GREECE IS | KOS - NISYROS 2017

greece is experience culture, gastronomy & more

KOS

FIRST EDITION

ISSN: 2459-041X

2017 ISSUE

12 - 32

34 - 65

68 - 99

102 - 112

W E LCO M E

D I S CO V E R

EXPERIENCE

E AT & D R I N K

For those seeking the trademark Greek experience of sun and sea, Kos has plenty of both.

But that’s not the only reason a million people visit it every year.

Boasting a famous ancient Asclepieion, a top-notch museum and traces of more innocent times, Hippocrates’ birthplace will keep history buffs happy.

A vibrant town dotted with historical and architectural gems, great beaches and plenty of villages full of surprises will whet your appetite for exploration.

Taste the local products – including honey, wine, cheese and sweet tomato preserve – and enjoy the traditional dishes served at tavernas all around.

A n A e g e a n W at e r Pa l a c e

GR 853 00 Psalidi, Kos, Greece Tel.: (+30) 22420 58000 | @GrecotelKosImperial | kosimperial.com | E-mail: reservations.ki@grecotel.com

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WELCOME

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The Attraction of Opposites

BY G e o r g e H at z i m a r ko s R E G I O N A L G ov ernor o f t h e S o u t h A egean

K

os: one of the most popular destinations and strongest tourist brands worldwide.

Nisyros: An out-of-this world landscape, born from volcanic lava; a hidden treasure in the Aegean Sea. Two islands in the Dodecanese cluster, both stunningly beautiful and distinctive. So close yet so different, they offer visitors a cornucopia of experiences and emotions. Islands bathed in sparkling sunlight, embraced by the Aegean blue in a land where myth, history and reality meet in a fascinating mosaic.

Kos, cosmopolitan and bright, traditional and hospitable, is an ideal, yearround destination, offering everything one wants from a vacation. With a history that is still part of its day-to-day fabric, a rich architectural legacy whose sheer variety attests to the forces that influenced it, and with imposing castles, vast beaches, pretty villages and tourist resorts, Hippocrates’ birthplace is a balm for body and soul alike.

The Sanctuary of Asclepius, the Tree of Hippocrates, the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora and the architectural wonders of the Romans, the Knights of Saint John, the Ottomans, the Venetians and the Italians stand side-by-side with a modern tourism infrastructure designed for entertainment, relaxation and gastronomical pleasure. Kos has many different facts that together create the ideal destination for sophisticated travelers and vacationing families alike.

And there, right beside it, is Nisyros, the child of a volcano, with a cal-

dera born from an eruption 55,000 to 50,000 years ago. Like something out of a surrealist painting, the yawning yellow-and-white banded crater is alive with steaming, bubbling crevices, huge cracks and pungent sulfur. Such otherworldly beauty invites the visitor to embrace the restrained energy of the volcano. The other face of the island is composed of picturesque traditional villages, cozy squares, pretty cafés and walking trails, chapels and hot springs – all seemingly plucked from a bygone era – as well as beaches sparkling with igneous pebbles, promising an unforgettable experience.

Kos and Nisyros: So close, yet so different, their enduring charm lies in their contrasts and their unique identity. It is this uniqueness that the South Aegean Regional Authority has been promoting worldwide, through its strategic tourism development plan. Another important initiative is the naming of the South Aegean as European Region of Gastronomy 2019. This award will allow the region to showcase its distinctive flavors and culinary traditions, and take visitors on a fascinating journey of the five senses. The title extends to all the 48 inhabited islands of the Dodecanese and the Cyclades, each of which has its own particular gastronomic identity and which together shape the archipelago’s gastronomic culture.

“The Aegean Islands, unlike any others!”

This is the unique identity of our islands, the identity of Greece!

Kos and Nisyros: two islands in the Dodecanese cluster, both stunningly beautiful and distinctive. So close, yet so different, they offer visitors a cornucopia of experiences and emotions.

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WELCOME

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A WORLD-CLASS DESTINATION

BY Giorgos K yritsis M ayor o f Kos

Dear Friends, With the opportunity this publication affords me, I welcome you to Kos, the island of Hippocrates, of tourism, of culture and of hospitality.

Kos is a meeting-place for some of the great civilizations; you can see the traces of their influence in the historical monuments and ancient ruins which are spread around our island.

Our beautiful home is the third most popular destination, not only in the Aegean but in the entire Mediterranean Sea. I invite you to visit this open-air archaeological park, where the past coexists harmoniously with both modern multicultural living and tourism development. Its natural beauty and its stunning beaches, its local cuisine and warm hospitality, and its daily manifestations of folk culture all offer visitors endless opportunities for entertainment and relaxation.

Chief among the places that you will want to visit on Kos are the important historical sites that are found all over the island; these are truly significant archaeological locations that should not be missed.

In addition to these attractions, it is the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of our people, the advanced infrastructure and tourist facilities, the high standards of services and the easy access by plane or by boat that make Kos one of the most popular vacation spots in the world. It’s also a safe and family-friendly destination.

I invite you to visit Kos and get to know its history and its cultural legacy, to enjoy its natural wonders, to try its rich traditional cuisine and to feel the warm embrace of its people.

Kos’ natural beauty and stunning beaches, its local cuisine and warm hospitality, and its daily manifestations of folk culture all offer visitors endless opportunities for entertainment and relaxation.

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CONTENTS Greece Is - KOS, 2017 Issue, First Edition 12. A Three-Letter Delight. There

46. The Archaeological Museum.

96. Thrills and Spills. From trekking

is always something new to discover in

Sculptures, mosaics and intriguing

to kite-surfing to horse-riding, the island

multifaceted Kos.

material records of everyday existence

has something for every adrenaline

18. In Pictures. Wondrous Waters.

26. In a Nutshell. Travel guide writer

capture the vitality of ancient Kos.

junkie.

52. Nature’s Healers. Plants with

102. Tastes of Kos. A mouth-watering

Marc Dubin introduces his favorite

therapeutic properties first discovered

introduction to the island’s traditional

Greek island.

by Hippocrates still grow on the island.

dishes and recipes.

30. From Caiques to Charter Flights.

60. Mementos. Glimpses of Kos before

106. Riches of the Land. Honey, olive

A brief history of Kos’ tourism industry.

the tourist explosion.

oil, wine, sweet tomatoes and other key

34. Milestones. Six millennia

68. Kos Town. Exploring a cultural

ingredients of a proud food tradition.

at a glance.

melting pot.

110. All You Can Eat. Whether you

36. Hippocrates. The enigmatic father

78. Simple Pleasures. Our 17 hand-

crave fish, kebab, local traditional

of modern medicine.

picked experiences show a more

cuisine or other Mediterranean flavors,

40. The Asclepieion. The island’s most

laid-back way to explore the island.

our shortlist has you covered.

magnificent archaeological site was once a

90. Beach Please! Our go-to guide for

world-renowned health center.

families, surfers, nudists, party animals and other summer tribes.

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96 greece is - kos 2017 issue, first edition

Published by: Exerevnitis - Explorer SA, Ethnarchou Makariou & 2 Falireos St, Athens, 18547, Greece ISSN: 2459-041X Editor-in-chief: Giorgos Tsiros (editor@greece-is.com) Commercial director: Natasha Bouterakou (sales@greece-is.com) Creative director: Thodoris Lalangas / www.youandi.gr Creative consultant: Costas Coutayar Deputy editor: Natasha Blatsiou Art director: Ria Staveri Editorial consultants: Dimitris Tsoumplekas, Vassilis Minakakis Translations/Editing: Don Domonkos, John Leonard, Damian Mac Con Uladh, Georgia Nakou, Stephen Stafford, Danae Seemann, Christine Sturmey Proof-reading: Don Domonkos, Omaira Gill Photo editors: Maria Konstantopoulou, Marika Tsouderou Pagination: Asimina Mitrothanasi Photoshop: Christos Maritsas, Michalis Tzannetakis, Stelios Vazourakis Advertising: Mariliza Kalesi (mkalesi@kathimerini.gr), Lina Vergou (lvergou@kathimerini.gr) Advertising department: Tel. (+30) 210.480.82.27 Head of public relations: Lefki Vardikou GREECE IS - KOS is a yearly publication, distributed free of charge.

Contact us: welcome@greece-is.com

It is illegal to reproduce any part of this publication without the written permission of the publisher.

ON THE C OVER The iconic Aghios Stefanos Beach, with ruins of early Christian churches. Š Clairy Moustafellou

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A Three-Letter Delight Εven for those visitors who come back year after year, there is always something new to discover in multifaceted Kos.

© CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU

BY Antonis Nikolis*

So many pleasures in just one syllable.” This is how I am accustomed to describing my island, Kos. The three-letter island destined by history to excel at hospitality.

Allow me to begin on a personal note. As a writer, mainly a novelist, I am often obliged to explain a seeming contradiction: namely how, being the person I am, I chose to live in a place with such a high level of tourism development. Which differs little from the question: why would a demanding modern-day tourist or traveler choose Kos as a holiday destination?

Because of its geographical position straddling two continents and also the mixing of cultures on account of its history, Kos is notable for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, which is particularly perceptible in the island’s capital, Kos Town.

Growing up in my childhood house, I could see, from one of the balconies, the synagogue directly opposite, and from left to right, the castle of the Knights of St John on the breakwater in the harbor, the Loggia Mosque in the square with the plane tree under which – according to tradition – Hippocrates taught medicine, the emblematic Government House 12

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from the period of Italian rule, the old Catholic church of Agnus Dei and the Metropolitan Church of Aghios Nikolaos. From the other, the west balcony, I could see the church of Aghia Paraskevi and, lower down, Eleftherias Square with the central Defterdar mosque, the municipal market, the Aegli and the museum, more fine examples of the Italian architecture of the Dodecanese.

If one also considers the extensive archaeological parks, which contribute so much to the town’s distinctive character, the Ancient Agora, the Altar of Dionysus, the restored Roman-period mansion Casa Romana, the small theater (also restored), the ancient Odeon, the archaeological park of the Xystos (gymnasium) with its decumanus (or main road) that ran through the ancient city, whose paving is remarkably well preserved… in other words, if one takes also into account all these, along with the other monuments scattered across the center of Kos, then it’s not difficult to imagine a town in which eras, cultures and peoples coexist harmoniously, the ideal environment in which to receive the foreign visitor or the traveler with tolerance, the most important quality of hospitality.

But great history is experienced

Looking out from the highest terrace of the Sanctuary of Asclepius. The history of the site, its restored monuments, the beautiful location and the stunning view that stretches over the town and all the way to the Turkish coast make this one of the most fascinating places to visit.

© CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU

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| A fisherman prepares his nets in the harbor of Kardamena, a lively seaside village with cafés, bars, tavernas and sandy beaches. It also offers the shortest route to Nisyros.

insight

through small narratives that nourish the first reflexes of our conscience. My grandmother told me how in periods of drought, the entire population would first follow the procession of the Orthodox bishop, then of the rabbi, and lastly that of the hodja, “and thank whomever answered the prayer.” As a child, I was intrigued by the calls of the muezzin from the minarets on Fridays and by the male worshipers who washed their feet at the fountains before entering the mosque barefoot. When a group of Jews came to the island and held a service in the synagogue, I went with all the other kids in the neighborhood to listen to their devotional songs from behind the beautifully decorated stained glass of the side doors. From our grandmothers, initially, and later, as adolescents and young men, we were used to hearing people speaking foreign languages in the street or at clubs or cafés; it was the most natural thing in the world for us.

I remember that spring morning when the twins Spyros and Andreas, friends of my brother, came running to our house shouting “Lambros, Lambros, the swallows have come!” – meaning the first tourists.

And, before I forget, I should mention that, apart from “the island of Hippocrates,” Kos was already known as the “island of cyclists” at a time when cars were scarce and each family had as many bicycles as members. With its modern cycling paths, the island now seems to be restoring this image.

Kos is one of the medium-size islands of the Aegean, with a maximum road distance of roughly 50km and a population of around 35,000. It’s not a

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particularly mountainous island; it has hills, pine woods, gullies full of wild oleander and, in its southern part, expanses of juniper and plains gradually sloping down to the shore. The sea is easy to reach from almost everywhere, and there are long sandy beaches. Even the highest mountain, Dikeos, known particularly for its natural beauty and for the village of Asfendiou with its traditional architecture and satellite settlements, is easily accessible, thanks to a good road network.

One can explore the island by car or motorbike along very pleasant routes.

