by internal migrants from all parts of Greece. Conditions were inconceivable by today’s standards. The first of these mining activities began in the Tigani area, on the island’s eastern coast. Workers would get there either on foot or by donkey or mule; they would stay the whole week in makeshift camps, returning to their homes only on Saturdays to get cleaned up and to stock up on supplies. Mykonos would be forever changed by the mines. “In 1955, the island had two roads – the one from the main town of Hora to Ano Mera, and the other from Aghios Stefanos to Ornos. Almost all of the roads that exist today were opened 78

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up during the period of the mines. A National Bank of Greece branch began operating in 1956. In fact, the husband of the bank branch manager was a dentist, and he established the island’s first dental office. The post office got so busy that, in 1957, it actually put in a request for additional staff. In the early 1960s, Mykobar employees were the first on the island to be insured. What’s more: the two pelican couples, delivered to the island in 1961 and 1971 respectively in order to provide company for Petros, the original pelican of Mykonos, were both brought here on the initiative of the company. “The mine created new possibilities for a society of villagers and fishermen. In meeting the demands of a modern mining industry, these workers would later

be in a position to integrate its benefits into the sectors they would eventually become involved in,” explains Voulgaraki.”They became craftsmen, with their own crews or their own shops (electricians, lathe operators and car mechanics), professional drivers (taxi drivers, bus drivers and heavy-vehicle owner-operators), as well as businesspeople (hoteliers, restaurateurs and shop owners).” Today, the area containing the mining facilities is privately owned. No one, however, has any idea about what the future holds for the former mines. Voulgaraki is worried that they will slide into obscurity. “Tons of rubble are being dumped in the area of the mines. Unfortunately, this means that an area of outstanding natural beauty and of particular interest to industrial archaeology is being destroyed.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dimitra Loizou-Voulgaraki is a amateur historian who has done extensive research into the operations of the island’s mines. She is also involved in organizing local cultural activities.

experience M YKONOS

IN THE KNOW

Stay abreast of cutting-edge fashions, the latest cocktails and hottest clubs, but don’t miss out on the lesser known, non-commercial side of Hora, or on activities that bring you closer to nature, such as kite-surfing or horseback-riding. Yiannis Kefallinos, Mykonian seascape (1931-1957), MIET Collection M Y KO N O S 2 018

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AROUND

EXPERIENCE HORA

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CATCH THE SUNSET

Mikri Venetia (Little Venice), with its view of the windmills, is without doubt the most famous place from which to watch the sunset when you’re in the main town of Hora. The most sought-after tables are on the rooftop of the Galleraki Cocktail Bar, at the windows right at the back of the Kastro Bar, at the Caprice Bar, at Scarpa and at Bao’s Cocktail Bar. If you’re on the lookout for a more panoramic view, one that also takes in the fishing boats at Yialos and the area around the Church of Panaghia Paraportiani, then simply head uphill to Castle Panigirakis where, at the 180° Sunset Bar, you’ll be able to relax in big bean-bag chairs while sipping cocktails and listening to live music, all with a stunning view of the Aegean Sea.

TOWN

The capital of the island offers real treasures and a more traditional look at Cycladic life to those who stray from the bright lights of Hora’s shopping hubs and leading clubs.

B Y A L E X A N D R A T Z AV E L L A / P HOTOS PE R I K L E S M E R A KOS

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SEA TALES

Mykonos’ renowned Armenistis Lighthouse was one of the largest in the Mediterranean, and, in fact, received an award at the 1889 Universal Exposition of Paris for the ingenuity of its mechanical workings. It remained in service until 1983, helping countless ships make their way safely through the narrow sea passage separating Mykonos and Tinos. Today, the lighthouse constitutes a part of the Aegean Maritime Museum – Mykonos. To reach its courtyard, visitors pass through the impressive interior of a traditional Cycladic sea captain’s house. Among the items on show in the courtyard are grave markers, copies of items found on Delos and Mykonos. Inside the museum, models of ships, antique maritime instruments and coins with nautical themes from the 5th century BC will certainly grab your attention, as will the ombrellino, or parasol, that belonged to Manto Mavrogenous, a heroine of the 1821 Greek War of Independence. (The Academy of Athens honored Giorgos Drakopoulos, a benefactor of Mykonos, for his efforts in establishing this museum.) • The Aegean Maritime Museum Mykonos, 10 Enoplon Dinameon • Tel. (+30) 22890.227.00 • Open daily 10:30-13:00 and 18:30-21:00

AT THE LOCAL MARKET

Early in the morning – before the first cruise ships arrive and Hora becomes inundated with tourists – head on down to the Yialos waterfront area to get a taste of the authentic everyday life of Mykonians. Fishing boats return with their daily catch between 8:00 and 9:00 in the morning. 82

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WHERE MYKONOS GOES

The last traditional Mykonian kafeneio in Hora has been operating non-stop since 1978; the sign above the door reads “Yialos,” but everyone knows the place as stou Bakogia (“at Bakogias’ place”). Every Sunday, after church services, locals gather and drink tsipouro, argue about soccer and politics, laugh and even sing together. At the peak of the summer season, some 200 eggs a day are prepared in their kitchenette. Up until four

Mykonians exchange their first greetings of the day as they mill around in front of the long marble slab, doubtless filled with rockfish or other creatures from the open seas. Local farmers are there as well, and they, too, take up their positions, selling their limited produce from 8:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon. They set up

years ago, Kyria Vasiliki (Kyria, the Greek term for “Mrs.”, is also a term of respect) had been at the frying pan but, since then, her daughter Asimina and granddaughter Vasiliki have taken over. Little meze dishes come and go, accompanying the ouzo and tsipouro. A definite must-try is the local cold cut louza, as well as the mostra – a rusk topped with local kopanisti cheese, chopped tomatoes and capers. Yialos • Tel. (+30) 22890.235.52

their crates, displaying whatever their arid land has to offer – juicy tomatoes, little cucumbers and small melons, as well as sweet figs and apricots. A pair of boisterous ducks are the market’s unofficial mascots, while the island’s famous pelican puts in appearances on a regular basis as well. M Y KO N O S 2 018

DIO CHORIA

NOTORIOUS

RARITY

A COLLECTOR’S DREAM

Hora is definitely ideal for world-class gallery-hopping. Artists recognized by the greatest museums around the world – including the Guggenheim, the Met and the Tate London – often select the island as the place to present their latest paintings, sculptures, photography and video-art creations. The Rarity Gallery has gained many distinctions throughout the course of its 23 years of operation, and attracts visitors ranging from international collectors to ordinary tourists. This year, it added a new wing and is hosting video sculpture installations by Swiss visual artist MARCK. This summer, the Dio Horia Contemporary Art Platform

is presenting a group exhibition entitled “Dancing Goddesses,” which delves into the subject of what happened to nearby islet of Delos when people no longer lived there. You can also make your way to the rooftop of the art space, where you’ll find a stylish café-bar offering a view over Hora. Gallery Skoufa is a definite must if you’re interested in the work of contemporary Greek artists. There’s art beyond the galleries, too; you can view works by Mexican painter Luis Orozco – a permanent resident of the island – while enjoying a Greek coffee at the Notorious Food Bar or a cocktail at Montparnasse - The Piano Bar.

INFO

Rarity Gallery 20-22 Kalogera • Tel. (+30) 22890.257.61 • Dio Horia Panachra Sq • Tel. (+30) 22890.264.29 • Gallery Skoufa 12 Delou • Tel. (+30) 22890.285.60

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AND THE OSCAR GOES TO… “A NIGHT OF STARS”

The Cine Manto is a haunt for artists, an all-day café-restaurant and also the home of the island’s famous pelican – in other words, it’s a veritable safe haven from the luxury lifestyle of Mykonos and, at the same time, a rare green space in Hora. However, the main reason to visit Cine Manto is because it offers one of the top Greek summertime experiences: blockbuster movies under the stars. TIP: Give in to the tempting aroma of meat on the grill wafting over from the cinema’s snack bar, and watch your movie like the locals often do, with a souvlaki skewer in one hand and an ice-cold beer in the other. •

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Cine Manto, Limni • Tel. (+30) 22890.261.65

A TIGHT SQUEEZE

Do you think you can fit through the narrowest alley in Hora? You’ll find it running between the Panachra Church and a neighboring shop called Tracce Collection. The end of it that intersects with Panachrantou Street is only 34cm wide. From this street, you’ll almost certainly enter it sideways, but as you advance, the little lane widens a bit, and you’ll come out onto Aghion Tessarakonta Street through an opening that’s a generous 64 centimeters wide. Few tourists notice it, but those who do realize that the alley is there usually form a line in order to snap squeezed-in selfies.

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A SACRED PAINTER

In a lane near Mikri Venetia, you’ll discover the quiet workshop of “the Saint of Mykonos.” This is how the distinguished self-taught Athenian-born icon painter Merkourios Dimopoulos is known locally. His grandmother was a native Mykonian, and he himself has lived on the island since 1987. Unperturbed by the rhythm of modern life around him, Dimopoulos creates faithful reproductions of icons from the Cretan, Russian and Heptanese schools of iconography. The process includes smoothing the wood using sandpaper, filling it in with Bologna chalk and gilding it with 22K gold leaf. Tourists often order his work; he says that icons of the Prophet Joel and of the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are currently the most popular. “People are trying to find a guardian angel,” the artist explains. •

Apocalypse, Aghios Vlassis • Tel. (+30) 22890.242.67

LENA’S HOUSE

LIFE AS IT WAS

You can take a trip into the past by simply entering the museum known as Lena’s House, which faithfully re-creates the look and feel of an urban Mykonian dwelling of the 19th century. As you tour the drawing room with its antique furniture and stroll through the two bedrooms at the back, you’ll feel as though you’ve been invited into a family home rather than a museum. The Venetian bed has handdrawn paintings on it, and a lit lamp and open prayer book sit on the nightstand next to the bed. After Lena Skrivanou – its last occupant – died in 1968, those who

LENA’S HOUSE

inherited the house gifted it to the Folk Museum of Mykonos, and it has since constituted an annex of that institution. The museum was established in 1958, and its collections are exhibited in six halls. The display items range from antique furniture pieces and authentic costumes to elaborate, handcrafted jewelry created by well-known designer Sophia Thanopoulou (known as Maroulina). Stars like Greta Garbo and Elizabeth Taylor bought items from the little shop that Thanopoulou operated in Matogianni from 1959 until 1972.

INFO • Lena’s House Enoplon Dinameon, Tria Pigadia, Hora • Open daily 18:30-21:30 •

FOLK MUSEUM

Mykonos Folk Museum Kastro, Paraportiani Square • Open daily (except Sun) 10:30-14:00 and 17:30-20:30

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EARLY RISER

It’s 3:30 in the morning. For the after-hours crowd, much of the night still lies ahead, but at Psyllos’ Bakery, in operation since 1958, the new day has already begun, and the first loaves of seven different types of bread are almost ready to come out of the oven. The smell of freshly baked bread floods the little dead-end side street in front of the bakery. “I don’t have a sign up on the bakery on purpose. I don’t want to be overrun by customers,” says Yiannis Vamvakouris, who inherited the business

from his father. By 4:00 in the morning, pans filled with sfoliates (puff pastries), koulouria (circular-shaped sesame-covered bread) and local-style paksimadia (rusks) are coming out of the oven, ready for sale to both the early-bird local homemakers and the last of the all-night revelers. Psyllos’ Bakery is located on the little side street behind the Fresh Boutique Hotel, 31 Kalogera • Tel. (+30) 22890.223.17 • Open daily 03:30-15:30

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A TASTE OF TRADITION

At the butcher shop Madoupas, whose history goes all the way back to 1930, the employees are always eager to treat you to a slice of louza, the local cold cut that the Mykonians adore. Prepared with passion and care, it’s made from pork sirloin which is cured in salt, then desalted and generously sprinkled with herbs and spices such as savory, oregano, allspice and black pepper. • •

Madoupas Aghios Vlassis Tel. (+30) 22890.222.50

GOLDEN TALES

COFFEE WITH HISTORY

As you descend into the cool, half-lit basement of the Gioras Wood Bakery, bear in mind that this isn’t going to be just another caffeine stop. This building, which dates back to 1420, has managed to preserve both its old, medieval charm and its profit margin. Once the oldest wood-fired bakery in the Cyclades islands, the establishment recently responded to a drop in demand for bread by shifting its business focus to operate exclusively as a café. So, take your spot at one of their little tables and enjoy a cappuccino freddo, and while you’re at it, be sure to sample their homemade biscuits and famous baklava. • •

Gioras Wood Bakery Aghiou Efthimiou Tel. (+30) 22890.277.84

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Don’t miss the temporary exhibition entitled “Vanity: Jewelry Stories from the Cyclades” at the renovated Archaeological Museum of Mykonos. Most of the 230 items on display are being presented to the public for the first time. The exhibition includes Neolithic jewelry artifacts dating from the 6th millennium BC through to items made in the 1970s, all from one of the 17 Cycladic islands. The display also includes a Byzantine mural from the 12th century AD from the Church of Aghios Ioannis in Avlonitsa in Naxos, with an Infant Jesus wearing an earring! As for the items in the museum’s permanent collection, the Pithos of Mykonos, a unique burial urn from 670 BC that depicts the capture of Troy and bears an antiwar message, is regarded as a masterpiece. The Archaeological Museum of Mykonos • Tel. (+30) 22890.223.25 • Open Tue-Thu and Sun 09:00-16:00, Fri-Sat 09:00-20:00 •

VANITY

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NOT ONLY FOR THE FAITHFUL

The Church of Panaghia Paraportiani is one of the loveliest and most photographed churches in the Cyclades. It got its name from the fact that it is located next to the paraporti – the old, smaller, secondary back gate – of the Kastro, where it has stood for half a millennium now. What most tourists are unaware of, however, is that it is, in fact, not one church but five. Four of them – dedicated to Aghii Anargyri, Aghios Efstathios, Aghios Sozon and Aghia Anastasia – are to be found on the ground floor,

while the fifth – the Byzantine church of the Panaghia, or “Virgin Mary” – is one level up. Just before the close of day, “sunset hunters” take up their positions here, cameras in hand. The question that comes to mind is whether it’s the church that makes the sunset more beautiful, or if it’s the other way around. Spend that magical part of the evening here at least once during your stay on the island, and you’ll probably agree that the answer doesn’t matter, it’s the amazing feeling that counts.

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E X P E R I E N C E PA R T Y I N G

WHERE THE PARTY’S AT Any given night on Mykonos can be as romantic, glamorous, wild or even debauched as you want it to be. The fun starts long before the sun sets and often goes on well after it has risen again. Where you spend the hours in between is up to you. B Y A L E X A N D R A T Z AV E L L A

WARMING UP AT THE BEACH BARS Until a few years ago, the beach bars closed at sunset, but now that’s become rush hour. On the stretch between the beaches of Paraga and Ftelia, the sun-burnt regulars, who have been chilling in sun loungers all day, sneak home to freshen up and re-emerge after 19:00, wearing stylish kaftans and airy shirts and ordering cocktails or refilling their glasses with chilled rosé wine. At the famous Nammos in Psarrou, Mastic Passion cocktails are everywhere as the party gets underway at 17:00. The same ritual is followed at SantAnna, home to Europe’s largest swimming pool, where people savor cocktails such as Mykonos Never Sleeps, with aged rum and porcini mushrooms, made with the sous vide technique. At Paraga Beach, it’s a shift in the music that signals the start of the party. People head to the “sunset area,” as the deck with the pouffes at Scorpios is called, exclusively for the sunset rituals, the guest DJs and the live musicians, as well as for the mystical atmosphere created by the central 92

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fireplace, with the Aegean in background. At Ftelia Beach, patrons gather at the bar of the African-styled Alemagou and order Pornstars − cocktails with coconut − while using their Shazam app to find out what the DJ deck is playing, all at a party that lasts until midnight.

GOING OUT IN HORA BAR-HOPPING Start off with people-watching as you walk down Matogianni, the main street in Hora, or do the same from one of the tables of the Passo Doble, with its typical Mexican décor. The center of the entertainment area is the Three Pigadia district where, from 11:00 to about 04.30 the next day, the little street of Enoplon Dynameon is crammed with people. At the Queen of Mykonos, the champagne and cocktail bar adjoining the Church of Aghios Georgios, the air is filled with melon-scented shisha smoke. Patrons here are either the welloff (who can splash out €35,000 for a bottle of champagne) or 20-somethings who use any surface they can find to prop up their elbows. The Queen Secret Caviar Champagne bar is another venture by the same businessman. It opens after midnight and is aimed at those who might want to finish off their night with selections from several kinds of caviar and 15 champagnes. The bars in Hora keep changing owners, styles and décor. However, the Astra has been a stable fixture on the nightlife scene for 32 years. Its whitewashed courtyard is the best place for a relaxed drink among anybody who’s somebody on the island. Later on, the action moves inside, into the space decorated by the famous jewelry designer Minas, and patrons find themselves in attendance at one of Mykonos’s best parties. The neighborhood of Kastro has its own devoted fans and meets the demands of those who are looking for something less mainstream. This could be one of the two impressive drag shows that drag queen Priscilla performs at Jackie O’, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this season, or... a piano night at Montparnasse Piano Bar, where patrons are welcome to join in on a musical program reminiscent of the New York cabaret scene. From its windows, customers can admire the windmills and the yachts that find refuge at Little Venice when there are southerly winds.

LITTLE VENICE From the afternoon until the early morning hours, the blenders never stop whirring in the cocktail bars of Little Venice. You might start the night romantically, sipping a drink at candle-lit tables sprinkled now and then by the waves, and end up gyrating to remixes of “Despacito” and “Havana.” The most beloved bars of Mykonos loyalists include Galleraki Cocktail Bar, whose most famous cocktail is the “Katerinaki,” Scarpa with its super trendy Scarpa cocktail (made with beetroot and mastic), and the legendary Caprice where 15 kilos of melon end up in the cocktails every night. On the more youthful R n’ B side of Little Venice, where dancing and drinking is preferred over cocktails with a view, Semeli the Bar is where decibels rise from 22:00 onwards. Many customers benefit from the daily “buy one, get one free” drink offer. The Toy Room is also a great option, if sipping ultra premium vodka to the beats of Cardi B is your thing. CLUBBING The best boutique nightclub for dancing is definitely Moni, where entry is mainly by reservation, although on rare occasions people do line up to get in. During its five years of operation, it has managed to remain faithful to its principles of privacy, elegance and fun, and has acquired patrons from around the world. Void is the largest club in Hora. It has three levels, accommodates 800 people and makes a clear style statement with its Cycladic aesthetic and its modern interior, complete with a unique LED overhead sculpture. It hosts international DJs and visual artists and maintains a strict dress code.

ONLY THE BRAVE For fun, the young crowd heads for Paradise Beach, where highlights include the glow parties featuring the generous use of UV body paint; things start late in the afternoon and end around dawn. Just above the beach, on the edge of a rocky outcropping, is the famous open-air club Cavo Paradiso, which has hosted the world’s most famous DJs, including David Morales, Tiesto, Louie Vega and Paul Oakenfold. This summer’s highlight is the club’s 25th Anniversary Party with David Morales on August 21. Bring a swimsuit if you plan on a post-party morning dip in the club’s pool.

FROM THE AFTERNOON UNTIL THE EARLY MORNING HOURS, THE BLENDERS NEVER STOP WHIRRING IN THE COCKTAIL BARS OF LITTLE VENICE. YOU MIGHT START THE NIGHT WITH A QUIET DRINK, AND END UP GYRATING TO REMIXES OF “DESPACITO” AND “HAVANA.”

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There’s Paris, Milan, London and New York, and then there’s Mykonos: a compact, white-washed, sea-sprayed catwalk in the middle of the Aegean.