Setting out from the main town, head east, following the coast around the small bay in the direction of Aghios Fokas. Stop first at Therma, a place of outstanding natural beauty with hot springs right next to the beach, which can be visited at any time of day. Therma is about two kilometers from Aghios Fokas, as is the Asclepieion, though this lies in a different direction, in the foothills of Dikeos. This is where Hippocrates laid the scientific foundations of medicine. In a magnificent setting, laid out on three hillside terraces, stand the remains of stoas, altars, temples, largely restored, along with the fascinating new epigraphic museum.

From Haihoutes, go on to Asomatos, Asfendiou and Zia. From there, it’s a short ride to now deserted Palio Pyli, one of the most attractive locations on the island, and then to the present-day village of Pyli. Above Pyli, one can carry on to Kardamena or – half-way there – take a detour to see another imposing fortification of the Knights of St John, the Castle of Antimachia. The castle

Imagine a town in which eras, cultures and peoples coexist harmoniously; the ideal environment to receive the foreign visitor or the traveler with tolerance, the most important quality of hospitality.

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True fans of Kos prefer to visit the island out of season, when the pace is slower, the sea is still warm, the weather is sweeter and the early evening sky explodes in the orange-russet tones of the setting sun.

can also be reached from Kos Town by taking either the secondary road or the country road that runs parallel to the coast, perhaps stopping off at Tigaki (notable for being the island’s most popular nudist beach), Marmari and Mastichari.

From Antimachia, heading south after the airport, you can turn towards the forest of Plaka which, from the secondary road, is hidden from sight.

Bear in mind that anywhere you cut down to on the southeast coast between Kardamena and Kefalos, you’ll find the island’s finest sandy beaches and crystalline waters. It’s definitely worth stopping at Kefalos, not only for the calm waters of the bay but also for the lovely islet of Kastri at its head, opposite the ruins of the early Christian Church of Aghios Stefanos. From there, 16

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you can make your way up, past the village, to Palatia, with its small ancient theater (which affords a breathtaking panoramic view of the bay), or continue on to Zini, Lathra or Aghios Theologos.

Kos’ central position in the Dodecanese also enables day trips to other islands, including Pserimos, Kalymnos, Leros and Patmos to the north, while to the south lies nearby Nisyros, as well as Tilos, Symi and Rhodes. And, of course you can switch continents by taking a 20-minute boat-ride to Bodrum (ancient Halicarnassus) in Turkey.

As for gastronomic pleasures, the culinary tradition of Kos is related to that of Crete, Asia Minor and Cyprus. It features local specialties and products, such as posa (goat cheese matured in red wine), pasa makarouna (homemade pasta with pork and myzithra cheese), and pligouri (bulgur) with chickpeas and pork. The main dishes make ample use of cumin and cinnamon; the desserts often feature flower water, rose water and, yet again, cinnamon.

In spring and autumn, Kos is glorious; in autumn, perhaps even more so.

In summer, the bright island sun creates deep shadows and sharp outlines, giving a unique brilliance to both people and objects.

Thanks to its size and infrastructure, prices remain reasonable even during the high season. Kos gives the impression of a holiday destination that can never become saturated. It is easy to access good services and deserted beaches, even in the first weeks of August. Hotels, restaurants, tavernas, cafés and bars – in towns, in the countryside and along the coast – are always ready to greet visitors with admirable professionalism, genuine warmth and a culture of hospitality cultivated over many generations.

Believe me, the island of one syllable and many delights soon becomes an obsession!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Antonis Nikolis (1960) is a writer and novelist with a background in classical literature. His work has been turned into plays, he has published several novellas and novels, and regularly writes op-eds. His most recent book, a novel, was published in September 2016. (antnikolis. blogspot.com)

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WONDROUS WATERS

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ENDURING ALLURE

© MICHAEL PATAKOS

“The seascapes are very fine in the approaches to Kos. Northward, in the blue haze, are the dark shapes of the Kalymnos hills, while opposite is the strange wild hinterland of Turkey.... The deep water sweeps round gradually, changing color as it enters the noble little bay of the capital, which is crowned with a 15th-century fortress left behind by the knights when they abandoned these smiling regions for a grimmer and bonier Malta.... There is no pleasanter land under the heavens than Kos,” wrote explorer Francois Pouqueville (1770-1838). “Viewing its scented gardens you would say that it is a terrestrial paradise.” (From Lawrence Durrell’s “The Greek Islands”)

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SWIMMING AMONG THE RUINS

© GEORGE PAPAPOSTOLOU

In 1932, Italian archaeologist Luciano Laurenzi brought to light the ruins of the Early Christian church of Aghios Stefanos, built between AD 469 and 554 on the Bay of Kefalos. The discovery endowed Kos with one of its best-known landmarks, a place where visitors have the distinct pleasure of swimming in emerald waters, while at the same time immersing themselves in the island’s history.

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SEEKING PARADISE

© GEORGE PAPAPOSTOLOU

With over one million foreign tourists arriving each year, finding a quiet spot on Kos’ beaches is no easy matter. But, if you’re ready to travel the distance from town and tackle the steep dirt trail near Cape Krikelos on the southwestern coast, the Bay of Hilandriou is just such a spot. With soft dark sand, a view of the impressive Krikelos Rock and a small food truck with just 10 umbrellas and sun loungers, is it any surprise that this beach has been nicknamed Cavo Paradiso?

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IN A NUTSHELL Kos is neither “flat” nor “boring,” as some uninformed travel writers may suggest. Βυ marc dubiN* I L L U S T R A T IO N : P h i l i pp o s A v r a m i d e s

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first visited Kos in the spring of 1981, on my second journey around Greece.

I stayed, as many backpackers did back then, in an unlicensed domátio (room) touted at the harbor. My main memories from that year are of the Asclepieion archaeological site, assorted beaches and, of course, the Castle of the Knights.

I dropped in briefly all through the 1980s, but started returning regularly in 1991 when Kos became part of my “beat” for the “Rough Guide to Greece.” I have since covered the island annually for easyJet’s “Traveller” magazine, and last year I authored the “Berlitz Kos Pocket Guide.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marc Dubin has been writing about Greece since the late 1970s.

He is the author of many travel publications and articles, including “Rough Guide to the Dodecanese and East Aegean (Penguin), and “Trekking in Greece” (Lonely Planet). His “Berlitz Kos Pocket Guide” is available via major online retailers.

LOVE STORIES Three women who first came to Kos as tourists and decided to make it their new home, tell us all about it.

WALKS, SWIMS AND RIDES

Kos is neither “flat” nor “boring,” the usual slanders by uninformed travel writers. It has a forested mountain range (great for walks or mountain-biking), excellent beaches (especially “Magic” and Langadha on the south coast and Marmari on the north shore), one of the world’s greatest concentrations of orientalized Rationalist architecture (dating from the period of Italian rule) which makes a great stroll-by attraction, two excellent museums, plus outstanding taverna food and locally produced wine.

For many, one of the best aspects of visiting is Kos’ bicycle-friendliness. It’s one of the few resort islands in Greece with a usable network of cycle paths around the flat parts, and rental bikes are ubiquitous.

For my part, I have found the people welcoming and forthcoming. I speak Greek, but there are many emigrants

who have returned home from Canada or Australia, so communication will not be a problem.

My MUST-SEEs

For a first-time visit, don’t miss the archaeological museum – just re-opened after a five-year overhaul and crammed with Hellenistic and Roman treasures – or the Casa Romana, a Roman villa with vivid floor mosaics and extensive displays on domestic life. The Crusader-era Castle of the Knights overlooking the port is pretty much an access-all-areas attraction, unlike many other such sites.

The Asclepieion, restored by the Italians, sits in a wonderful setting and has superb views across to Turkey; on the way there or back, have lunch at one of the “Turkish” tavernas in the village of Platani, run by some of the island’s 700-strong Muslim population. At other tavernas, sample local dishes like krasotýri (cheese marinated in red wine), pikhtí (head cheese) or pligoúri (bulgur pilaf). Kos’ wine industry has grown since the millennium, so go wine-tasting; options include Hatzinikolaou, Hatziemmanouil and Triantafyllopoulos wineries.

If it’s not high summer and baking hot, take the well-marked half-day walk from the village of Zia up to Christos Peak for the best views in the Dodecanese. After a hard day’s sightseeing, visit the Embros Therma hot springs on the shoreline beyond Aghios Fokas, where scalding water mixes with the sea inside a boulder “corral” to bearable temperatures – it’s often a little too popular, but magic on a moonlit night.

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© FAMILY ARCHIVE OF STAMATIS VOUKOUVALIDIS

Before mass tourism, large passenger ships had to drop anchor outside the port and visitors were transported ashore by caiques, like the Maria.

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From Caiques to Charter Flights Ηow an island once dependent on its agriculture came to welcome more than a million visitors a year.

B Y P O LY X E N I AT H A N A S O U L I A

Margarita Margaro,” a song by famous composer Mikis Theodorakis, refers to a boat on the Saronic Gulf, but most Greeks associate it with Kos. It was the soundtrack for one of the loveliest scenes in 1960s Greek cinema, filmed on the island: an entire peloton of bicycles rides through the streets in the wake of star Jenny Karezi as she sings. The exotic Finikon (or “Palm”) Avenue, the Defterdar Mosque at Eleftherias Square and the masterpieces of Italianate architecture provide eye-catching backdrops to the rather mediocre yet quite popular blackand-white comedy “Who is Margarita?”

The film, which sold 52,421 tickets at the box office, ranked ninth among the 69 films released that year. By these standards alone, 1961–62 was the season Kos came into the spotlight.

Back then, terms like “charter flights,” “overbooking” or “all-inclusive” were unknown. Flooded with sunlight, endowed with fertile soil and plentiful water, Kos managed to remain autonomous, exporting excellent olive oil, tomatoes, grapes, wheat and sesame. There was no airport and no harbor capable of accommodating the large ships from Piraeus. After sailing for 18 hours, passengers on the legendary Ekaterini and Miaoulis waited offshore until they could board one of the small boats – named Sevastiana, Maria, Poulia and Manolis – that would take them

to the pier of the old harbor.

The small number of visitors at that time were mainly Athenian office workers and their families looking for a pleasant but inexpensive place to spend their summer vacation. The two porters who used to work at the harbor would load their luggage onto carts and set off to find the visitors a room in some private home, preferably with a garden.

The owners would leave their homes and sleep outdoors in the yard while the Athenians enjoyed their hospitality, all for a 100 drachmas a night.

The five hotels located near the harbor – Xenia, Zefyros, Katerini, Vereniki and Dodekanisos – catered to a better-off clientele, such as businesspeople, who had other reasons to visit the island apart from enjoying its beauty: the Dodecanese enjoyed a special tax status, established during Italian rule, until Greece joined the European Economic Community (the forerunner of the E.U.) in 1979. That meant they were exempt from the customs duties and indirect taxes that applied in the rest of Greece. Their tax-free status made the markets of Rhodes and Kos mini tax havens, where Athenians could shop for imported products, such as expensive whiskeys, luxury porcelain, fine English cashmere, branded clothing, perfumes and umbrellas at much lower prices.

But the quiet summers of the 1960s,

Nowadays, of the 48,000 officially registered hotel beds on the island, about 63 percent are in the four- and five-star category and most of them operate on an all-inclusive basis.

complete with bicycles, outdoor cinemas and ice cream vendors, passed quickly. The airport, which opened in April 1964, was seen as an important milestone marking a new, outward-looking era. The ships returning from Rhodes would stop at Kos on their way back to Piraeus, bringing more foreign tourists, too.

That is how Kos – initially a satellite of Rhodes, the flagship of Greek tourism – began the 1970s with a burgeoning status as a tourism destination. In 1972, the first organized tour groups of Germans arrived by ship from Rhodes; the next year saw the opening of the GREECE IS

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first major hotel, the Atlantis, with 500 rooms and bungalows. In 1974, the airstrip was extended and direct flights from Germany started, while the first flights from Finland landed in 1975.

Meanwhile, new hotels were springing up near idyllic beaches, such as the Dimitra Beach in Aghios Fokas, the Ramira Beach in Psalidi and the Caravia Beach in Marmari. By the late 1970s, arrivals were up to about 50,000 a year – a tenfold increase in a decade.

With the 1980s came excess.

Nafklirou Street, which runs north of the ancient Agora, was nicknamed “Bar Street” and rocked with ear-splitting music every night. The town beach known as Akti Zouridi was packed with hordes of young tourists crowding into the legendary discos Heaven and Kalua. All along the harbor, the barrels of beer at the pubs were emptied at an unbelievable rate.