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hopping in Mykonos is all about splashing out, showing off and staying abreast of the latest fashions, even before they hit the streets of the style capitals of the world. It’s not just about resort collections, designer sarongs, luxurious sandals, white linen shirts and other staples of the typical island look. High-end Mykonos boutiques showcase the creations of avant-garde designers, such as Rick Owens and Comme des Garçons and follow the fashion time cycle, which means that, in the middle of summer, you can find all the big brand-names’ hottest items for autumn and beyond. As if the island’s shopping scene wasn’t already extravagant enough, this year’s big (literally) new arrival kicks things up a notch – or ten. Enter Nammos Village, the island’s first open-air, seaside fashion mall, sprawling over an area of 12,000 sq.m. and featuring boutiques by Gucci (the brand’s first resort store in Greece), Loro Piana, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Christian Louboutin (also a first for Greece), Kiton and many more. In this gentrified microcosm that, from an architectural point of view, feels part Cycladic and part Mexican and is adorned with a landscaped Mediterannean-cum-tropical garden, you can easily picture Kim Kardashian or Gigi Hadid taking a short stroll from their sun-loungers on Psarrou Beach, cocktail in hand, to the boutique LUISA Beach, to check out the latest in beachwear by Missoni Mare or Dolce &

Gabbana. There are also two art galleries, a Spa by Sisley and an open-air café bar serving desserts by French Patissier Yazid Ichemrachen. For a more bohemian version of barefoot luxury, one should opt for the Alemagou Boutique, on Ftelia Beach. Don’t worry if you’re still wet from the sea, if you’ve got sand on your feet or if you don’t know where to leave your cocktail while browsing for the latest luxury resort and beachwear collections by Greek designers such as Dimitris Dassios, Sādh, Ancient Kallos and the Liberian sensation Nadia Bitar. The boutique is a tent on the beach, the shopping equivalent of glamping. Back in Hora, a good starting point for any shopping mission would be local favorite Parthenis. Located between the windmills and Little Venice since 1979, this shop has become a landmark in its own right. In the freewheeling 80s, the late designer Dimitris Parthenis would sit on the steps outside, barefoot and dressed in a robe, waiting to welcome his customers. And when a particularly “good” customer entered, he would tend to them in private. They would put on some music, pour a few drinks and try on clothes. Today his daughter, Orsalia Parthenis, carries on with the tradition of cotton, monochromatic clothes with an almost monastic style bearing the famed “Parthenis Athens-Mykonos” label. “Parthenis clothes have become connected to this island because they are

NAMMOS VILLAGE, THE ISLAND’S FIRST OPEN-AIR, SEASIDE FASHION MALL, SPRAWLS OVER AN AREA OF 12,000 SQ.M. AND FEATURES BOUTIQUES BY GUCCI, LORO PIANA, LOUIS VUITTON, DIOR, CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, KITON AND MANY MORE. 100

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HIGH-END MYKONOS BOUTIQUES FOLLOW THE FASHION TIME CYCLE, WHICH MEANS THAT, IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER, YOU CAN FIND ALL THE BIG BRAND-NAMES’ HOTTEST ITEMS FOR AUTUMN AND BEYOND.

unisex, they have no gender. Mykonos is a place where sexuality is not fixed and genders are blurred,” she says. On the other hand, Al Giga, the renowned stylist who, in previous decades, single-handedly dressed the Athens chic crowd, is a more recent arrival on the island – at least as a shop owner. His Showroom by Al Giga features collections by Greek designers. His initial goal was to promote their work and to create a fashion hotspot. Indeed, on the stone benches outside the boutique, you are sure to see models, well-known photographers or the designers themselves, on their annual visits to the island. Giga plays the role of host, offering drinks, presenting clothes, chatting and generally putting out good vibes. If you ask him why he opened his shop here and not in Athens, he will say that there is a segment of people who come to Mykonos specifically to keep up with fashion trends. “On this island, one moment you might see Gisele walk by, then Charlize Theron, and immediately after102

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wards the Prince of Morocco will come in to do some shopping. This is not Greece, this is Mykonos,” he says. Another new arrival that focuses on Greek creativity is Bollicine Concept Store, on Manto Mavrogenous Square. It features a raw seafood restaurant and also fresh selections in jewelry, bags and accessories by designers including Callista Crafts, Lito, Kyrvan and others. Also very interesting is the Greek-inspired design concept of local brand Ergon Mykonos, led by Marietta Karpathiou. At their flagship store in Matogiannia, you’ll find ready-to-wear collections, footwear, household items and linens. If you’re looking for avant-garde creations by international designers, head to Free Shop. Since the mid 80s, it has been introducing Greeks to new talents who would later go on to become household names. In the last few years, the owner of this boutique, Melissa Metaxa, has also been designing the Wildwood collection offered here. Vibrant prints, lively colors, loose lines and more accessible prices

make the collection the most sought-after in the shop. Right next door, Soho-Soho is for browsing for big-name brands. Marni, Givenchy, Pucci, Oscar de la Renta and others all rub shoulders. The shop’s collection of swimsuits is always stunning. You’ll find a similar atmosphere at Enny Monaco, the highly regarded Athens boutique that, of course, became much-loved on Mykonos, too. Balmain, Alaia, Gucci, Giambattista Valli can all be found in this wonderful shop with its archways and paved courtyard. A personal shopping service is also available. For the second summer in a row, Enny Monaco will be turning the listed neoclassical Venieri Mansion in Hora into a pop-up store. Expect to find exclusive and collectible items by well-known names. The small, brightly-lit store that is home to Balenciaga is tucked away down a small side street. It is perhaps in keeping with the slightly aloof style of the Italian brand that one needs to

seek it out. The punk shoes that are a favorite of many a blogger, the neon pop accessories and the fashion house’s androgynous jeans are all here. No haute shopping experience would be complete without the trademark white camellias of Coco Chanel. The French house is, of course, represented on the island, in the stunning boutique Linea Piu, with the much-Instagrammed olive tree at its entrance. Set into cutouts in the interior stone wall are the house’s 2.55 bags in various colors and prints, in a display that resembles an art installation. And lest you forget that you’re on an island, here you’ll find a large collection of Chanel hats, beach towels and swimsuits. The Louis Vuitton store is here, too, located right next to the bar Astra. You cross the flagstone-paved courtyard, climb the steps and enter an L.V. shrine. Wallets, keychains, tote bags, shopping bags, briefcases and, of course, beach bags (all featuring the famous logo), are on display in this truly beautiful boutique with a Cycladic flair. M Y KO N O S 2 018

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KEEPING IT TRADITIONAL Amid the temples dedicated to grand fashion houses and famous designers, you’ll also find several shops featuring lesser-known labels. What these lack in name recognition, they make up for in exclusivity (being found only on the island) and in their distinct Cycladic aesthetic. A case in point are Kontiza bags – hand-made from cotton fabric with prints designed by the Mykonian owner. You’ll find them laid out on the steps leading up to this lilliputian shop. The bags are perfect for the beach and promise to rekindle memories of Mykonos wherever you carry them. Also available here is the traditional knitted cap of the island – the koukos – in a variety of colors. Once upon a time, these were knitted by local women for their fishermen husbands who 104

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preferred them to conventional hats, as they would not be blown off by the wind. Efharis in Little Venice is the local star designer. A one-time employee of HSBC, who hails from Athens, she eventually moved to Mykonos and began designing, sewing and selling wonderful clothes made of cotton and silk. She herself eschews the word “ethnic” but her silk sarongs, airy caftans with gold threading and dresses with embroidered flowers have a distinctly Greek island feel. Kate Moss famously combined one of Efharis’ dresses with her brown leather sandals for the supermodel’s most “island chic” look that we can recall. Next door, a shop selling tourist goods known as Annezo’s Souvenirs has a comprehensive collection of hats. Straw fedoras (kavourakia) are available

in every color imaginable, and make for fun and stylish beach accessories. For the more eclectic, a collection of authentic Panama hats is also available. The final stop of our shopping tour, and one of the most beloved, is the tiny shop in Little Venice offering that accessory most identified with Greek island fashion: leather sandals. Mykonos Sandals has been here since 1948, when the only tourists in Hora were those islanders who had come from the village of Ano Mera! The owner, Maria Rampia, sticks largely to timeless designs, producing and selling simple and authentic footwear.

ADVERTORIAL

Your Mykonian Luxury Lounge by Goldair Handling is the first-ever lounge in Mykonos Airport, aiming to provide premium services to the high-profile passengers and to upgrade the airport facilities overall. The Mykonian-style white furnished lounge, which can be found at Domestic Departures on the first floor, provides its guests with flight departure information, a business area with free internet access (Wi-Fi), Satellite TV, international and local magazines, a variety of drinks (including wines, spirits, soft drinks and hot and cold beverages) and a choice of options for a light meal, including warm dishes, assorted snacks and sandwiches. www.goldair-handling.gr Tel. (+30) 698.590.1340 Email: jmk.VipServices@goldair-handling.gr

FOTIS PONIROS

ILIAS LALAOUNIS

EXPERIENCE JEWELRY

LITERALLY GLITTERATI

If you ask the locals in Hora where to buy Greek jewelry, you’ll probably first be sent to the store of renowned designer Minas, whose jewelry features flowing shapes and resembles poured liquid. He visited here in 1969, chasing romance. “I forgot the woman in question, but Mykonos stayed with me. It became my home,” he says. Today, he has forged clear connections to the island, contributing to it by designing the famous Astra 106

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bar, as well as a bench and a streetlight which you can find in Yialos. Others have been inspired by Mykonos as well. A highlight of Fotis Poniros’ Aegean Star line features the windmills of Little Venice, rendered in 18K gold with white or colored diamonds. “Everyone wants a windmill to symbolize their very own Mykonos,” he says with a smile. Another brand that’s taken inspiration from the island’s architecture is Ilias

Lalaounis. His eldest daughter, Aikaterini, says: “Mykonos is a place that has given us a lot, most of all inspiration, through the traditions of Cycladic art and the simplicity of its architecture.” Nikos Koulis, whose jewelry is inspired by the art deco movement, with strong geometric motifs and the use of precious stones framed in black enamel settings, respects the Cycladic style as well. He opened his first boutique on Kalogera

Greek jewelry designers share such a soft spot for Mykonos that shoppers looking for gold on the island are spoiled for choice.