British travel agencies were hand-

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ing out down-payments to anyone with a plot of land in Kardamena to build rooms for rent, guaranteeing full occupancy for five to 10 years. More coolheaded Greeks and foreigners studied the numbers carefully and prepared to become the strategic investors of the following decade by buying up coastal properties. By 1989, arrivals had shot up to 480,000.

The rate of increase may have slowed down over the next 20 years – in 1999 there were 639,461 arrivals, and in 2009, 627,000 – but the tourists left an indelible imprint on the island of 33,400 residents (2011 census). During those years, a number of important infrastructure projects were also undertaken. In 1991, Kos became the first island in Greece to build a biological wastewater treatment plant, succeeding in protecting its environment and ensuring Blue Flag designation for its beaches. In 2001, the municipality built

a marina with 250 berths. It is indicative that more than 60 percent of the island’s bed capacity was created from 1996 to 2006. Tour operators began to shift their focus towards major new four- and five-star hotels that offered affordable two-week vacation packages with half-board. It was around that time that the all-inclusive phenomenon first appeared, imported from the Caribbean, promoting the concept of lowcost and worry-free vacations.

Nowadays, of the 48,000 officially registered hotel beds on the island, about 63 percent are in the four- and five-star category and most of them operate on an all-inclusive basis.

By 2014, the year that saw arrivals surpassing a million for the first time, Kos was nothing like the wild party island of its tourism adolescence. It was going to bed early, knowing that it needed to remain attractive for the years to come.

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milestones

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Six Millennia at a Glance A his tory of cons truc tion, Des truc tion, reuse a nd surv i va l

CA. 3,500 BC Kos is the earliest of the Dodecanese islands to be inhabited as late Neolithic settlers occupy Aspri Petra Cave.

descends into a civil war between democrats and oligarchs.

2ND Century BC The island initially sides with Rome in various conflicts, then is drawn fully into the Roman Empire. After the earthquake of 143 BC, Kos is rebuilt and takes on a Roman character.

2,000-1,600 BC A settlement on the low hill of Serayia (in present-day Kos Town) becomes an important Minoan trade center.

mainly to the power of its fleet.

next two centuries.

1523 The Ottomans occupy Kos, which subsequently suffers repeated raids by pirates, the Hospitallers, the Florentines and the Venetians.

ignate certain areas as archaeological sites.

1948 Kos is unified with the Greek State.

1970s The first large tourist hotels open on the island.

460 BC Hippocrates, the “father of medicine,” is born.

1980S

5TH - 6TH Centuries AD

Kos participates in the Trojan War.

366 BC The new city of Kos is established. Also founded during this century is the Asclepieion, the soon-to-be universally known health sanctuary.

700-600 BC Six Dorian Greek cities (Kos, Knidos and Halicarnassus on the neighboring Anatolian mainland and Lindos, Kamiros and Ialysos on Rhodes) band together in a federation known as the Doric Hexapolis.

546 BC The Persians incorporate Kos into their empire.

478-366 BC Kos gets embroiled in the long-standing conflict between Athens and Sparta and nearly 34

Successive invasions by the Vandals and Visigoths, as well as two destructive earthquakes, lead to decline on the island, abandonment of the Asclepieion and the gradual development of Early Christian communities.

11TH CENTURY On account of its central location, Kos emerges as a monastic center, its port entering a period of renewed importance.

18TH - 19TH CENTURIES Kos serves as a key logistical point in commercial relations between the Ottoman Empire and the West.

1912

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1314 The Knights of St. John become masters of the island. They immediately set about fortifying Kos’ port area with a strong fortress and continue to strengthen it over the

Kos Town’s ancient plane tree, “The Tree of Hippocrates,” is declared a natural monument.

The Italians seize Kos, along with the rest of the Dodecanese. The Italian Occupation continues until 1943, when the island falls to the Germans.

1994

332 BC Kos is brought into the Macedonian sphere of influence. Later, following Alexander the Great’s demise, the island comes under the sway of Ptolemaic Egypt and enjoys a period of great prosperity, due

1985

1933 A devastating earthquake changes the appearance of the city.

Italian authorities draw up a new city plan and, for the first time, des-

The doors close on the AVIKO tomato factory, the island’s largest industrial complex. At its peak in the 1970s, the plant produced 400 tons of tomato paste every day and exported this Koan product around the world.

2014 Arrivals at Hippocrates Airport surpass the one-million mark for the year.

ILLUSTRATIONS: Philippos Avramides

12TH C. BC

The “Hippocrates Airport” on Kos is transformed into an international facility serving the needs of a tourism boom.

pioneer

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Hippocrates the Enigmatic Father of Medicine

Although little is known about the man himself, the ancient healer and teacher left a rich legacy of medical learning and ethics, fundamental to the training of physicians even 2,500 years later.

BY JOHN LEONARD

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mong the trail-blazing Classical-era figures of learning and early science in ancient Greece, Hippocrates (460-ca. 370 BC), born on the island of Kos and recognized today as the “father of modern medicine,” stands out, his name memorialized in the fundamental code of health-care ethics, the Hippocratic Oath.

Little is known about the man himself, but later Roman-era biographers relate that he was the son of an affluent doctor, Heracleides, and Praxithea.

Hippocrates likely received medical instruction in Kos at the early sanctuary of Asclepius (prior to its monumental transformation beginning ca. 300 BC).

He also studied under the Thracian physician Herodicus of Selymbria and traveled abroad, practicing medicine in mainland Greece, Egypt and Libya.

Known as both a skilled healer and a teacher, Hippocrates founded a school of medicine on Kos, around the end of the 5th c. BC, where he advocated a more science-based therapeutic approach that distinguished medicine from religion and revealed it worthy of philosophical consideration. Plato, who took early notice of Hippocrates and his theories, illuminates the eth36

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ical implications and responsibilities involved in practicing medicine, as well as the important interrelation between a healthy body and a healthy mind (Timaeus 88b).

Hippocrates’ legacy is based on more than sixty works written by his followers, which comprise the Hippocratic Corpus. These groundbreaking medical treatises, aimed at both practitioners and laymen, examine the nature of health, illness and disease. They describe good health as an equilibrium between external, environmental and personal-behavior factors and internal “bodily fluids.” Infirmity arises from natural causes, not from divine punishment or supernatural sources.

As a formative standard of medical ethics, the original Hippocratic Oath (ca. 400 BC, in Ionic Greek) called for physicians to swear on Asclepius and other gods that they would respect their teachers and in turn teach others; do no harm to their patients; maintain doctor-patient confidentiality; and defer to experts in surgical matters. The timelessness of the Oath is also revealed by its proscription of abortion and euthanasia, both still flash-point social issues even after some 2,500 years.

Hippocrates advocated a more science-based therapeutic approach that distinguished medicine from religion and revealed it worthy of philosophical consideration.

Hippocrates. Based on the bust in the Louvre.

Illustration for La Ciencia Y Sus Hombres

by Louis Figuier (D Jaime Seix, 1876. Large chromolithograph).

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(Left) Panorama of the Asclepieion, with its monumental staircases and temples of Apollo and Asclepius (foreground). Above, the large temple of Asclepius (170/160 BC), once visible to passing ships.

© GIANNIS GIANNELOS, GETTY IMAGES/IDEAL IMAGE, MINISTRY OF CULTURE & SPORTS/EPHORATE OF ANTIQUITIES OF DODECANESE

(Right) Mosaic from Kos depicting Asclepius (2nd/3rd c. AD).

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THE ASCLEPIEION

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a world-renowned health center Kos boasted one of the most important healing sanctuaries of antiquity; a crossroads for myth, medicine and early science.

BY JOHN LEONARD

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lthough the island of Kos today seems far from Athens and the Greek mainland, it was once a wellknown “center of the world” for practitioners and pursuers of ancient health care. Moreover, geographically, in the 4th c. BC, when Kos – like Epidaurus in the Peloponnese before it – began emerging as an important place of worship for Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, the island was indeed more of a central or intermediate spot, lying between the two halves of the main Greek world: European Greece and the Aegean islands to the west and Anatolian Greece (including Ionia and Caria) just on the visible horizon to the east.

MEDICAL REVOLUTION Caring for the infirm and diseased in ancient Greece underwent a revolution in the Classical era; patients began to have access to more science-based medical treatments, developed and promoted by a growing number of respected philosophical or specifically medical authorities. Foremost among these was Hippocrates (ca. 460-ca. 370 BC), who was born on Kos. Previously, when people became ill or suffered injuries, they usually sought out treatment and comfort from priests; offered sacrifices and prayers to various gods or mythical creatures, including Apollo, Artemis, Eileithyia (goddess of childbirth) and the centaur Chiron; or consulted experts who might advise the use of medicinal herbs or other traditional approaches.

With the rise of Asclepius (first mentioned in the 7th/6th c. BC texts of Homer and Hesiod) along with his ubiquitous daughter Hygeia, goddess of health and hygiene, the ill had a new champion, one who was less of a lofty god, more approachable and seemingly more genuinely concerned with the human condition. However, Asclepius also retained and embodied characteristics from the past. He appeared bearded, mature and fatherly – like Zeus – and was credited with a specialist knowledge in the art of medicine – like his father Apollo. Depictions of the healing god often find him carrying a walking stick, with a serpent and a dog as companions or sacred symbols.

Asclepius represented a new champion of the ill, one who was less of a lofty god, more approachable and seemingly more genuinely concerned with the human condition.

An archival inscription from the Asclepieion, recording past treatments and cures.

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THE ASCLEPIEION

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Carved relief showing Asclepius, or possibly Hippocrates, giving treatment to an ill woman. Piraeus Archaeological Museum. 5th/4th c. BC.

GROWTH OF ASCLEPIEia As Asclepius’ cult took root and spread, ultimately stretching throughout much of the Greco-Roman Mediterranean world, his sanctuaries (Asclepieia) served as de facto hospitals – sources of medical expertise and solace – where the practice of health care became an increasingly scientific endeavor. From his mythical birthplace at ancient Trikka (Trikala) in Thessaly, Asclepius came to be worshiped mainly at Epidaurus and later at Kos, but he was also revered in Athens, Corinth, Sicyon, Tegea, Megalopolis, Argos, Sparta and Messene. Further afield, Asclepieia are found on Paros, Aegina and Crete; at Pergamum in Asia Minor; Alexandria in Egypt; and Cyrene in Libya. In Rome, where the god occupied Tiber Island, he was called Aesculapius. In total, more than 300 large and small Asclepieia are known from ancient literary references and archaeological remains. In many cases, these outly42

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ing sanctuaries were founded through a ritual in which a statue of Asclepius or one of his sacred snakes was ceremonially transported from Epidaurus or Kos to the prospective site and used to consecrate the new Asclepieion during its dedication rites. Often, it was individual benefactors who promoted such projects – exemplified by Telemachos of Acharnai, who established Athens’ Asclepieion on the south slope of the Acropolis in 420/419 BC.

THE KOAN ASCLEPIEION The Asclepieion on Kos first developed as a monumental sanctuary in the 4th c. BC. By subsequent Hellenistic times (3rd-2nd c. BC), it had been enlarged with the addition of elaborate colonnaded accommodations for visitors and was well on its way to becoming what would be (especially during the Roman imperial era) a universally renowned destination for medical patients – much like the famous late-

19th/early-20th c. sanatoria in Switzerland or today’s highly respected Mayo Clinic in the United States.

The Koan Asclepieion, in its role as a major center of healing, served as a gathering place for medical teachers and students interested in becoming doctors. It was a headquarters for the close-knit priestly order of the Asklepiadai, supposed descendants of Asclepius, who strictly guarded their medicinal secrets and advocated the treatment of patients not through dreams, but in accordance with the teachings of the physician Hippocrates.

Located about 4km outside Kos Town, the Asclepieion was set in the open countryside with access to healthy fresh air and pure spring water deemed sacred to the god. Professor of Medicine Yannis Tountas notes that such sites allowed a “holistic, innovative approach to health” and provided “the prerequisites for physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being.” The Koan

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Info Asclepieion is located 4k from Kos Town • Tel. (+30) 22420.28326 • O P E N I N G H O U R S : 08:00-20:00 • A D M I S S I O N : €8. • During winter season, site is open 8:00-14:30 and entrance is free.

The Corinthianstyle temple of Apollo on the second (middle) terrace of the three-tiered Asclepieion in Kos. 2nd c. AD.

THE ASCLEPIEION

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Mosaic from the House of Asclepius (in Kos Τown), depicting the arrival of Asclepius on the island, welcomed by a Koan (R) and Hippocrates (L). Archaeological Museum of Kos. 2nd/3rd c. AD.