KESSARIS

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Street, in a former cellar with typical local elements, because “we wanted to create an ascetic aesthetic with strong references to Cycladic tradition.” Meanwhile, the Kessaris jewelry shop reflects Mykonos of today, as owner Kostas Kessaris explains: “As this used to be a bar, I was at first accused of depriving the regulars of their hangout. So I decided to offer two in one: drinks and jewels!” This paradoxical combination is totally in keeping with a place where both tradition and innovation are celebrated, and this flexible philosophy opens new paths for enjoyment, excess and glittering memories. — BY KELLY STAVROPOULOU AND PAULINA BJÖRK KAPSALIS

MINAS

INFO

Kessaris 58 Mattheou Andronikou, Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.228.80 Ilias Lalaounis 14 Polykandrioti, Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.224.44 • Minas Aghia Kyriaki Square, Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.273.20 • Nikos Koulis 35 Kalogera, Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.286.88 • Poniros Aghia Anna, Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.785.45 • •

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SECRETS OF MYTHICAL BEAUTY IN GREECE vations and to the highest standards of medical competence. Add the fact that Greek hospitals and doctors are reaching out to medical tourists to offer high-quality healthcare at what is usually a fraction of the cost of treatment in their home countries, and Greece really could be the perfect destination for your next medical journey, too. Greece is one of the best destinations for both vacations and medical tourism at any time of the year because of its excellent climate conditions; the sun, the sea and the famous Greek diet all play their part in making the country a healthy choice. IOANNIS LYRAS MD PLASTIC SURGEON Director of the 2nd Clinic for Plastic Surgery of Henry Dunant General Hospital, Athens. Honorary Consul of Brazil in Piraeus www.ioannislyras.gr

reece has always been a favourite destination for people from all over the world. Europeans, Middle Easterners, North Americans and even Australians have all made the trip here for the wonderful weather, the natural beauty, the breathtaking culture and the sheer enjoyment that a vacation in Greece can offer. Today, many visitors have yet another reason for choosing Greece; they can come here to undergo plastic surgery, performed in line with the latest inno108

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Our team at the Dr. Lyras Plastic Surgery Clinic is dedicated to providing health and beauty care and the highest-quality medical services available. Our patients’ comfort, safety and satisfaction are always our primary concern.

What’s more, our services are offered according to an exceptionally competitive pricing policy, particularly in light of our stellar international reputation. The clinic is led by Dr Ioannis Lyras, who studied plastic surgery in Brazil and the United States. He is joined by Dr Pari Rapti, whose fields of expertise are endocrinology, metabolism and aesthetic endocrinology, which she studied in Italy and Brazil. Dr Rapti’s areas of specialization include thyroid lesions, obesity problems, hormonal imbalances, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO), skin problems due to hormonal disorders and hormone restoration. The experience that these two doctors bring – the scientific knowledge from all the countries in which they’ve trained, worked or done research – in their fields of specialization (including diet and exercise as well as endocrinology and plastic surgery) is applied in the state-of-theart Henry Dunant Hospital and in their

OUR TEAM AT THE DR. LYRAS PLASTIC SURGERY CLINIC IS DEDICATED TO PROVIDING HEALTH AND BEAUTY CARE AND THE HIGHEST-QUALITY MEDICAL SERVICES AVAILABLE. OUR PATIENTS’ COMFORT, SAFETY AND SATISFACTION ARE ALWAYS OUR PRIMARY CONCERN.

DR PARI RAPTI ENDOCRINOLOGIST www.rapti.gr

medical offices at 57 Vas. Sofias Avenue, as well as at other fully equipped and equally well-appointed facilities belonging to medical and paramedical associates of the Clinic. With the vast expertise that the doctors and the other practioners possess, and with the support of the latest technology and materials coupled with luxurious accommodation in the finest medical centers in Greece, the Clinic can assure you the best treatment possible. In the body-shaping procedures that he performs on his female patients, Dr Lyras combines two surgical approaches, the first consisting of the placement of suitable silicone implants and the second being the optimal use of the body’s own fatty tissue in a single, painless, composite and holistic operation in order to achieve new natural breasts and total body reshaping at the same time. This new method is called “No-pain composite holistic breast implant and fat-grafting technique for breast augmentation and reconstruction.” It forms part of the “Quadruplane 2+2 holistic technique,” which also involves a highly effective buttock lift achieved via the world-famous Brazilian method to complement the equally charming new drop-shaped breasts achieved through implantation. Recently, Dr Lyras spoke at length about this dual approach and about the “Quadruplane 2+2 holistic technique” at the World Plastic Surgery Congress, held in Monte Carlo, Monaco, where he was both a guest speaker and president of the

session, re-introducing the “Quadruplane 2+2 holistic technique.” For her part, Dr Rapti specializes in mainly curative care. She has also organized world congresses around the theme of Thermal Medical Tourism and Aesthetic Tourism in conjunction with the international beauty therapy association “Cidesco,” and is a strong advocate of the benefits that this type of tourism can bring to our country. She collaborates on ongoing research with colleagues in Russia, Romania and other parts of Europe.

For those contemplating coming for treatment or surgery, this is the chance to combine top-quality internationally certified healthcare with an enjoyable vacation in Greece! You and your loved ones can indulge in the original Brazilian Pitanguy style of beauty care while exploring the culture and natural beauty of this sunny country. There’s fine cuisine, spectacular beaches, five-star hotels and resorts, great spas and beauty salons and a relaxed Mediterranean approach to enjoying life. M Y KO N O S 2 018

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IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

Whether you’re longing for an adrenaline rush or just some peace and quiet in the outdoors, on Mykonos you’ll find plenty of options. B Y PAU L I N A B J Ö R K K A P S A L I S

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With Yummy Pedals, you’ll discover the countryside of Mykonos as you cycle along sun-kissed trails on the outskirts of Ano Mera, past fields and farmhouses, with welcome breaks in the shade of picturesque churches. All excursions end at the Vioma vineyards, with a delicious meal featuring local ingredients and wines. The winery owner’s daughter, Dimitra, who’ll be happy to talk to you in English, French, Spanish or Turkish, plans each bike excursion according to the fitness level of the participants. You may feel even closer to nature on horseback. Horseland arranges rides that take you along the shores of the island’s reservoir, an excellent place for bird watching, and to the secluded, golden Fokos Beach. The round trip takes two hours (three hours if you include a stop for a swim and a bite to eat). You can also choose a tailor-made experience, such as a romantic picnic on the beach, complete with a photo session. The beauty of Mykonos doesn’t stop at the shore. The clear waters, with their mild temperatures (24 degrees Celsius in summer) and exceptional visibility (up to 50m), are ideal for

underwater fun. The most popular scuba diving spots are the Lia Reef, home to multicolored nudibranchs, and the waters off Aghia Anna Beach, frequently home to schools of barracuda. On a boat dive, you can explore the spectacular cavern systems of Tragonisi or the rocks on Kalafakiona Reef; the latter are encrusted with fragments of ancient pottery. Another highlight is the wreck of the ANNA II, a 62m cargo vessel that sunk off Lia Beach in 1995. GoDive Mykonos, Mykonos Diving Center and W-Diving are all PADI-accredited. If you prefer to stay above the surface of the water, Mykonos Kayak Tours and Trails offers trips that will reveal a whole different island. Spectacular rocks rise dramatically from the sea, and only occasionally does the island’s wildlife break the silence. The exact routes and destinations of these trips depend on the weather. With a north wind, you’ll enjoy reef riding and the sea cave of Aghios Sostis. With a south or a west wind, you’ll paddle from Korfos, past the windmills and Little Venice, and discover the islet of Baos. A picnic on the beach is included. Trips are supervised by British Canoe Union-certified guides.

INFO Yummy Pedals Maou, Ano Mera • Tel. (+30) 697.229.9282 • www.yummypedals.gr Horseland Ano Mera • Tel. (+30) 694.577.8962 www.mykonoshorse.com

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Godive Mykonos Lia • Tel. (+30) 694.695.7732 www.godivemykonos.com

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Mykonos Diving Center Paradise Beach Tel. (+30) 22890.248.08 • www.dive.gr

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W-Diving Kalafatis Beach • Tel. (+30) 694.524.3928 www.mykonos-diving.com

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Mykonos Kayak Tours and Trails Argyraina Tel. (+30) 694.243.4242 • www.mykonoskayak.com

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HANGING LOOSE A formerly neglected Mykonos beach has become an international hot spot for kite-surfing. B Y A L E X A N D R A T Z AV E L L A / P HOTOS PE R I K L E S M E R A KOS

here are no sun loungers or beach bars on the 350m-stretch of beach between Hora and Ornos on Korfos Bay, which lies in the path of the northerly meltemi wind. Visitors wear surf wetsuits and greet each other with the shaka sign, the famous gesture used by surfers, a special tribe whose main concern is how much the wind will pick up on any given day. On a typical summer afternoon with a generous meltemi of between 25 and 30 knots, the sky fills with colorful kites. The stronger the wind, the more surfers arrive. They unfold their kites, don their helmets and, within a matter of minutes, are soaring between sea and sky. I’ve been checking them out for some time through the large window of Kite Mykonos, the island’s only kite surfing school, where a multinational team of professional instructors teach the basics to beginners. First-time kite surfers get their first lessons on the beach, where they learn the proper body stance and how to control the kite, before they hit the water. “With daily practice for seven days, you learn to be safe and independent. If you learn the technique and are disciplined, you have nothing to fear,” says Theo Ntelopoulos, the school’s senior instructor. The surf club and the efforts of kite surfers have helped change the fortunes of a beach that locals thought of as a dump until about eight years ago. Flotsam would continuously wash up on the shore due to the northerly wind. In 2010, the Brazilian kite surfer Alexandre Kuzolitz visited Mykonos for a wedding, and 112

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At the end of the day, kite surfers and instructors relax by playing table soccer.

when he asked locals where he could kite-surf, he was told to head for Korfos. “The wind was superb. The water was crystal-clear, shallow and the sea bed was sandy. I thought this was the ideal place to open the first kite-surfing school on Mykonos,” he says. It was this school, along with some local kite surfers and a few businessmen who funded the cleanup of the beach in the first year. “We filled truckloads with glass and rubbish entangled with seaweed that had piled up over the years,” recalls Alexandre’s wife, Anna, whose family hails from the island. In recent years, the municipality has taken on the responsibility of conducting a major cleanup of Korfos every May, while Kite Mykonos looks after the stretch on a daily basis. The island of Mykonos is now on the map as one the most popular kite-surfing destinations in Greece. Advanced surfers also try their luck at Ftelia Beach 114

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which, however, has no infrastructure for the sport. For kite surfers, Korfos Bay is very special because of its natural features, which create a perfect funnel for the wind. What’s more, that wind allows kite surfers to spread out as they move offshore, giving them plenty of space for individual manoeuvers. From spring to autumn, surfers transform the sea surface into an arena for both free style (aerial manoeuvers) and racing (high-speed kite-surfing). The bay is a magnet for big names in the sport, including world champion Gisela Pulido and Caribbean-based professional Jeremie Tronet, as well as for families. As for the locals, you can spot them kite-surfing all year round, but especially in winter, when the tourism season slows down. “Mykonos can easily become an allyear-round kite-surf destination for those who don’t mind cold water. It’s the perfect island for this sport, as it is windy most of

the year and wind is what kiters are chasing after,” says Kuzolitz, who divides his time evenly between Mykonos and Brazil. On those rare days when there’s no wind, Kite Mykonos regulars engage in snorkeling and wakeboarding, enjoy barbeques or take excursions to the nearby islands of Rineia and Tragonisi. The presence of the school has changed Korfos, perhaps forever. It has created a community. “It’s not just a beach anymore,” Kuzolitz says. “It’s a meeting point for people who share the same passion for life and want to improve each day.”