Asclepieion stands on a prominent hillside augmented with three enormous artificial terraces supported by massive retaining walls and interconnected by monumental staircases. The lowest (1st) and uppermost (3rd) terraces were framed by lengthy stoas (roofed, colonnaded shelters, with a continuous open porch on the front and small enclosed rooms behind) which offered visitors sleeping quarters and welcome protection from the scorching sun or inclement weather.

Before his son Asclepius supplanted him at Kos, Apollo had been worshiped at the hillside sanctuary. The second, central terrace, at the heart of the site, holds some of its oldest remains, including traces of an early altar (350-300 BC) and Asclepius’ original, Ionic-style temple (300-250 BC), dedicated to his daughter Hygeia as well.

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In its cella was a marble-lined offerings box or “treasury” into which pilgrims could drop donations.

Visitors seeking treatment might choose to spend a night in the adjacent Abaton, where the sanctuary’s sacred spring arose, and where Asclepius might visit them in their dreams. Also prominent on the central terrace was a large, U-shaped altar for animal sacrifices; a semi-circular exedra or platform where the priests met; and a Corinthian temple of Apollo (2nd c. AD). By Roman times, the Asclepieion was famous for its rich collection of sculptures and paintings, mentioned by Strabo (14.2), some of which may have adorned the arched niches lining the second terrace’s massive rear wall.

Numerous inscriptions also attest to the Asclepieion’s international character, recording the names of foreign

towns and leaders that provided support or paid visits to the sanctuary. An archive of successful cures achieved by the medical staff, some of whose surgical instruments have been recovered, were likewise inscribed on tablets displayed for visitors.

Long a disputed territorial prize for Athens, Sparta and other regional powers, Kos was granted free-city status by the Romans, which provided a certain socio-political sovereignty and immunity from taxes. This right of immunity was short-lived, as Kos’ affluence and rich artworks continued to incite the greed of outside powers.

The presence of abundant, therapeutic water is evident on the first and second terraces, where ceramic pipes, fountains and reservoirs are preserved.

The lowest level also holds a large Roman bath complex (3rd c. AD). Just right of the great staircase, a statue base in a niche commemorates the Koan doctor and benefactor Gaius Stertinius Xenophon (1st c. AD), who resettled in Rome and ultimately served as the emperor Claudius’ personal physician.

Crowning the sanctuary, on the third, uppermost terrace, stood a large Doric-style temple of Asclepius (2nd c.

BC), backed by a cypress grove originally sacred to Apollo Kyparissios. Little is preserved of this temple, which once dominated the surrounding terrain and could be spied by approaching or passing sea travelers. It was later overbuilt with a paleo-Christian church (5th c.

AD), then used as a stone quarry for structures in Kos Town. The church’s ruins aided early British, Greek and German investigators to locate the ancient Asclepieion in 1902. After initial excavation by Rudolf Herzog, Italian and Greek archaeologists exposed the sanctuary and ensured its survival through extensive restorations. Mysteries remain on Kos, however. Both the Asclepieion’s stadium and theater – typical features of an ancient sanctuary, where events of the Lesser (annual) and Greater (every five years) Asclepian Games would have been held under a sacred truce like that at Olympia – have yet to be unearthed.

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© MINISTRY OF CULTURE & SPORTS/EPHORATE OF ANTIQUITIES OF DODECANESE

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Ancient Life Reanimated

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The vitality of ancient Kos is captured in the sculptures, mosaics and intriguing material records of everyday existence now on display in the island’s Archaeological Museum.

BY joHN LEONARD

P H O T OS D I O N Y S I S K O U R I S

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or insight into the rich history and impressive artistic legacy of ancient Kos, the first stop for sightseers should be the Kos Archaeological Museum. Originally founded in 1936 by the Italians, the island’s overlords at the time, the museum is among the most recent of Kos’ archaeological monuments and infrastructure to be refreshed, restored and made more “visitor-friendly.” After a series of largely EU-funded improvements to local archaeological sites and facilities stretching back over a decade (including improved signage, re-erection of fallen columns and the opening of new exhibitions at the Casa Romana and the small Epigraphical Museum beside the Asclepieion), the Archaeological Museum of Kos (AMK) has had its turn. Closed for more than four years while undergoing major works, the distinctively styled museum officially reopened its doors in September 2016.

The AMK’s pre-WWII architecture is in itself one of the museum’s most historically evocative exhibits. Its façade, with three tall, attenuated arches, bears a unifying resemblance to other historic buildings in Kos Town (e.g., Aghios Nikolaos Church) and brings to mind that period of great archaeological activity when Italian authorities undertook large-scale excavations in the center of the modern town, which had recently been reduced to complete ruin by the devastating 1933 earthquake. Although a disaster for the people of Kos, that earthquake also represented an opportunity for the island’s ancient heritage to be brought to light. Today, for the first time, as archaeologist Stamatia Marke-

Like the courtyard of an ancient Greek villa, the AMK’s central atrium is a dynamic space alive with light, color, elegant ladies and respected gods, including Artemis, Hermes and Hygeia.

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the museum

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The Italian-era facade of the Archaeological Museum of Kos, established in 1936. The museum has recently been restored and its exhibits freshly redesigned and expanded.

tou of Greece’s 22nd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities points out, artifacts previously out of sight in storerooms, together with information gleaned from the investigations of the Italian excavators into Kos’ numerous sanctuaries, are being presented publicly among the AMK’s newly organized permanent displays. It cannot be forgotten, however, that Italian authorities in the late 1930s were also responsible for what locals still consider a cultural tragedy for the island, when many exquisite ancient mosaics and statues from Kos were removed and installed as decorations in the Italian governor’s palace in Rhodes – an action reminiscent of ancient Greece and the wealthy Roman collectors who similarly shipped Greek works of art back to Italy to adorn their country villas.

On entering the AMK, the visitor is immediately struck by its charm.

Just beyond the foyer, a small atrium (illuminated from above with natural light) is the setting for a magnificent polychrome mosaic (2nd-3rd c. AD).

This pleasant space is lined with elegantly carved statues of mythical figures standing on a low socle framed be48

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tween decorative pillars. At each side, two Roman-era ladies in flowing drapery stand beside the mosaic, as if they have just entered the atrium through the rectangular arches behind them.

In another doorway, the god Hermes, seated on a rock and wearing a petasos (a distinctive cap) and winged sandals, presides over the entire scene, a small ram beside him looking up inquisitively. Here we also find Dionysus (with Pan and a satyr), Artemis, Asclepius, and his daughter Hygeia. All seven of these statues originate from a long-inhabited city villa (House of the “Rape of Europa,” 3rd c. BC – 3rd c. AD) in Kos Town. The unusually fine condition of the figures’ sculpted details is worth appreciating; one of the Roman ladies (1st – 2nd c. AD) wears two rings, while

Two Roman women in flowing robes face each other across the museum’s central atrium; Dionysus with a satyr and Pan, left background.

Hygeia carries an egg in her left hand with which she tempts a large, writhing serpent gripped in her right. The mosaic, brought from another nearby villa (House of Asclepius), depicts the healing god first arriving on the island, greeted by a standing Koan who gestures in welcome. Hippocrates, an anachronistic onlooker seated opposite, may represent a harbinger of the great medical achievements and tradition of healthcare soon to be established on Kos by the pioneering physician and his followers (the Asclepiades).

To the left of the atrium, a long gallery holds more sculptural works; these highlight the women of ancient Kos and the island’s close connections with Egypt.

These objects, along with an oversize standing figure of a bearded Asclepiad-

In the mosaic from the House of Asclepius, Hippocrates may represent a harbinger of the medical achievements and tradition soon to be established on Kos by the pioneering physician.

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A spirited symposium (party) scene, with musicians playing a flute (foreground) and lyre (background) for reclining guests, Roman era.

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The AMK’s west gallery showcases Hellenistic sculptures of aristocratic women and Ptolemaic Egyptian leaders.

Hygeia (goddess of health) holds a writhing snake, a symbol of rebirth often associated with her father Asclepius (god of healing), 3rd c. AD.

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ic physician (“Hippocrates,” ca. 330-300 BC), were recovered from the town’s Roman Odeon. The opposite, eastern wing is devoted to displays concerning the urban and rural sanctuaries of Heracles, Asclepius, Athena, Demeter, Aphrodite, the Nymphs and Pan. Votive human and animal figurines, sculpted goddesses, lamps, small vessels and protomae (molded busts) are all displayed here, as are medical instruments and potion bottles.

On the museum’s upper floor, thematic exhibits detail the geology of Kos and illustrate the span of Koan history and archaeology, from Neolithic through Roman times (4th millennium BC – 1st c. AD). Minoan, Mycenaean and local artifacts from rescue excavations of the Bronze Age settlement of Serayia near the port of Kos are innovatively presented, some against a backdrop of the archaeologists’ hand-drawn stratigraphic profiles from their excavations.

Aspects of the life and death of ancient Koans are reflected in cooking and table wares, children’s toys, boudoir items, loom weights, carved grave steles and a range of grave goods. Transport amphorae and an array of Eastern Mediterra-

nean coins recall the major commercial role and economic prosperity of winerich Kos in Hellenistic-Roman times.

Other trade goods include a large cache of carbonized figs, while local industry is stunningly represented by balls of brilliant blue pigment discovered in a workshop in Kos’ Agora (marketplace).

The vitality of life in ancient Kos is demonstrated by an abundance of evidence for symposia (feasts, drinking parties), including plates, wine pitchers, large two-handled cups and — in one of the museum’s most extraordinary artifacts — a party scene of wild abandon carved on a grave stele that depicts an aulos (flute) player, a nude courtesan lying on a couch with a lyre player behind her, and an ithyphallic male figure on the floor, attended by a young servant boy.

Info a r c h a e o l o g i c a l m u s e u m o f k o s : Kos Town • Tel. (+30) 22420.283.26. • OPENING HOURS: 08:00-20:00 • ADMISSION: €6 • During winter season, museum is open 8:30-15:00 and entrance is free.

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nature’s healers

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In his quest to treat his patients, Hippocrates discovered the vast potential of his native island’s plants.

Many still grow here today.

BY O R E S T E S DAV I A S I L L U S T R A T IO N s G E O R G E S F I K A S

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hanks to an abundance of water, the island of Kos is verdant, and a varied landscape means that its plant life is rich and diverse. The vast expanses of sandy beach, interspersed with rocky, precipitous coastline, the deep ravines, the wetlands, both coastal and inland, and the fertile plains, all provide habitats for more than a thousand species and subspecies of plants. It’s an impressive number in relation to the island’s size. Another important characteristic of Kos is that in some parts we encounter large (by Mediterranean standards) populations of slow-growing trees, such as the tall cypress and the large-fruited juniper, the latter unsurpassed in both its windblown beauty and its ability to endure tough conditions.

Renowned worldwide as the “father of medicine,” Hippocrates was born in Kos around 460BC. It was he who freed the art of healing from the magical-religious conceptions of the past, and it was he, too, who first rejected the belief in the divine source of disease. Hippocrates studied medicine at the famous Asclepieion on his island, and, influenced by the wealth and efficacy of the local herbs, he developed a deep faith in the healing power of Mother Nature.

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A large number of the approximately 250 pharmaceutical plants that Hippocrates used still grow on Kos. Although he lists plants without a description, assuming that his contemporary colleagues and herbalists would be familiar with them, it is not difficult to identify the majority. However, much care and knowledge is required to trace the survival of his influence through the still alive, but somewhat neglected, tradition of folk medicine. This ancient scientific knowledge, sometimes intact and sometimes in fragments, can still be found today under layers of empirical data and perhaps influenced by foreign traditions – this because, since the age of Hippocrates, Kos has known many conquerors, all of whom left their mark.

Below, you will find a selection of plants, easily found on Kos, that were used by Hippocrates and remain important to folk medicine. By rubbing their branches and their trunks, or crushing their leaves to release their aromas, you can understand how nature is connected with health. This is precisely how, centuries ago, people such as Hippocrates could, with careful observation, a love for their fellow human and an understanding of balance and harmony, release their patients from pain and disease.

large-fruited Juniper lentisk bush

Pistacia lentiscus

An evergreen shrub that loves sunny spots, it is found on rocky slopes and pine forests on the island, usually not far from the sea.

Hippocrates used its leaves and resin for the treatment of many gynecological complaints. Later, the seeds of the shrub were pounded to make an oil for the treatment of a variety of skin conditions. Today, traditional Aegean medicine still makes use of its bark for healing wounds.