INFO

Kite Mykonos Korfos, Ornos • Tel. (+30) 693.723.8080, (+30) 22890.786.14 • Open: 10:30-19:30 • www.kitemykonos.com

taste M YKONOS

EAT WELL

It’s all about food: from Mykonian recipes and culinary traditions passed down from generation to generation to tongue-tingling kopanisti cheese and a mini-guide of the best places to eat – from local eateries to fine-dining establishments. Artwork by Carolina Wells M Y KO N O S 2 018

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IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY There are still Mykonian households that produce the raw materials for their dinner tables and pass on traditional recipes from generation to generation. BY DI M I T R I S ROUSOU N E L O S / P HOTOS PE R I K L E S M E R A KOS

Irini Zouganeli (left) isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just a traditional cook, she also prepares food professionally for vacationers staying in summer houses on the island, often with the help of her mother, Eliza Zouganeli, and her son, Yiannis Dantou.

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FRIED EGGPLANTS IN TOMATO SAUCE Preparation: 15 mins, cooking: 30 mins Ingredients (Serves 4) • 4 large eggplants • 1-2 potatoes (optional) • Oil for frying For the sauce 2 onions • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped • 1kg ripe tomatoes, grated (preferably deseeded) • 1tbsp tomato paste, diluted in 2tbsp water • Dried basil • Olive oil • Salt, pepper •

hen the last of the summer visitors leave the island around late October, life can return to its normal pace and Mykonos to its residents: to the families of farmers and fishermen who form the backbone of the local community and maintain the island’s traditions. I was recently welcomed into the home of one such family. Yiannis Dantos, his mother, Irini Zouganeli, and his grandmother Eliza – all born and raised on Mykonos – talk to me about life in the past, what the younger generations have been given to work with and how they will fare in the future. I ask what survives of Mykonian culinary heritage. Eliza, the grandmother, is a typical Mykonian farmer and housewife. She makes her own cheeses, including tyrovolia – among the best on the island – and xinotyro, with milk from the family’s animals, brought in by her husband,

Yiannis Zouganelis – a farmer, builder and president of the local community council for the past three years. The meals she cooks for her family are made with seasonal vegetables and fruit grown in her garden. On the previous day, she had made briam, a hearty vegetable casserole with potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants and onions. On the day of my visit, she prepared a classic summer dish: fried eggplants with a rich sauce of ripe tomatoes and lots of garlic. Everything is home-grown, and this is how it still is for many families. When the garden yields zucchinis, she boils them and serves them, sometimes with a couple of eggs (boiled or fried) from her henhouse, and skordalia, a garlic and potato mash. Later, when the green beans come into season, she cooks them in a tomato sauce with potatoes, occasionally adding a bit of lard (from the family’s pigs) for extra flavor. She also stocks the fruit preserves

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Method In a saucepan, sauté the onions and then add the garlic and the tomatoes. Add salt, pepper and basil to taste, before stirring in the tomato paste. Simmer for around 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the sauce so it doesn’t burn. In the meantime, peel the potatoes and eggplants and cut into thin slices lengthwise. Fry them in hot olive oil until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and then place them on a platter, with the eggplants on top of the potatoes. When the sauce is ready, pour it over the vegetables and serve.

FRIED OCTOPUS WITH ZUCCHINI AND AMARANTH GREENS Preparation: 15 mins, cooking: 30 mins Ingredients (Serves 4) • 1 medium-sized octopus • 1kg amaranth greens • 1kg zucchini • All-purpose flour • Olive oil • Vinegar Method Clean the octopus well, turning its hood inside out and removing the eyes. Boil whole for around 20 minutes in a deep pot, then drain well and cut into small pieces. Lightly flour the pieces and fry them in a pan with a bit of hot oil until golden on all sides. For additional flavor, you can add a dash of vinegar at the end. In the meantime, lightly boil the zucchini and greens until they are tender but still have a bit of crunch. Drain and set on a platter, placing the octopus on top. Give the dish a light sprinkling of olive oil and vinegar.

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MYKONIAN PORK MEATBALLS Preparation: 15 mins, cooking: 10 mins Ingredients (Serves 6) • 1kg pork neck • 2 medium-sized onions, roughly grated • 1/2kg stale bread, without crusts, soaked in water and well strained • 2 eggs • Salt, pepper • 1tsp dried oregano • 1tsp dried savory • 1 shot ouzo • 2tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped • 2 fresh tomatoes for serving • Olive oil • All-purpose flour Method Either prepare the meat yourself by cutting it into small cubes and then mincing it roughly with two knives or get your butcher to do it for you. Place it in a bowl with all the ingredients, except the tomatoes, oil and flour. Knead well, shape into spheres the size of golf balls and flour lightly. In the meantime, heat some olive oil in a frying pan and fry the meatballs in batches. Once they’re golden brown, place them on some paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Serve with a simple tomato salad.

INFO

TAVERNAS THAT COOK TRADITIONAL FARE Maizevelo, New Peripheral Road, Vougli • Tel (+30) 22893.009.32 Maereio, 16 Kalogera, Hora • Tel (+30) 22890.288.25 Nikolas Taverna Aghia Anna (Paraga) • Tel (+30) 22890.252.64

known as spoon sweets: quince, fig, grape and rose hip. “Everyone at home goes crazy for my goodies,” she says, “but it’s also my pleasure to share my knowledge.” She knows, for instance, when the snails will come out (with the first rains of October) and where to find the mushrooms and wild greens that she uses in her kitchen. She was taught all this long ago by her own grandmother and mother, and now in turn she’s passing this knowledge on to her daughter Irini. “I owe a lot to my mother,” Irini says. “I learned to respect even the last piece of tomato peel and the last drop of milk; to follow the seasons. Of course, we are very fortunate as a family. I’ll tell you this: I raised three children without ever buying an egg. You see, we have our own chickens, pigs, goats and a garden that gives us almost everything. Our biggest 120

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feast with friends and family, was and still is when we slaughter a pig. Its meat is the basis for so many recipes, including the Mykonian pork meatballs, and all sorts of products we eat all year round.” Irini runs a catering business and gives traditional cooking classes (www. spitiki kouzina-mykonos.gr); she’s also been running the Mykonos Gastronomy Club, an initiative started by and aimed at passionate home cooks, for the past four years. “We’re trying to bring the community back together around a cooking pot and a table, exploring our old recipes and experimenting with dishes from other parts of the world as well,” she says. Irini’s son, Yiannis, is 17 years old. He grew up helping his family on the farm and is finishing high school this year; he hopes to study agricultural economics and management. His memories of the

food he grew up eating are important to him. “One of my favorite dishes is octopus, fried with a light dusting of flour and served with a few tomatoes on the side, or boiled zucchini, greens, pulses, a bit of fava or some black-eyed peas,” he says. “I really love that simple kind of everyday cooking.” I, too, have fond memories connected with food. I remember how, in years gone by, grandmothers would make cheese with milk from the animals their husbands raised. I remember mothers preparing the best fried eggs ever, with a rich tomato sauce for extra flavor. I can still smell the herbs from our garden that my own mother used to put in the sausages she made. I can still taste the sea salt we used to collect from the rocks along the shore. This is our Mykonos, and we invite you to taste it, too.

TA S T E K O P A N I S T I

The Island’s Fiery Cheese With its piquant kick and mouth-numbing Roquefort-like quality, this incredible spread is the one of the Aegean’s more distinctive delicacies. BY DI M I T R I S ROUSOU N E L O S

hen French traveler Joseph Pitton de Tournefort toured the Aegean islands of in 1700-1702, he kept a record of, among other things, the residents’ dietary habits. And while he makes vague references to the cheeses of other islands, such as Skyros, Milos and Irakleia, when it comes to Mykonos he puts special emphasis on a certain “soft cheese,” singing its praises. He was most likely referring to kopanisti, that spicy, creamy aged cheese that still stands apart from other Cycladic cheeses like tirovolia, mizithra, xinotiri and graviera. Kopanisti draws a great deal from the environment in which it was first produced; something from the rocky landscape where the animals grazed, something of the redeeming northern wind, of the light that bathes the Cyclades all year round, of the diversity and the flavors of the local vegetation. You can feel the necessity out of which it was born: to preserve excess milk and spice up the lives of those not accustomed to a wide range of luxuries.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS Most of the island’s restaurants serve kopanisti as an appetizer, usually spread on a piece of dampened rye rusk along with tomato, oregano and olive oil – a dish known as Mostra – and occasionally as an addition to pasta dishes, pies or salads.