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Juniperus macrocarpa

A shrub or small tree no taller than five meters, it is usually found self-seeded on sandy beaches. Its leaves resemble sharp needles, while its fleshy, spherical berries are deliciously aromatic. Hippocrates used the berries of all the plants of the genus Juniperus in preparations for relieving pain and reducing the chills after childbirth, and for treating “hysteria.” Today, in many areas of the Mediterranean to which it is native, the plant’s black, ripe fruits are harvested and turned into a decoction which is applied to the skin as an antiseptic and disinfectant.

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Pomegranate

Myrtle

Punica granatum

Myrtus communis

Every spring, in the gardens where it grows this plant steals the show with its bright red flowers. By autumn the flowers have transformed into one of the real jewels of the plant kingdom, the pomegranate. Their use in the therapeutic arts goes back to antiquity, and in the Hippocratic Corpus we find many references to the uses of its leaves, flowers, fruit and roots for many medical complaints. A large part of this knowledge survives in the islands’ traditional herbal medicine: the flowers are used to fight inflammation, the rind of the fruit is employed against diarrhea and intestinal parasites, and the juice is used to detoxify the body.

A beautiful evergreen shrub, myrtle grows on the banks of wetlands or on damp ground. In antiquity, the plant was dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite, because legend had it that she hid behind a myrtle bush when she emerged from the waves. Because of this connection, women in ancient Greece bathed in water in which myrtle leaves and berries had been soaked in order to preserve their youth, and Hippocrates recommends that water for personal feminine hygiene. Folk doctors use an astringent lotion made from the leaves for skin conditions as well as a wine enriched with the juice of the black berries to ease stomach aches.

Fennel

Foeniculum vulgare

It is not hard to spot wild fennel in clearings and fields on the island: it is a tall, aromatic plant, which stands out thanks to its silky fronds. According to Hippocrates, it is useful for stimulating lactation in nursing mothers as well as for easing menstrual discomfort. The ancient reputation of its seeds for helping lactation persists to the present day, while its use is also widespread for the treatment of indigestion, gastric wind, coughs and lung phlegm.

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Wormwood

Artemisia absinthium

A perennial herbaceous plant reaching a height of up to one meter, it is found growing in meadows and fallow fields. It is an aromatic and very bitter herb, which Hippocrates recommends against jaundice and tetanus as well as for stimulating menstruation. It makes an exceptionally bitter tea, and it takes real courage to drink a cup of it. However, its therapeutic powers are so strong that it never lost its ancient reputation as a cure for indigestion, gastritis, intestinal parasites and many more, mainly peptic, ailments.

Spearmint

Mentha spicata

Along with its close relative peppermint, this herb is abundant both in nature and in the gardens of Kos. Since antiquity, it has enjoyed the reputation of a powerful healing plant. For Hippocrates, it has warming qualities, as well as diuretic and antiemetic powers, while he also uses it for fumigations and in vaginal suppositories for cleansing the womb. Spearmint tea is still consumed in the islands and mainland Greece, usually following a meal to aid digestion. Many are also aware of its use as a diuretic and a diaphoretic (for inducing sweat), for treating headaches and for calming the nerves.

Greek sage

Salvia fruticosa

A perennial low shrub, sage prefers rocky and dry soils. Hippocrates mentions it as an astringent and a blood coagulant. He recommends using it as a compress or internally for inflammation, fever, lung diseases and as a lactation aid (it has been shown, however, to have precisely the opposite effect). It remains one of the most popular herbs among Greeks, who consume it in the form of tea to boost circulation, aid digestion and combat excessive sweating. As a mouthwash, it is effective against mouth infections, laryngitis and tonsillitis.

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© ROBERT A. MC CABE

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ONCE UPON A TIME Local archives and the work of acclaimed American photographer Robert McCabe afford us glimpses of Kos before the tourist explosion.

BY giorgos tsiros & OLGA CHAR AMI

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Š ROBERT A. MC CABE

(Left) Robert McCabe was just 20 years old when he first visited Greece in 1954, armed with a Rolleiflex and a thirst to explore parts of the country yet undiscovered by tourists.

Kos was one of these. Seen here, a part of the Castle of the Knights, with the Turkish coast in the background. A commercial caique under full sail drifts by in light winds.

(Right) This fragment of ancient sculpture had been placed in a wall of the Castle of the Knights. It is from the frieze of the Hellenistic altar of Dionysus, which was located in the south part of the agora of ancient Kos. It has since been removed from the wall and is on display in the castle.

The fragment was the subject of the doctoral dissertation of the renowned Greek archaeologist and Director of the Museum of Cycladic Art, Nicholas Stampolidis.

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A caique trip from Kos to Gyali, the volcanic island with obsidian lava domes and pumice deposits, which were mined in huge quantities. On the left is Petros Nomikos, who visited Gyali to inspect the quarries and loading systems, and on the right Colonel Spyros Malaspinas, the manager of the pumice quarries. The trip took about an hour.

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MEMENTOS

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“We drove to the south side of Kos to embark for Gyali,” McCabe says of his visit to the small island, which looks like a giant fantastical sculpture with white pumice hills on one side and beautiful swimming coves with aquamarine waters on the other. “On our return at dusk to Kos, I photographed this seaside family shelter.”

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Students outside the school in Antimachia in the 1960s.

Even though it’s winter, they’re wearing short trousers because cloth was in short supply back then. For many children shoes were also a luxury. (Antimachia Cultural Association Archive)

Kos used to supply its arid neighbors, including Kalymnos and Astypalaia, with fresh goods. This photograph from 1973 shows lambs being loaded onto caiques for Easter.

(Dikaia Saragia Archive)

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MEMENTOS

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Women in Mastichari preparing skeins of wool in the 1970s. They would scour, dry, comb and roll the fleece into skeins, then dye it and use it on their looms. (Dikaia Saragia Archive)

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MEMENTOS

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In a rare photograph from 1948, girls dressed in white celebrate the island’s official accession to the Greek state.

(Polyxeni Athanasoulia Archive)

A woman separates wheat in Mastichari in the 1970s. After crushing grains or pulses with a stone, farmers would toss it from a height so that the husks were carried away in the wind and the grain deposited onto a special cloth. (Dikaia Saragia Archive)

Kos’ watermelons were famous for their quality and were exported to the surrounding islands. Here, farmers from Mastichari prepare to load some onto a donkey in the 1970s. (Dikaia Saragia Archive)

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To Our Prospective Guests Subject:Welcome to Odysseus Dear Friends, You certainly shouldn’t expect to meet Hippocrates promenading around the island’s streets, or to see Odysseus beaching his sea-beaten craft on your hotel’s shore, or to come across any Greeks in flowing cloaks and sandals…

But in the spring, you will certainly find flowers carpeting the meadows by the Aegean Sea, and bursting out from cracks in the rocks. You’ll watch the fishermen, having grounded their boats for the winter, launch them and go out fishing again, just as their ancestors did 5000 years ago. If you want, you can take a plunge or two into Homer’s “wine-dark sea,” the ageless Aegean. And if you head out early in the morning, you will meet with a unique beauty, “rosy-fingered Dawn.”* It has remained this way for several thousand years.

You can certainly bank on legend and tradition, as in no other nation are the shadows of history and mythology so long and so persistent, the sunlight so bright, and the color of the sea so radiant. * “The night’s daughter - rosy-fingered Dawn – appeared in the East” – That’s daybreak in the Aegean, as Homer saw it.

You can’t help but enjoy the charms of this ancient country. All you have to do is to let your senses, your feelings and your thoughts run free, far from your daily routine. You might even discover there’s an ancient Greek – Athenian or Spartan – hidden deep inside your modern heart.

The staff at this hotel are always in attendance and at your service, to share with you the secrets of a dream holiday and to help you have fun and get as much exercise as you choose from the wide variety of sports and activities on offer, including mini soccer, rock climbing, tennis, zumba lessons and water sports, to mention just a few.

After an active day full of entertainment and exertion, why not enjoy special facial and body treatments at the Spa Center and revitalize your body and your mind?

Then it’s time to relax in one of the resort’s rooms or suites, their modern design notable for both the comfort and the elegance they offer.

What awaits you next is a unique gastronomic experience at the hotel’s restaurants. The Chefs’ creations, which include both local specialties and international dishes, will take you on a delicious culinary journey.

But be careful along the way, because our clever cooks have made sure that you’ll need all your will-power to resist overindulging on their outstanding food. On the other hand, why fight temptation? You can always just play harder tomorrow.

Best regards, Odysseus

Astir Odysseus Kos Resort & Spa Tigaki, 85 300 Kos, Greeece • T. +30 22420 49900 • F. +30 22420 49800 E-mail: info@astirodysseuskos.gr • www.astirodysseuskos.gr

The administrative headquarters during Italian rule (1912-1943) is in the foreground; the Lotzia Mosque, constructed in 1786, in the background; and the Castle of the Knights to the right.

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© MICHEAL PATAKOS

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THE TOWN

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Cultural Melting Pot Kos has been home to Greeks, Romans, Knights, Ottomans and Italians – and tourism is another force that is leaving its mark on the island’s capital.

BY olga char ami

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What do you love most about Kos Town?” I ask Anna, a friend who lives on the island and is acting as my guide. “I love how easy it is to just wander into the ancient agora or the Roman theatre and soak up centuries of history,” she answers without hesitation. “The whole town is like an open-air archaeological museum.

You walk through ancient remains on your way to work, you have a drink in a bar right to the columns of the ancient agora. You really sense that there’s an ancient town right under your feet.” Its antiquities are just one of the reasons why Kos is world-famous – the others being its light and its coastline.

On Eleftherias Square, I drink Greek coffee brewed the traditional way on the embers in Café Aenaos and people-watch. Kids play football, moms with strollers shop in the beautiful arcades of the municipal market, cats weave between the legs of the old people, while the young play backgammon in the cafés. I watch tourists, map in hand, turn full circle to admire the surrounding buildings: the Defterdar Mosque and its fountain (both from the Ottoman era), the Archaeological Museum (housed in a building dating to the period of Italian rule), and the medieval fortifications.

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1. The main Eleftheria (Liberty) Square offers a 360o view of the history of the city. In the photo you can see the Defterdar Mosque and part of the medieval walls.

2. During the Italian occupation, the exterior moat around the castle was transformed into Finikon (Palms) Street, a landmark of Kos. 3. The cycling lane leads to the palm trees and the recreational boats lined up at the port, along Akti Kountourioti.

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© GETTY IMAGES/IDEAL IMAGE, OLGA CHARAMI

Kos has been inhabited since the fourth millennium BC, and has changed hands many times over the centuries.

Part of its charm is that it lets you see how all these eras are engaged in a lively dialogue in the present. In a single snapshot, it is possible to capture an ancient column, a minaret and an Italianate building. “All the civilizations that passed through here – Romans, Crusaders, Turks, Italians – left their mark. Each built a town on top of the last one,” says Vasilis Hatzivasileiou, a local historian and lawyer.

AROUND THE ANCIENT AGORA

The roads around Eleftherias Square are pedestrianized. They are lively places, particularly in the evening: street artists rub shoulders with balloon sellers who are trying to avoid the children on bicycles. There are shops, artists’ studios and restaurants serving everything from souvlaki to Chinese food, all coming together to form a multicultural mosaic.

I walk to nearby Kazouli Square to sample a local favorite tyropita (cheese pie) with honey, along with a bougatsa (custard pie) from Tsivrinis (also called Ariston), an authentic Greek kafeneio established in 1952. This is the start of Nafklirou Street, famous for its night-

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In a single snapshot, it is possible to capture an ancient column, a minaret and an Italianate building.

All the civilizations that passed through here left their mark.

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Τhanks to the intervention of the Italian Archaeological School after 1933 earthquake, the archaeological sites were preserved rather than built over, as happened in so many Greek towns.

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© SHUTTERSTOCK, DIONYSIS KOYRIS, OLGA CHARAMI, GETTY IMAGES/IDEAL IMAGE

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1. Kos is the island of bikes. Here, cyclists pass under Phoros Gate, a remnant of the city’s medieval fortification, at Kazouli Square.

2. Visitors can have their portraits done by street artists.

3. Long nights in the Mattatoio Club at Akti Zouroudi.

4. The cobbled historic center is filled with tourist shops.

life: the bars here play Greek or foreign music until dawn and host endless, occasionally wild parties. During the day, it is more tranquil. Down the side streets, you catch glimpses of souvenir shops, low whitewashed houses and tavernas preparing for the dinner service.

“Please sit down,” says a waiter laying out the tablecloths, “the sun is strong and this isn’t the time for walking.” The sun is indeed strong, but I decide nevertheless to sneak into the ancient Agora from a side entrance located just here.

This is one of two archaeological parks in the town. The ancient town was built in 366 BC, and its agora, extending over 4 hectares, is one of the largest in the world. “It’s because of the Italians that we can see the site today. Kos was flattened by the great

earthquake of 1933, but thanks to the intervention of the Italian Archaeological School, the government of the time decided to preserve the archaeological sites rather than build over them. This is very rare for a Greek city,” says archaeologist Angeliki Giannikouri, a former director of the Archaeological Institute of Aegean Studies. She describes how as a child she played among the ruins, and how as an archaeologist she was active in the program to link up and promote the sites. In the company of several small groups of tourists, I pick my way through the wild plants, under the hot sun, looking for the ruins of the temples of Aphrodite and Heracles, the early Christian basilica of the Port, the arcade, the fortifications and the remains of houses said to measure

up to 140 square meters each. A little later, we all go in search of shade.

KOS UNDER ITALIAN RULE

I exit the agora at Akti Miaouli, where the sea breeze, the view of the Turkish coast and the sound of the street traffic bring me back to the present, or rather the more recent past.

This spot is the location of the Knightly Residence of Governor Francesco Sans (built in the 16th century) and the Italian Palazzo del Governo (Government Palace), the most impressive building of the Italian period, built in the late 1920s and incorporating characteristic Italian Eclectic features (it is now a police station). After the 1933 earthquake, the Italian rulers redeveloped Kos and created a master plan for the city. They G R E E C E IS

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also conducted excavations and restorations of the monuments, planted the streets and enriched the urban landscape with impressive buildings. Their purpose was to stamp their presence on the island, to restructure public administration and to house new services and settlers. In contrast to their policy in the rest of the Dodecanese, where they erected imposing monumental structures, the Italian buildings in Kos are simpler, and more in keeping with the island’s architectural heritage.

Further examples of the architecture of this period can be seen at the Aktaion Hotel (former Albergo Gelsomino Hotel), the mayor’s residence and the Italian Club. Ahead of me, a

group of tourists pause to admire these buildings before heading to the beach for a swim. I don’t follow them, choosing instead to visit the remains of Kos’ Roman past, the past that the Italians aspired to resurrect.

THE ROMAN TOWN

Grigoriou V Street is shaded by rows of trees forming an arch. Here again we see all the periods of Kos’ history in co-existence; the Hellenistic altar to Dionysus, the Roman baths, fragments of an aqueduct and a prosperous residential neighborhood. The highlight is Casa Romana, a luxurious Roman residence spread over 2,400 square meters, whose first phase dates to the Hel-

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lenistic period. The building has been restored, and its exhibits illustrate the daily life of the house’s residents.

Also on Grigoriou V Street is the Roman amphitheater, the Odeon. I enjoy sitting in silence on the stone tiers, and make a mental note to come back and enjoy a performance or a concert.

Opposite the Odeon is the town’s second archaeological park. It includes remains dating mainly to the Roman period, and is known as the “Western Zone.” I wander around the area near the entrance and spot the murals and mosaics in the house of the Rape of Europa and Silenus, the Thermes, the Hellenistic gymnasium with the Xistos (the stoa where the athletes trained),

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1. Casa Romana. The statues and busts offer testimony to the island’s importance during the Roman period.

2. The Roman Odeon has been restored to host performances in the summertime.

3. Inside the agora (market): The reconstructed columns of the ancient arcade and, in the background, the Lotzia Mosque and the tower of the Italian administrative building.

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© ILLUSTRATION: ASIMINA MITROTHANASI

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the ancient stadium, and my personal favorite, the Nymphaion, whose real function was as public lavatories – the latter is impressive not only because of its earthy function, but also because of an excellent restoration job. Although they are not open to the public, the atrium, the colonnade and the mosaic floors can be glimpsed through a window.

THE COSMOPOLITAN HARBOR

From here I head to the port, on Akti Koundourioti. Here, the action never stops. Souvenir shops share the street with restaurants and more Italian buildings, including the Town Hall. In the harbor, leisure craft, fishing boats and luxury yachts all coexist harmoniously. Some fishermen suggest that I take a ride on the little sightseeing train. Just then, I’m startled by the sound of bells, and I barely have time to step back, narrowly avoiding being mown down by a group of cyclists. I had been standing on the cycle path, which winds along the coast for 13 kilometers.

I cross the pretty green Finikon (or “Palm”) Avenue and walk towards Neratzia Castle. Passing over the bridge and past the towers and battlements, I note the cannon slots, the coats of arms and the ancient architectural frag-

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ments built into the walls, including an impressive Hellenistic relief over the main gate. The position was first fortified in the Byzantine period, but was converted into a castle by the Knights of St John at the end of the 14th century. Together with the castle of St Peter in neighboring Bodrum on the Turkish coast, it controlled the sea passage.

My walk concludes in Platanos (“Plane Tree”) Square. Here, time slows down and I see people lingering on the benches, wandering in and out of the tasteful gift shops, pausing in front of the beautiful spring of the Mosque of the Loggia (also known as the Mosque of Gazi Hasan Pasha), or visiting the Turkish bath (hamam), known as the Salt Storehouse. I look up at the big plane tree that gives the square its name. Legend has it that it’s 2,300 years old and gave its shade to Hippocrates – in fact, plane trees rarely survive beyond 500 years. I smile as I remember how the British writer Lawrence Durrell described his visit to this very spot in the last century: “I slept under the tree for two nights,” he wrote, “hoping that the spirit of the old god-physician might confer some of his healing powers upon me, but it was winter and all I achieved was a touch of rheumatism.”

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1. Neratzia Castle, built at the city’s most crucial point – the port entrance.

2. According to legend, the plane tree of Hippocrates is 2,300 years old and was planted by the father of medicine himself.

© CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU, OLGA CHARAMI, MINISTRY OF CULTURE & SPORTS/EPHORATE OF ANTIQUITIES OF DODECANESE

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SIMPLE PLEASURES

AN AWE-INSPIRING DIP One of the most famous images of Kos is undoubtedly the beach of Aghios Stefanos, and this stretch of sand offers visitors one of the most popular island experiences as well. Here, they can swim beside the remains of two paleo-Christian churches. The beach is located on the Bay of Kefalos, 40k from Kos Town.

The two churches were built in the 5th6th century AD on a promontory and have a view of the picturesque islet of Kastri.

Today, you can clearly see their foundations, the arches of the main church, the columns and arches of the courtyards, the mosaic floors and sections of the baptisteries and altars. Archaeologists believe these were the most impressive of the dozens of ancient churches that once existed on the island.Â

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Our 17 hand-picked experiences show a more laid-back way to explore the island.

© GEORGE PAPAPOSTOLOU, MINISTRY OF CULTURE & SPORTS/EPHORATE OF ANTIQUITIES OF DODECANES

BY OLGA CHAR AMI

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A HOME FOR tradition

Antimachia is a largish village located 24k southwest of Kos Town. While a handful of traditional homes do still survive here, their elderly owners are unlikely to invite visits. “They’re somewhat ashamed that their houses are old, and that some still have reeds lining the ceilings,” explains Kyriakos Pappoulis, the president of the local cultural center. Happily, visitors do have an alternative to peeking into private dwellings; the House of Antimachia Folklore Museum, a recreation of a typical early-20th c. home.

The building includes a main living room with a raised wooden platform

that served as a bed, as well as a cellar, where the family would have stored homemade foodstuffs like cured meat, grain, oil and pulses. There’s a large stone oven; an area where clay jars and pots containing drinking water were kept; a small barn for livestock and the sty where their single pig was raised to provide meat for the entire year.

The loom in the house is not decorative: it is put to good use by local resident Dionysia Dipsela, who keeps the craft of weaving alive and offers classes to local residents over the winter months.

li Open Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00, Sun 12:00-15:00 • Tel. (+30) 694.469.1226

The feast day of Saint George (each April 23rd unless it conflicts with the Holy Week) is celebrated on Kos with a horse race, an age-old custom that brings almost the entire population to the village of Pyli. The celebration starts with a procession of the saint’s icon, followed by a parade of around 40 riders and then by the race itself. The contest usually involves around 20 young riders who have spent all year training on the beach for the big day. According to tradition, the bishop will “anoint” the winning horse by breaking an egg over it before bestowing it with the winner’s ribbon. The rider of the winning horse gets a prize, too, as do the runner-up and third-place jockeys.

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© CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU

THE RIDING RITUAL

GREEK DANCING

Almost every city and town in Greece has a Lyceum of Greek Women, an institution that upholds Greek traditions, amassing and protecting priceless collections of costumes and archival material while passing down local and regional customs through traditional dancing and music classes. The Lyceum of Kardamena has over 100 members, 80 of which are children. In the summer, the dancers-in-training put on traditional costumes and perform at local festivals and events.

li Kardamena is located 28k from Kos Town

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If you want to see Antimachia Castle at its best, try to get there as the setting sun casts its warm glow over the battlements. While at first sight it may not look like much of a strategic vantage point – perched on a promontory just 166m high – once you’ve explored it, you’ll see why it was so important to the Knights of St. John, who built it in the 14th century to stand sentry over the strait between Kos and Nissyros as well as the entire Kardamena coastline.

The castle served as a safe haven for residents from nearby settlements and other parts of the island during Turkish raids, and some of these people stayed on. The Turks made two failed siege attempts in 1457 and 1462, but when they took the island in 1523, they didn’t evict the fortress’s residents. The castle

was gradually deserted in the mid-19th century as folk moved on to Antimachia and Kardamena, with the last Turkish soldiers withdrawing in 1871.

The site is open to the public and its highlights – in addition to its amazing panoramic view – include the churches of Aghia Paraskevi and Aghios Nikolaos. The former has a cistern that was used to collect rainwater, which was then distributed throughout the settlement, a feature that is rarely seen in churches from this period. Also keep an eye out for the still-extant coat-of-arms of Grand Master Pierre d’Aubusson and the Order of St. John on one of the castle’s gates.

li Antimachia Castle is located 24k from Kos Town.

Α CASTLE UNDER THE SUN THE BASKET-WEAVER There was a time when the people of Kos couldn’t live without a sturdy basket: these items were used to carry fresh produce and goods from farms to village homes and even down to the port, where they were loaded onto ships for export.

Professional basket-weavers were highly skilled craftsmen who added oleander twigs to their wicker creations to give them more strength and durability. Yiannis Zoumbas never made a living from his craft but, at the age of 85, he may be the last person on the island who excels at the art of basket-weav-

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© GEORGE PAPAPOSTOLOU, GIANNIS PAPAPOSTOLOU, CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU, MINISTRY OF CULTURE & SPORTS/EPHORATE OF ANTIQUITIES OF DODECANESE

THEATER WITHOUT BORDERS

The old abattoir at Aghios Vasilios in Kos Town now serves as the home of the Acta Amateur Theater Group (also known as the Theater Drama Workshop).

Every summer, the group regales locals and visitors alike with its repertory of children’s plays, comedies and dramas, performing not only on the abattoir stage but also at monuments, castles and village squares around the island. This year’s plans include a production at the Roman Odeon in Kos Town.

Acta was created in 1994 by local director Vassilis Panagiotou (who has since passed away) and at that time comprised mainly students. Over the years, it has also attracted foreign talent living on the island, including a musician from Cape Verde, a Welsh actor and a French photographer, and this year it has also been joined by two foreign actresses, one Finnish and the other French, two Serbians (set and costume designers) and a Czech choreographer. What is impressive about the group is that, while it is made up of amateurs, it puts on very professional, well-polished shows that are popular with foreigners even though they’re performed in Greek.

li www.facebook.com/actakos • Tel. (+30) 697.855.6206

THE GHOST VILLAGE ing, taught to him by his father, a refugee from Asia Minor who came to the island in 1922. Even though the islanders don’t really use baskets anymore, Zoumbas continues to make them and gives his wares away to the church, to the House of Antimachia Folklore Museum and even, on occasion, to lucky passersby. What’s more, he hopes to pass on his skills as well, and is instructing some of the younger generation in his craft. You will find him weaving his beautiful baskets outside the coffee shop of the Church of the Virgin Mary.