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Now a symbol of Mykonos and distinguished as a product with protected designation of origin (PDO), it wasn’t coincidence that saw this special cheese emerge on a treeless island where there’s hardly enough fuel to keep the fire you’d need to boil cheese milk going. The use of non-pasteurized milk led to the practice of ageing the cheese for two months, a health precaution born from experience. To this day, the production method for kopanisti has remained largely unchanged, except for the introduction, in the 1960s, of mass-produced rennet. This is, in fact, cheese-making at its simplest: curd from a blend of sheep’s and goat’s milk has rennet added at milking temperature for a day and is then 124

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strained for 24 hours before being run through a press to remove any excess moisture. Subsequently, salt is added and the mass is worked by hand or by kneader, then placed in clean cloth sacks for five or six days. After this, it’s removed and chopped up finely and sits, covered, for another three or four days before the mixture is kneaded again and then left to age in special vessels for at least a month and a half. With the addition of salt and the controlled fermentation process, you get a cheese that can last for months, even years, if stored at room temperature. It can be produced all year round, but the best time is in April and May, when the milk is at its richest and sweetest, thanks

to the spring vegetation upon which the animals feed. Soft, spreadable and shapeless, rich and bursting with taste, kopanisti owes its distinctive fiery flavor to the development of various fungi, especially Penicillium Roqueforti (which, as its name suggests, is present in French Roquefort), during the fermentation process. The unique aromas of kopanisti are not easy to discern, as its overpowering smell essentially precedes and masks all those gentler characteristics that make it such an interesting cheese. Instead, its rich elements only begin to stand out when you taste the cheese. The tip of the tongue reacts immediately to the strikingly spicy and aggressively full-bod-

01. Xinotiro, strained through a woven basket and eaten fresh at the table. 02. Kopanisti in Mykonos comes mainly from a blend of sheep’s and goat’s milk. 03. The curds are strained, salted and kneaded before being left to mature and become Kopanisti cheese. 04. Giorgos Syrianos, who owns the dairy “Mykonos Farmers” tends to his livestock. 05. One of the simpler traditional desserts consists of tyrovolia with honey and cinnamon.

ied presence, and you get the feeling that something, an invited conqueror, is establishing absolute dominion across the entire surface of your oral cavity. The mouth tingles in hurried defense. This sense, however, will change before long; after all, kopanisti is a friendly intruder. The second stage in this strange taste process will soon follow, as the cheese introduces itself to the more welcoming

INFO

flavor sensors of the tongue. Still, it’s best to get help; the tangy nature of kopanisti can be partly soothed if you consume it together with tomato and olive oil, or with bread fresh out of a wood-fired oven, or even with summer fruit, such as watermelon, grapes, or figs. In the company of these loyal partners, it contributes its own unique flavor to a wonderfully harmonious taste experience.

While you’re exploring kopanisti, make some time for the other local cheeses, including tyrovolia, xinotiro, vrasto and niari, as well as some excellent yoghurt, available from Mykonos’ two modern dairies: Mykonos Dairy Factory • Paleokastro, Ano Mera • Tel. (+30) 22890.718.13 • www.tyrokomiomykonou.gr Mykonos Farmers • Aghios Lazaros • Tel. (+30) 22890.239.70 • www.mykonosfarmers.com

More information is available in Dimitris Rousounelos’ book “The Kopanisti Cheese of Mykonos: The Past, the Future and 43 Recipes,” 2018, Scala Gallery, www.scalagallery.gr

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LOCAL DELICACIES

MENAGIAS

The Mykonos pig festival is part of a living tradition that represents the island’s Dionysiac side, which is still strong. It involved a rare moment of indulgence when, after slaughtering a pig, family members gathered to share pork delicacies. The island is, in fact, renowned for such meat products, which include the exquisite louza, made from pork tenderloin matured in the northerly wind; “dry sausages,” seasoned with locally available summer savory and oregano; lardi (cured pieces of fat); bouboulo (tenderloin prepared like louza); paides (ribs); and sisera (pork rinds), fried in large pots and stored in their own fat. As for traditional Mykonos

BY N I KOL ETA M A K R ION I TOU

The history of the island is something you can taste.

GIORGOS XYDAKIS VINEYARD

MIKONU

LIBERTY BREAKFAST ROOM

sweets, these include melopita ( a honey-soaked treat), amygdalota (almond sweets), and kalathakia (small tarts with an almond-based filling). These are served at baptisms and name-day celebrations and are found at nearly all the island’s patisseries. Today, small vineyards and traditional grape presses can be found scattered around the island, while historical references from travelers’ notes and merchant ledgers testify to the existence of viticulture in the past. The wine produced in Mykonos is mainly a sun-dried, deep-red varietal known as Mavri Kountoura (Mandilaria), which is known for its particularly intense color.

Other varieties cultivated here include Xylomachairou (white and red), the white Pariano (Monemvasia), Potamisi (white and red), Black Askatharia, the white Kouforogo and the red Agianiotiko. Local dentist Giorgos Xydakis produces some interesting wines from locally grown grapes that are worth seeking out. For a proper taste of wine tourism, make an appointment to visit Nikos Asimomitis’ Vioma Estate, where classical music is played on speakers placed amid the vines. Tours of this vineyard can also include a tasting session featuring wines and local food products. Visit in September during the harvest and you can watch the grapes

being crushed in the traditional press and take part in the evening revelry, eating, drinking and dancing to the sounds of tsambounes (bagpipes) and toumbakia (drums). Mykonos also boasts its own microbrewery, Mikònu, a labor of love for two young brewers, Angelos Ferous and Jano Bako, in collaboration with distinguished oenologistwine producer Yiannis Paraskevopoulos. By appointment, you can tour their facilities and taste their two very unique artisanal beers, fresh and unpasteurized (which, of course, are also served in various bars and restaurant all over the island).

ONE-STOP SHOPS: Floriou Mini Market, at Ano Mera, Tel. (+30) 22890.712.46 and at Baxes in Argyraina, Tel. (+30) 22890.774.50 Liberty Breakfast Room New Ring Road, Vougli, Tel. (+30) 22890.240.05 Flora Supermarkets at the Mykonos Airport Area, Tel. (+30) 22890.235.09, at Ano Mera, Tel. (+30) 22890.724.78, and at Vothonas, Tel. (+30) 22890.793.27

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY: Mikònu Brewery Argyraina, Tel. (+30) 22890.779.12 Mykonos Vioma Organic Farm Maou Doubakia, Tel. (+30) 22890.718.83, (+30) 697.412.0069)

OH, SWEETNESS: Casa Dolce Peripheral Ring Road, Argyraina, Tel. (+30) 22891.107.14 Kyklamino Peteinaros, Hora, Tel. (+30) 22890.227.87, (+30) 22890.232.29 Matsoukas Mykonos Airport Area, Tel. (+30) 22890.797.65

INFO M IS FOR MEAT: • Markaras in Fabrika, Hora, Tel. (+30) 22890.240.28 and at Ornos, Tel. (+30) 22890.240.33 • Madoupas at Aghios Vlassis, Tel. (+30) 22890.222.50 and at Drafaki, Tel. (+30) 22890.276.26 • Menagias Tourlou Ring Road, Tel. (+30) 22890.233.83

Head to dairy Mykonos Farmers for cheese-making courses, Aghios Lazaros • Tel. (+30) 22890.23970 • www.mykonosfarmers.com; Messaria / Mykonian Spiti for learning how to cook classic dishes • Tel. (+30) 22890.78704, (+30) 693.652.1085 • www.mykonianspiti.com / Devine Delos and Mykonos • Hora • Tel. (+30) 693.660.6640 • www.delosguide.com & Food on foot / Delia Travel • Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.223.22 • www.mykonos-delia.gr to combine sightseeing with gastronomic adventures / Last, but not least, contact Your Private Chef to enjoy private dining in your own space. 126

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ADVERTORIAL

INTERVIEW WITH ANASTASIOS TSERPELIS LEAD DESIGNER OF UTOPIA HOTEL DESIGN

Tholos Resort Bar Restaurant, designed by Utopia

How did you first come to work in the Cyclades? I first came to Santorini at the invitation of a visionary entrepreneur who wanted to design a half-completed hotel unit. It did not have a view of the caldera, so he felt it was crucial to invest in a memorable, modern design that would blend the unique local architecture with the most contemporary luxury hotel style. Were you asked to design the entire hotel unit? That’s not usually the case. Hotel owners and managers typically plan their projects in stages, to ensure they maintain control of the project budget and don’t miss the peak season. This is good for us, too, because it lets us develop a lasting relationship with our client and a good understanding of their needs. In this case, we first designed all the exterior areas of the Dome Santorini Resort: the entrance, the bar, the pool-side restaurant, the pathways and each suite’s private garden terrace with its individual jacuzzi. Once this was done, we designed the villa interiors, each unique and ready in time for the summer season.

Dome Resort Villa, interior architecture by Utopia, photo by Poupalos

How was the Dome Santorini Resort received by the island’s visitors? It was a success. The Dome is now a local landmark and enjoys high demand and an extended season. Following this first collaboration, we redesigned a second hotel for the same entrepreneur. What’s next for Utopia? Well, we are currently completing the design of another Aegean boutique hotel, as well as working on a luxury rental villa in Cephalonia. They are all very interesting projects and we can’t wait to see our design ideas implemented. Do you think there is a role for contemporary design in Greece today? Redesigning and upgrading is a more frequent request than designing from scratch. In terms of aesthetics, however, the main request is still to merge contemporary design with local character, which is always an interesting challenge.