A nearly deserted village located on the hillside of Mt Dikeos, Haihoutes (also known as Aghios Dimitrios) was abandoned some 40 years ago and has since become a beautifully eerie ghost village, populated only by crumbling houses. A handful of fans of the village, however, have restored two of its beautiful old residences. One now houses a small folklore museum that presents the area’s history, while the other is home to Haihoutes Café, which serves coffee and drinks with meze and also holds the occasional jazz or Greek music night.

li For further info, contact Haihoutes Café • Tel. (+30) 693.263.7905 G R E E C E IS

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© GEORGE PAPAPOSTOLOU, CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU, DIONYSIS KOURIS

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MEDIEVAL CHARM Deserted in the early 19th c., possibly during an epidemic, the medieval settlement of Palio Pyli on the hillside of Mt Dikeos is a world away from the hustle and bustle of the island’s seaside resorts. Among its ruins, you can explore the Byzantine churches of Panaghia Kastriani, Aghios Antonios and Taxiarches – all three with some lovely murals and with ancient architectural elements. Historians believe that this castle town was established thanks to the Monastery of Panaghia Kastriani, which was founded in the 11th c. by Hosios

OLD-SCHOOL WEAVING

Anthippi Deliou decided not to give away her grandmother’s loom to some folklore museum, as most women do in rural Greece. Having learned the art of argalios from her mother and further enriching that knowledge by attending seminars, she opened a shop and made use of this traditional craft.

You will find her, along with two elderly aunts who still lend a hand, in Kardamena, busy weaving rugs, carpets and bags in the traditional fashion.

li Christina Workshop and Store, Kardamena • Tel. (+30) 694.491.1380 84

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Christodoulos, and was further developed by the Knights of St. John to protect residents from Turkish raids. The walk up to the castle only takes about 20 minutes. It’s a tough, uphill hike but you’ll be rewarded with an amazing view stretching all the way to the islands of Kalymnos and Pserimos and to Bodrum on the Turkish mainland. After your visit, sit down for a meal at the Oria Taverna, a good reason in its own right to visit the area.

li Palio Pyli is located 16k from Kos Town

Cycling the island

Kos is a great place to get around by bicycle. Many locals use bicycles to get to work or just enjoy a ride around town, and there are also a lot of rental stores offering a range of bicycles – from street and mountain bikes to two-seaters – as well as safety gear.

The main bicycle road runs about 13k, from Faros Βeach to the far end of Psalidi, with lots of little side paths, too. If you want to explore the island beyond the main town, there are trails crisscrossing its hills and mountains ­ – some are dirt paths and some are on paved roads with limited traffic. One of the most popular routes leads from Kos Town through Tigaki and on to the beautiful beaches of Marmari.

While islanders are accustomed to seeing cyclists on the road, you are advised to exercise caution and make sure to comply with traffic regulations.

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A BIRD HAVEN

Hundreds of flamingoes spend the winter in the balmy Alyki wetlands, near the village of Tigaki, offering a spectacular sight – and not just for birdwatchers. These impressive pink-feathered birds tend to turn up in Kos around October and stay through March, stealing the show from the other 215 species recorded here. Up until the late 1980s, the Alyki wetlands was a salt flat, producing cooking salt.

INDOMITABLE SPIRIT The old village of Kefalos is 45k from Kos Town and is the island’s most remote settlement; locals have their own dialect (including Homeric words and ancient inflections), and their own customs. They even have their cemetery in the middle of the village, something that is now very rare in Greece. The people of Kefalos admit that they are somewhat skeptical of their fellow islanders – a feeling that is reciprocated – but they have been very welcoming to the dozens of foreign residents who moved to the village for its temperate climate. From here, there is a striking panoramic view down to Kefalos Gulf. After exploring the local castle, narrow streets and stairways, why not head down to the sea, to either the small harbor of Kamari or the beach of Aghios Stefanos for a meal or a swim?

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FEEL THE WIND POWER

© GEORGE PAPAPOSTOLOU, CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU

In the 19th century, Kos had 40 fully operational windmills (and just as many watermills), but only one of them is still active and producing flour. The Amallos Mill in Antimachia is open to visitors and, if you’re lucky, you may even come across its owner, Elpidoforos Amallos, who grew up right here at the mill and is always happy to share a story or two. Approximately a decade ago, he began restoring the structure, which had been left idle by his father. He found experts to study the original workings of the mill and imported wood from Africa for the rebuilding. The official guided tours of the facility, however, are conducted by Antonis Avgerinos, an expert on mills who supervised the restoration.

li Open daily 9:00-17:00

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out and about

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STAIRWAY TO THE SUN Zia is to Kos what Oia is to Santorini: the spot where everyone gathers to watch the spectacular sunset, where cafés and restaurants jostle for the best view of the sun sinking behind the nearly islands of Kalymnos and Pserimos. Zia is one of the busiest tourist spots on the island, but if you’re looking for some romantic solitude, catch the “solar show” from any vantage point on the road leading from Kos Town to the villages on Mt Dikeos. l i Zia is located 15k from Kos Town

CENTURY-OLD CAFE TAKES IT SLOW Between Kos Town and Zia is Asomatos, a village that seems to have been overlooked in the rush to develop tourism. The Kazino café sits opposite the church, in the same spot it has occupied since 1906. Its current owner, Dimitris, has undertaken to preserve the slow-paced and unpretentious hospitality. His son works in the kitchen preparing plates of meze and his daughter waits the tables. The menu is changeable, but you’ll always find seasonal vegetables, eggs with pork, good tsipouro and interesting musical selections from Dimitris’ vast vinyl collection. The downside is that you might find it closed when you finally arrive. i Asomatos is located 14k from Kos Town l Tel. (+30) 22420.302.41.

BEST SERVED CHILLED

Stamatis Galathris’ idea, 60 years ago, to start producing soft drinks using fresh citrus juice, bore fruit and turned into a remarkable success story.

The Natur brand is a Kos trademark, producing orange and lemon drinks, fizzy lemon-lime, Kos Cola and 10 more flavors available at restaurants and mini-marts on the island. i Natur, Marmaroto, Tel. (+30) 22420.230.11 l

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advertorial

I f N ot N ow , W hen ? C o m e to A m m os R esort, K os Ammos Resort is the perfect seaside hideaway that combines cozy and elegant accommodation with the finest Mediterranean and Greek cuisine. We invite you to enjoy our hospitality and discover the enchanting island of Kos, in the Dodecanese.

Just a breeze away from the Aegean Sea, surrounded by gardens and beautiful flowers, with friendly staff and located in a perfect spot, Ammos Resort welcomes you for an unforgettable holiday experience.

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CONTACT Ammos Resort Mastichari, Kos 85302 • Tel. (+30) 22420.593.13-5 • Fax. (+30) 22420.593.17 • Email: info@ammosresort.com • www.ammosresort.com

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EAST LAMBI

Clear and shallow waters, 1k of sand and a nautical club offering sailing lessons to children and adults make this Blue Flag beach a favorite for families. Easily accessible by bicycle, thanks to a designated lane that runs along the coast, Lambi is also popular among youngsters who frequent the wellknown Mylos Beach Bar to make use of its beach volleyball facilities, and to party. i 2.5k from Kos Town l

PSALIDI

Only 10 mins on the cycle path from Kos Town, Psalidi is located on a 16k coastline that is part of a preserved natural area. The beach is popular with surfers and water-skiers, as well as guests residing in the many large resorts overlooking the sea. Psalidi is also home to several fish tavernas and restaurants offering Greek and international cuisine. i 5k from Kos Town l

AGHIOS FOKAS

This Blue Flag, black shingle beach is famous for its deep blue waters and beautiful vistas across the sea to the city of Bodrum on the Turkish coast. Beach-goers can sunbathe for hours, enjoy the memorable sunsets and eat healthy snacks at Fokas, 92

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a popular bar perched on the edge of the beach among lush vegetation, blending seamlessly with the natural surroundings. i 9k from Kos Town l

NORTH TIGAKI

The village by the same name is one of the most frequented tourist resorts in Kos. Its vast, white sand and Blue Flag beach offers exceptional sunset views of the nearby islands of Pserimos and Kalymnos, while its shallow waters make it a children’s paradise. You may, however, come across nudists in the dunes near the salt pans. Big waves and an open sea attract many experienced surfers, while horseback riding is also an option at the Equestrian Club, located close by. i 11k from Kos Town l

MARMARI

With views to Pserimos and Plati islands, this long, sandy beach attracts large crowds of visitors from the surrounding hotels. Nonetheless, those seeking a quieter spot can always find privacy in the nearby dunes. The north wind creates ideal conditions for both surfers and kite surfers, while the shallow sea also makes Marmari perfect for families with children. i 15k from Kos Town l

MASTICHARI

Near the harbor with ferries to Kalymnos, this vast, sandy beach is popular with families and couples residing in the nearby all-inclusive hotels. Mastichari easily lends itself to endless sea games and romantic sunset promenades. You can rent sun loungers and umbrellas at The Tam Tam beach restaurant and enjoy food and drinks in a pleasant and verdant environment. i 21.5k from Kos Town l

LIMNIONAS

If you’re looking for a break from the bustling crowds, this tranquil beach, located within a small bay north of Kefalos, is your answer. Naturally protected from strong winds, it is known for its wild and rocky scenery, its crystal waters and its seafood tavernas. Water sports are also on offer. i 41k from Kos Town l

SOUTH THERMes

Hidden behind steep, otherworldly volcanic rocks, this tiny beach, also known as Embros Thermae or Therma, attracts people of all ages throughout the day and even at nighttime. The main draw is a naturally-formed thermal pool where water temperatures can be as high as 50°C.

© GEORGE PAPAPOSTOLOU, VISUALHELLAS.GR, OLGA CHARAMI, GETTY IMAGES/IDEAL IMAGE

aghios stefanos

aghios fokas

paradise beach

The seaside pool is big enough for up to 60 people and deep enough for swimming at its top end – yet visitors should know that it often gets very crowded. The only way in and out is by donkey or on foot. A canteen stationed nearby provides refreshments. i 10k from Kos Town l

HELONA

This is a charming, tranquil beach where soft, white-gold sand shelves gently into the clear, warm waters. Look one way and you can see rolling cedar hills; look the other way and you can spot Nisyros island. You can rent umbrellas and sun loungers and order snack and drinks at the nearby hotel beach bars. If you’re up for something livelier, the village of Kardamena – one of Kos’ busiest tourist spots – is just 4k away. i 30k from Kos Town l

POLEMI

Also known as Magic Beach, Polemi is located in the cove of Kefalos in the southern part of the island. The beach is popular with nature-loving vacationers, quiet types and nudists − all drawn by its white sand, cedar dunes, green waters and tranquility. i 32k from Kos Town l

PARADISE BEACH

A trip to Kos would be incomplete without a visit to this black pebble, deep-blue wa-

ter beach located on the cove of Kefalos. A paradise, as the name suggests, it is often referred to as Bubbles Beach because of the volcanic bubbles emerging from the sand some way offshore. There are many amenities on offer, including sun loungers, umbrellas, water sports and fish tavernas. i 36k from Kos Town l

KAMILA

With its dark-brown sand and calm cold waters, this off-the-beaten-track beach lies nested in a small bay surrounded by imposing rocks. Access to Kamila is via a dirt road, so jeeps and quad bikes are the preferable modes of transportation. i 36k from Kos Town l

AGHIOS STEFANOS

This is surely the island’s most-photographed beach, with the magnificent remains of old churches and the desolate, picturesque Kastri islet forming a perfect backdrop to crystal clear waters. Lush vegetation and white sand are just the icing on the cake. i 37k from Kos Town l

KAMARI

Although Kamari is a major resort drawing many Greek families, especially on Sundays, its 5k-long beach never becomes too crowded. Water sports enthusiasts will not be disappointed and food

lovers will satisfy their palates at one of the many fish tavernas. During the hottest days of the summer, Kamari’s bluegreen waters − perhaps the coldest on the island − provide a refreshing escape. i 39k from Kos Town l

WEST AGHIOS THEOLOGOS

Taking its name from the deserted church of Aghios Ioannis Theologos (St. John the Theologian), honored by locals with a festival every August 29th, this remote beach is perfect for sunbathing. The waters are ideal for windsurfing, especially if you’re a beginner. Beautiful creeks and rocky coves add to the magnificent scenery, while fresh fish can be enjoyed at the tavernas overlooking the shore. i 45k from Kos Town l

CAVO PARADISO

This is the most remote beach on the island, but if you make the effort to get there you won’t regret it. There isn’t much there, though you’ll find some thatched umbrellas offering shade, as well as a canteen. Cavo Paradiso is mostly frequented by wave-chasing swimmers and couples looking for some quiet time or idyllic sunsets. i 50k from Kos Town l GREECE IS

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thrills and spills From scuba diving to a relatively easy hike up to its highest peak, Kos offers outdoor activities for tranquility seekers and adrenaline junkies alike.