Dome Resort Entrance, designed by Utopia

44 Tsami Karatasou, Filopappou, 11742 Athens, Greece • Web: www.utopiahoteldesign.gr •

Dome Resort masterplan by Utopia

Dome Resort Reception, designed by Utopia

•

E-mail: info@utopiahoteldesign.gr • Tel. (+30) 210.983.5804 • Fax: (+30) 210.980.2107

OTI APEMEINE

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NATIVE NOOKS Scrumptious food made with quality ingredients at restaurants preferred by locals. BY DI M I T R I S ROUSOU N E L O S / P HOTO S: PE R I K L E S M E R A KO S

TO MAEREIO

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CATARI

MYKONOS TOWN APPALOOSA This is a beloved local hangout with a rich menu. While there are many Greek dishes, including the daily homestyle specials – such as stuffed tomatoes and savory pies – there are many exotic options as well. Try the Mexican ceviche served on a crisp tortilla, the burger made with organic, freerange buffalo meat from Lake Kerkini in northern Greece, served with caramelized onions and Mavrodafni wine sauce,

PRICE (PER PERSON, EXCL. WINE): € less than €30; €€ less than €60 €€€ over €60

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or the Indian chicken tikka masala. The list of Greek wines includes selections from around the Cycladic islands. € • Mavrogeni, Goumenio Square • Tel. (+30) 22890.270.86

CAPTAIN’S Tucked in among the cafés at the Old Port, this friendly and unpretentious place is perfect for enjoying some ouzo and sharing all sorts of “surf and turf ” meze. The co-owners, Captain Nikolas and Apollon Voulgaris, have created an atmosphere of Greek hospitality, while the Ecuadorian chef, who used to cook tapas at a restaurant in Madrid, adds her special touch to the food, which is served on small platters and is ideal for sharing. The wine list is exclusively Greek, with selections from the Cycladic islands, including some from

Mykonian winemaker Giorgos Xydakis. You’ll also find Greek tsipouro and craft beer. € • Yialos • Tel. (+30) 22890.232.83

CATARI The Italian owners of this little restaurant, with tables in a beautiful courtyard near Yialos, have worked hard to earn the Ospitalità Italiana Seal of Quality. Try the thin-crust pizza with Sardinian bottarga, the handmade pasta dishes such as the ravioli mezzaluna, and, for dessert, the Sicilian cannoli. The wine list is exclusively Italian. €€ • Aghia Anna • Tel. (+30) 22890.785.71

LA MAISON DE KATRIN Established in 1971, this Greco-French restaurant is one of Mykonos’ most popular eateries and has been featured

in The New York Times. The menu hasn’t changed much over the years, which is good, because you’ll have the chance to enjoy all the classic dishes that have made the place famous: the unbeatable moussaka, the duck fillet with cherries and caramelized apple, the sole meunière, the stuffed zucchini blossoms, the spinach pie, the steamed mussels with cream and the Chateaubriand steak. It also has a good wine list, focusing mostly on Greek selections. €€€ • 1 Nikiou • Tel. (+30) 22890.221.69

TO MAEREIO Featuring only a handful of tables, this cozy little family-run taverna has been welcoming regular visitors since 2005. Owner Isidoros Monogios, along with Matina, the restaurant’s hospitable waitress who is the soul of the place,

TA S T E E A T I N G O U T

LA MAISON DE KATRIN

will make you feel right at home. The cooks, Dimitris (Isidoros’ brother) and Thanasis, prepare authentic Mykonian dishes, including lamb fricassée, chicken in lemon sauce, soutzoukakia (meatballs in tomato sauce), tomato fritters, snails in tomato sauce, and other comfort food dishes. If you’re lucky, the day’s special will be moussaka made by their friend Petroula. You’ll lick your plate clean! € • 16 Kalogera • Tel. (+30) 22890.288.25

NAUTILUS Here, you’ll find good Mediterranean cuisine with an emphasis on seafood. Chef Dimitris Argyriou recommends the porcini, oyster and portobello mushroom risotto with the demi-glace sauce, red wine, black truffle oil, and parmesan. The shrimp orzotto with lime zest and chives is also

delicious. Pair the food with wine from the Cycladic islands or the rest of Greece, or opt for an artisanal beer from Mykonos or Tinos. €€ • 1 Lakka Square • Tel. (+30) 22890.271.00

ROCA COOKERY On the beautiful balcony of this Greek taverna looking out at the Old Port, you’ll find a mix of traditional Greek and Mediterranean dishes, including plenty of fish and other seafood. Particularly noteworthy choices include the Mykonian pasta with tomato, xinotyro sour cheese and louza (spice-scented cured pork), and the chicken stuffed with Naxos graviera cheese, sundried tomatoes from Santorini and parmesan sauce. The wines are mostly Greek, and some are even from the Cycladic islands. €€ • Yacht Marina • Tel. (+30) 22890.229.55

NIKOLAS TAVERNA

AROUND HORA LUDA’S PIKANTIKI GONIA This cozy space, whose name means “Spicy Corner,” has staunchly resisted the chic style of the jet set and, in doing so, won the hearts of locals and knowledgeable visitors alike with its delicious, value-formoney food and hospitable atmosphere. The Ukrainian owner and cook Luda Onuferko combines traditional Cycladic cuisine with delicacies from her homeland, including amazing sweet and sour pickles and khachapuri, a cheese-filled bread from Georgia. Other highlights include succulent spit-roasted pork; pork marinated in juicy summer tomatoes; potatoes with Mykonian yogurt sauce; sautéed wild greens with Mykonian xinotyro (sour cheese); and juicy stuffed

chicken schnitzel. € • Glastros • Tel. (+30) 22890.272.38

MATTHEW TAVERNA Another local favorite, at the entrance to the port of Tourlos, has been serving great food for 60 years. A wide selection of Greek appetizers, including tzatziki, tarama (fish roe dip), eggplant dip, Mykonian onion pie and generous seasonal salads, is available daily, but don’t over-order on starters, because the traditional casseroles and oven-cooked main courses are exquisite. These include scorpionfish soup, stuffed tomatoes and peppers, and moussaka. To drink, choose from Greek wines, beer, ouzo or tsipouro. € • Tourlos • Tel. (+30) 22890.223.44

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FOKOS

O,TI APOMEINE This great authentic taverna has been offering valuefor-money food since 1983. Its name, which means “Whatever’s Left,” doesn’t refer to eating leftovers, but to it being one of the very few of its kind that remain on the island. Specialties include Greek meat – some of it raised on nearby islands – cooked on the grill or spit-roasted. Try the succulent spit-roasted pig, juicy grilled lamb chops and traditional dishes like eggplant imam, moussaka and soutzoukakia (meatballs in tomato sauce), as well as dishes to share, such as Mykonian onion pie, chicken salad and fragrant fried meatballs. € • Ano Mera • Tel. (+30) 22890.715.34

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ON THE BEACH AVLI TOU THODORI This is another old family business, in operation for over six decades on the beach in Platys Yialos. Chef Thomas Soldatos has created a menu of fine Greek classics and other Mediterranean dishes, including grilled sea bass with baby potatoes, Kalamata olives, capers and lemon sauce; chicken filet stuffed with smoked cheese and mushrooms served with fresh pasta; and a Mykonian-style carbonara with country-style striftaria pasta, smoked pork and Mykonian xinotyro (sour cheese). The wine list features selections from Greek vineyards. €€ • Platys Yialos Beach • Tel. (+30) 22890.781.00

FOKOS Located on one of the island’s quietest beaches, this ever-popular family-owned restaurant may not have wi-fi (or good cell-phone reception) but it does offer the warm hospitality of its owners. Fokos is known for its fresh salads and hot appetizers, and for its wonderful “surf and turf ” concept. Highlights include the hummus with Arabic pita bread, the black-eyed pea salad and the grilled calamari served with a peppery arugula salad containing Mykonian louza (cured pork) and figs. Don’t skip the homemade, British-style desserts, including angel food cake, cherry crumble and their own ice cream. The wine list includes local selections.

NIKOLAS TAVERNA Locals have been frequenting this place since 1967. Nikolas, his wife Rena and his sister Katerina run it the way his grandparents used to, keeping its traditional character alive. The location is excellent, with tables on the beach, and the fish they serve comes courtesy of their own little fishing boat. They also grow their own vegetables and have a small farm with sheep and cattle, all of which provides the tavern with first-class ingredients. Come here for fish and meat on the grill, tasty meze and salads. The shrimp in ouzo sauce and the salad with Mykonian louza (cured pork) and xinotyro (sour cheese) are musts. Pair with a bottle from the short wine list.

€€ • Fokos Beach • Tel. (+30) 694.464.4343

€€ • Aghia Anna, Paraga Beach • Tel. (+30) 22890.252.64

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Where to go for those signature dishes you simply must try while on Mykonos.

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BAKALO Using ingredients from nine different Cycladic islands, chef Yiannis Gavalas prepares home-style food with creative twists in a pretty space. HIGHLIGHT: The tyrokouloura is a fried bread ring with a delicious, rich and spicy kopanisti cheese filling with other Cycladic cheeses, cherry tomatoes and oregano. €€ • Lakka, Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.781.21

FUNKY KITCHEN Elements from around the world augment classic Greek dishes, in a simple, islandinspired space located on a relatively quiet side street. HIGHLIGHT: The tuna tataki with eggplant dip is a sophisticated dish which combines standout flavors from Greece, the Middle East and 136

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Japan. The buttery tuna is complemented by a delicious lemon dressing and the traditional eggplant dip/baba ganoush fusion. €€ • Ignatiou Basoula, Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.272.72

KASTRO’S Although this restaurant is located at one of the most beautiful spots in Little Venice, right on the sea, it’s the tasty and unpretentious food it serves that somehow manages to steal the show. HIGHLIGHT: The shrimps with Mykonian kopanisti cheese sauce is a variation of the classic Greek meze, shrimp saganaki. The perfectly cooked shrimp are paired with a wonderful rustic sauce with tomatoes, feta and kopanisti cheese. €€ • 1 Aghion Anargyron,

Little Venice, Hora Tel. (+30) 22890.230.72

•

KALITA This eatery, with its charming courtyard, may be the bestkept gastronomic secret on the island. Here, Chef Vaios Ntoytsias brings new touches to popular Greek dishes. HIGHLIGHT: Greece meets France in the steak tartare flavored with spices more commonly used in traditional soutzoukakia (meatballs in tomato sauce). €€ • 31 Kalogera, Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.271.02

LADY FINGER At the poolside restaurant of the Andronikos Hotel, renowned chef Gikas Xenakis has created a menu of creative Greek cuisine. HIGHLIGHT: The Modern

Mykonian onion pie is a contemporary version of the same traditional dish enjoyed on the island, with incredibly crisp filo crust layered with parmesan and fennel, and featuring a filling of tyrovolia cheese panna cotta, onions and an onion sauce with miso. €€ • New Ring Road, Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.242.31

LIBERTY BREAKFAST ROOM Looking to promote local – mainly organic – products from small-scale producers around the Cycladic islands, the Liberty team relies on the philosophy of simplicity, favoring lowheat cooking and a lot of raw options. HIGHLIGHT: Based on a recipe from the island of Kimolos, and using Greek ingredients like ham and bacon from Drama,

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SALE & PEPE

KASTRO’S

boiled cheese from Mykonos and cherry tomatoes from Ikaria, the bouleri (poached egg dish) is unique. €€ • New Ring Road, Vougli, Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.240.05

M-EATING Working local produce with great skill, chef Panagiotis Menardos prepares refined and creative Greek food. The style is an elegant combination of the contemporary and the rustic. HIGHLIGHT: The Mykonian Sun consists of a five-minute egg, fresh tomato sauce, smoked lamb bacon and fried bread with fluffy tyrovolia cheese mousse. It’s one of the best dishes you’ll try anywhere on Mykonos. €€ • 10 Kalogera, Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.785.50

MR PUG Whether you choose to dine

outside in the cool courtyard or in the elegant dining room, the combination of modern lines and ethnic elements is a winner. Chef George Venieris’ dishes are an amazing fusion of Asia and Greece, executed with technical mastery and an eye for presentation. HIGHLIGHT: The steamed passion fruit cake with banana ice cream, coconut cream and black beer sauce is the sexiest dessert you’ll come across on Mykonos this summer. Layered and so exotic, its various consistencies and intense flavors offer many contrasts. €€ • New Ring Road, Argyraina • Tel. (+30) 22890.777.71

REEZA ROCABELLA Earlier this year, the poolside restaurant of the Rocabella Hotel welcomed executive chef Michalis Kikis, a rising

star in the Greek gastronomic scene. His new menu features inventive dishes, perfectly executed by chef de cuisine Fotis Michopoulos. HIGHLIGHT: The Greek gazpacho salad is a refreshing version of a Greek salad, which cleverly combines all the classic flavors with that of sweet watermelon, in a delicious broth. €€ • Aghios Stefanos •

Tel. (+30) 22890.289.30

SALE & PEPE This beloved Italian restaurant is renowned for both its awardwinning wine list and its menu, which features game dishes, delicious seafood options, and excellent pizza made with high-quality ingredients which owner Ivan Ottaviani imports from Italy. HIGHLIGHT: The strozzapreti with zucchini and shrimp is a

creamy dish with rich seafood flavors. The crispy zucchini goes wonderfully with the perfectly cooked shrimp, the al dente pasta and the bisque sauce. €€ • Lakka Square, Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.242.07

THEA ESTIATORIO Set in the luxurious surroundings of the Belvedere Hotel, with an amazing view of Hora and the sea, Thea Estiatorio is the perfect place to enjoy inspired modern Mediterranean cuisine. Its new chef, Panagiotis Tziourtzioumis, is particularly partial to local products. HIGHLIGHT: The white grouper fricassée is cooked a la minute and served with tart crunchy wild greens and aromatic herbs. €€€ • School of Fine Arts District • Tel. (+30) 22890.251.22 M Y KO N O S 2 018

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RESERVATION ONLY These restaurants arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t budget options, but the money you spend will be worth it, as the food and the ambiance are fantastic. BY N I KOL ETA M A K R ION I TOU / P HOTOS: PE R I K L E S M E R A KOS

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BILL & COO At the stylish poolside dining area of the Bill & Coo Hotel, right above Megali Ammos Beach, this restaurant is ideal for a luxurious romantic dinner. THE FOOD: Renowned chef Dinos Fotinakis, who has worked in several Michelinstarred restaurants, presents refined Greek cuisine with Mykonian and Cycladic notes; he uses local herbs and greens, as well as elements from French cuisine. The restaurant offers a four-course and an eightcourse tasting menu, as well as à la carte options. Highlights include scallops with wasabi tarama mousse; butter cognac lobster and couscous with sea urchin and zucchini; and delicious desserts from pastry chef Angela Simou. THE DRINKS: Sommelier Maria Athanasiadou picks from the restaurant’s rich selection of wines from all over the world to find the ideal pairing. €€€ • Megali Ammos Beach • Tel. (+30) 22890.262.92

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and elegant design, the prizewinning restaurant at the Kensho Boutique Hotel, on a roof overlooking Ornos Bay, presents creative Greek cuisine at its finest. THE FOOD: Chef George Stylianoudakis curates the three tasting menus, one of which is vegetarian, and applies highcaliber culinary techniques to bring a whole new sense of freshness to traditional recipes, using only the best products available. Among the most impressive dishes are the fish soup with white grouper and tapioca chips, the foie gras with fricassée sauce and sautéed wild greens, and the gourmet sweet and savory dessert with tonka biscuit, sundried tomato sponge and olive oil. THE DRINKS: Sommelier Theodoris Paliakidis suggests the perfect wine pairings for your food from the mainly Greek wine list.

been designed by Chrysanthos Karamolegos, one of Greece’s most influential chefs. His creations, which are prepared by chef Nikos Minardos, highlight the natural flavors of the Greek ingredients. Try the Aegean sea bass carpaccio served with fennel salad and sweet lemon purée, or the stuffed vine leaves with crayfish tail ceviche and Greek bottarga mousse. The lobster spaghetti with caramelized tomato sauce is also delicious, as is the white grouper filet ursinado with ouzo sauce. For dessert, try the galaktoboureko (custard in filo) with Corinthian currants, dates, rose water syrup and ouzo sorbet. THE DRINKS: There is a satisfying list of Greek and foreign wines, and excellent cocktails from mixologist Giorgos Gintinos.

€€€ • Ornos • Tel. (+30) 22890.290.01

€€ • Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.274.66

KRAMA This new restaurant on the poolside veranda of Semeli Hotel features stylish comfort

LA VERANDA Fine food is served in a luxurious, bright dining space that includes a stunning

food and a relaxed atmosphere.

THE FOOD: The menu has

poolside veranda.

THE FOOD: With well-known

French head chef Olivier Campanha leading the way, this restaurant has made an impressive debut on the high gastronomy scene. Recipes are based on local products and prepared with French finesse and techniques. Also interesting is the manner in which the plates are placed, with the main dish in the center and “satellite” dishes all around. THE DRINKS: A respectable list of wines from Greek and foreign vineyards. €€€ • La Residence Hotel, Kalafati Beach • Tel. (+30) 22890.713.49

LING LING BY HAKKASAN The Mykonian branch of this London institution is one of the hottest places to be in Mykonos, both for the high quality of the food and for the atmosphere. THE FOOD: The menu features high-caliber Cantonese cuisine, influenced by local flavors and ingredients. The plates are meant to be shared. The black truffle roast duck with tea tree mushrooms, the

KRAMA

braised lamb in Chinese fivespice, and the chilled lobster with spicy lemongrass are all delicious. The most impressive, however, is the Peking duck with Iranian beluga caviar and black bean sauce. THE DRINKS: There’s a superb list of signature cocktails such as the Smi Ling and the Shiso Martini, an equally interesting list of premium spirits and a wine list featuring Greek and international selections. As the evening progresses, the music gets louder and the place takes on a party atmosphere. €€€ • Malamatenias, Matogiannia, Hora • Tel. (+30) 22890.225.15

MATSUHISA MYKONOS Japanese cuisine meets South American flavors next to the pool of the five-star Belvedere Hotel, where you’ll find a cosmopolitan atmosphere, excellent service and an impressive view of the illuminated cruise ships. THE FOOD: Japanese chefrestaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa unleashes all his creative powers in innovative dishes presented by head chef Panagiotis 142

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Tziourtzioumis. Naturally, these include perfectly executed sushi as well as signature recipes like Matsuhisa’s legendary black cod miso, his tiradito and the famous salmon karashi su miso. Latest additions include sea bass sashimi with crispy quinoa, green and yellow tomato and the salad with tamarisk, dried miso, crispy leak, shrimp and parmesan. THE DRINKS: The excellent wine selection includes vintage champagnes, and there are exceptional cocktails by the talented mixologist Chris Houseas. Try the Tribute to Hemingway, with gin, beetroot, tomato and spices. €€€ • School of Fine Arts District • Tel. (+30) 22890.251.22

OVAC CAVO TAGOO Renowned restaurant manager Evripidis Apostolidis has joined forces with the legendary Ovac Tagoo Hotel, and the result is this year’s talk of the island. Overlooking Hora and the Aegean Sea, this restaurant exudes glamour and grace. THE FOOD: The kitchen is run by talented chef Chronis Damalas, who has created

a fine Mediterranean-Asian fusion menu. Standout dishes include the sea bass carpaccio with chili, passion fruit and sea urchin, and the spinach pie gyoza with feta cream. THE DRINKS: You’ll find one of the best wine lists on the island, with many excellent choices from the Cyclades, and unbeatable cocktails, too. €€€ • Mykonos Town • Tel. (+30) 22890.201.00

PRINCIPOTE On the white sandy beach of Panormos, diners experience one-of-a-kind seaside luxury in a space designed by the renowned architect Athanasios Kyratsous. THE FOOD: Talented chef Avgeria Stapaki heads a 40-strong team of cooks. Everything, from the bread to the bouillons and the ice cream, is made on the spot using fresh, high-quality ingredients. The lobster ravioli with tarragon, carrot purée and breadcrumbs is incredible, as is the Black Angus steak tartare with chili, ginger and truffle. For dessert, the rice pudding with mango sorbet is a must.

THE DRINKS: The establishment offers delicious cocktails and a wine list with Greek and French choices. They also serve larger bottles (magnums and jeroboams), a selection of champagnes and premium spirits. €€€ • Panormos Beach • Tel. (+30) 22890.771.84

SPILIA Located in a fantastic spot partly inside a seaside cave right next to Aghia Anna Beach. With a 30-year history, and a recent makeover which transformed it into a truly romantic food destination, it’s one of this summer’s places to be. THE FOOD: The cuisine here is Mediterranean/Mykonian, with a focus on fresh seafood, including oysters, mussels, sea urchins, crayfish and lobsters. The lobster pasta and the tuna filet are particularly tempting. THE DRINKS: Skillfully made, refreshing cocktails complement a wine list featuring Greek and foreign varieties. €€ • Aghia Anna Beach, Kalafati • Tel. (+30) 694.944.9729