BY OLGA CHAR AMI

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Watersports Wild is the wind Windsurfing, kitesurfing, standup paddleboarding, parasailing, jet-skiing, wakeboarding, banana-boat rides and even beach yoga... Kos has it all, thanks to its relatively shallow bathing waters, the stiff northerly meltemi winds that blow in the summer and its well-developed beaches. Almost every popular beach on the island has a certified watersports center and all the big hotels are equipped with their own facilities or cooperate with trained professionals. Services are high-quality and new activities and games are constantly being introduced to cater to a wide range of tastes.

The best surfing beaches are Psalidi and Marmari, though beginners may find conditions easier to handle at Mastichari, as it is sheltered from strong winds. Kefalos Bay is also popular with windsurfers because of the ideal conditions formed by the shape of its coastline and the afternoon current.

Flyboarding is an up-and-coming sport and can only be found at Petrelea Beach in Psalidi, as it requires calm waters and remoter locations.

INFO Horizon surfing Mastichari • Τel. (+30) 693.459.7125 • horizonsurfing.com Big Blue Surf Center Psalidi • Τel. (+30) 694.589.8232 • bigblue-surfcenter.gr Kardamena Watersport Center Kardamena • Τel. (+30) 694.463.6565 • koswatersports.gr Flyboard Psalidi • Τel. (+30) 694.823.3987 • fb.com/flyboard. kosisland

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Kefalos Winsurfing and Sailing Kefalos • Τel. (+30) 697.762.0316 • kefaloswindsurfing. com Lakitira Sports Kardamena • Τel. (+30) 22420.915.37 • lakitira-hotel-kos.com Neptune Surfing Mastichari • Τel. (+30) 22420.589.00 • neptune.gr Kohilari Kite Center Kohilari • Τel. (+30) 694.554.8006

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© Aphrodite Liami, SHUTTERSTOCK, SOFIA KARAGIANNI

On horseback Riding made easy

Fancy a ride along the beach and up into the hills or show jumping at a proper ring? If you’re a fan of horseback riding, Kos offers you a range of terrains to indulge in your favorite activity, as there are numerous companies that organize private and group rides. One of these is the Riding Club, which operates exclusively as a school and offers therapeutic as well as athletic riding in the Olympic events of eventing and jumping. Archery is also offered.

INFO Riding Club Kos Town • Τel. (+30) 697.252.1853 Erika’s Horse Riding Farm Marmari • Τel. (+30) 694.593.5137 Rafael’s Trail Riding Kardamena • Τel. (+30) 694.081.8822

Diving Discover the big blue

The beaches of Kos are mainly shallow and sandy, so the marine landscape is really not that fascinating. However, its seas are full of life, with plenty of fish, mollusks and seagrass meadows – the ideal environment for kids and beginners just learning how to dive. Most dive centers offer classes as well as excursions to nearby islands that provide some additional

excitement for more experienced divers.

These excursions allow visitors to enjoy a day out on the sea – swimming, snorkeling or diving – either at Pserimos, with reefs, caves and an impressive wreck at a depth of 75m; at Strongyli, renowned for its sponges; or at the volcanic islet of Gyali. Each location has a different difficulty level, so take your pick.

INFO Liamis Dive Center Kos Town • Τel. (+30) 694.429.5830 • www.kosdiving.com Kos Divers Kos Town • Τel. (+30) 693.215.5422 • www.kosdivers.com Arian Diving Centre Kardamena • Τel. (+30) 698.363.4699 • www.arian-diving-centre.com

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Trekking K OS ON FOOT The island features many interesting walking trails and hikes, though we recommend sticking to those that are signposted and have particular features of interest. A popular trail is the one that begins at the village of Zia and reaches the peak of Christos on Mt Dikeos, with a stop along the way at the Christos Chapel, after a hike of one to one and a half hours.

The trail meanders through the forest and, from the peak at 843m, there’s an amazing view of almost half the islands in the Aegean. There are also two short

but interesting trails starting from Palio Pyli. One takes 20 minutes and leads to the Byzantine castle at the top of the hill; the other leads to the summit of Psoriaris and a viewing kiosk (about 30 minutes).

Another easy 30-minute walk begins at the Castle of Antimachia and ends at Kardamena, winding along the old cobbled footpath used by locals.

There’s a walking group run by Sofia Karagianni (Tel. (+30) 694.538.5330) that organizes tours of the island every Sunday, except from June to August.

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Welcome aboard!

Av en t ur a Se a E xcursions

advertorial

Info

AVENTURA-Private Cruises Tel. (+30) 694.463.6565 www.yachtforrent.gr

Remote beaches, tours around the islands, sunbathing on deck or diving in turquoise waters: with a private cruise on the Aventura, you have total freedom to do whatever you want while getting away from it all.

“Aventura” means adventure. But in Kos, it means much more, as you will discover when you board the boat of that name which is moored at Kardamena. A private cruise takes you far from the cosmopolitan shores of Kos, to beaches that are largely inaccessible overland and that seem to have been created just for you and your companions. Dive into crystal-clear secluded waters. Then, back on the boat, with seagulls flying alongside, soak up the sun in the forward section, or enjoy a drink as you lounge on the luxurious aft deck. No matter what you choose to do, you’ll experience a complete sense of freedom.

Freedom is the professional philosophy of your experienced skipper, Captain Kostas Charitos, who guarantees your safety: “On a boat, you forget about everything. You are far away from everything; you have speed, the incredible sea, music. Seagulls and flying fish are your companions. You travel freely and with absolute safety. That is what I want my passengers to enjoy.”

It’s not surprising that many visitors choose the Aventura to host events that range from birthdays to bachelor parties – the boat is equipped to provide catering on board – or even proposing marriage or renewing marriage vows. A cruise on this luxury

boat can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on your destination and personal preference. One-day excursions usually include a tour of the volcanic islands of Gyali and Nisyros. The crew serve snacks and drinks, so you don’t have to touch land at all if you prefer. If you opt for a cruise of several days, you can get as far as Tilos, Symi, Rhodes, Pserimos, Plati, Kalymnos, Leros and Patmos, or even Bodrum in Turkey. The boat is a 44-foot (14m) Trojan Express cruiser, powered by two turbo diesel engines with a total of 840bhp.

Long distances mean nothing to this vessel. It has two double cabins with en suite bathrooms for a comfortable overnight stay.

Just imagine sitting in the lounge as the boat slices through the calm waters or sipping your cocktail as you gaze at the full moon. During the day, you can try snorkeling, sea-bobbing or kayaking using equipment provided; take a stroll around the islands; or just relax and do absolutely nothing. Magical sunsets at Cape Krikelos with its rugged rock formations are particularly memorable. And if you decide to extend your tour - no problem: “The most important thing is for our guests to feel unconstrained,” says Captain Charitos. “That’s why we come up with the itinerary together as we sail, and we can change it if we want to. There have been lots of times when we set off for a one-day cruise and end up returning three days later. Wherever the guest wants, we go.”

breakfast kos style at hotel kos aktis

taverna dikeos in zia

at hatzipetros oil mill

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Tastes of Kos lambros for kebab and grilled meat

Try the island’s traditional dishes and recipes to find out why they’ve survived the test of time.

BY NENA DIMITRIOU

© CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU, DIONYSIS KOURIS

brunch at lovemade bakery in kardamena

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local vergaki tomato spoon sweet

treat at hatziemmanouil winery

vassilis hatziemmanouil at his vineyard

K bougatsa at ariston (est 1952)

os’ geography, with undulating hills and fertile valleys, and the fact that it enjoys about seven months of sunshine a year make it ideal for farming. The islanders lived off the land for centuries, even when farming was not their main occupation. Cottage farms sustained extended families throughout the year, while larger plots were used to generate income by growing tradable produce. Up until some 20 years ago, the island produced salt, and it also had a handful of plants processing tomatoes, mainly for the export market.

Old recipes that have survived to this day suggest that grains and wheat, sesame, vegetables (mainly tomatoes) and grapes were farm staples, while islanders also tended orchards and small olive groves in the lowlands. Pulses were common and were prepared in myriad ways: beans were made into a stew, with just a small quantity of meat added to enrich it, and chickpeas were cooked in tomato sauce or ground up for fried patties that are still served across the island, along with split-pea fava dip or zucchini fritters, as a meze for ouzo.

Elderly ladies from the villages tell us that groats, bread, pasta and pulses were ever-present on the family table, while the meat was mainly pork. Every family had a sty and raised a pig to provide meat for the entire year. The animal was slaughtered in late November and not a single piece of it went to beekeeper skevos kasiou

the chef’s club of kos contributes to the prominence of the local cuisine (L-R: thanasis simos, giorgos miaoudis, michalis potamousis, stelios gounaras, giannis miaoudis)

the kos town indoor market

waste. The legs were hung by the fireplace and smoked with olive wood, while other parts were cut up into small chunks and stored in the pig’s own lard in clay jars.

Lard actually formed the base of most dishes, taking the place of the olive oil used today, and was even used to fry bread, a breakfast staple regarded as the best way to start off a hard day on the farm.

Other breakfast options included porridge made with water, flour and lard, which was quite delicious, as testimonies suggest.

Most of these recipes, however, have been forgotten, and can only be found in a few households that still do things the old way. The islanders have also largely given up farming to work in the burgeoning tourism industry.

Nevertheless, you’ll still find products and dishes that remain unaltered through time. Many tavernas, for example, serve fried pork, pork with groats or eggs, or with onions in a lemon sauce. In Zia, stuffed goat is served all year long, even though it was once regarded as a special dish reserved only for Easter Sunday. At the end of the meal, many tavernas also serve a tomato spoon sweet, as the fruit’s natural sweetness and rich flesh are regarded as more befitting a dessert than a salad.

Pastry shops across Kos make a local version of baklava with almonds or roasted sesame seeds, a rich sweet that was once prepared only at Christmas. But the island’s most famous sweet is katimeri, which is still served at many café-pastry shops and tavernas.

It consists of wafer-thin layers of fylo pastry now stuffed with soft unsalted myzithra cheese instead of the traditional creamy full-fat fresh homemade cheese.

The whole thing is fried and then dipped in syrup or served drenched in honey. If the honey is also locally produced, you’re in for a special treat.

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Celebrating life with pasta Makarounes is a traditional food staple served at special events all over the island. It is a humble pasta, made with just water and flour kneaded into a dough, then rolled out and cut into thin strips, a bit like tagliatelle. In the past, no wedding feast was complete without makarounes. On the day of the ceremony, the ladies would prepare thousands of these pasta strips and lay them out on sheets to dry, while the groom would come by to inspect the preparations and offer money to those at work. Wedding makarounes

was customarily served with meat and tomato stew. The recipe didn’t disappear after the wedding, however; makarounes was also served to pregnant women with roasted sesame seeds, cinnamon and sugar, in a dish believed to symbolize fertility.

Today, makarounes is boiled in water or stock and served either with a sprinkling of grated myzithra, or in richer dishes of game, served along with skordalia (garlic paste). The most typical dish, however, remains makarounes with pork chunks fried in lard.

© DIONYSIS KOURIS, STYLING: TINA WEBB, PHOTOS: GEORGE DRAKOPOULOS, ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHER: MANOLIS KAPA

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Riches of the Land H o m e o f h o n e y, o l i v e o i l , w i n e a n d s w e e t t o m at o e s , Kos has all the key ingredients for a proud food tr adition.

B Y nena D I M I T R I O U & O L G A C H A R A M I

It’s said that Hippocrates regarded honey highly and would prescribe a spoonful a day for curative purposes.

Today, the people of Kos use it in abundance, cooking with it and applying generous helpings to traditional katimeria (the local name for loukoumades, the Greek dough fritters), baklava and pasteli, also known as sesame brittle. There are about 50 families in the honey business, producing some 200 tons in total, and there’s no doubt that their honey is made even more delectable thanks to the thyme and the wildflowers that thrive across the island.

WHERE TO FIND IT Melissa: Antonis Drossos,

who comes from a long line of beekeepers, started his company “Melissa” together with his wife Dionysia Anthouli in 2009. They own 500 hives and produce up to 8-10 tons a year. In addition to pine, heather and thyme honey, the company also sells pollen, royal jelly and honey wine, the last made in cooperation with a local winery. Their beeswax is used in natural scented candles and in rich creams 106

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to treat dry skin and soothe burns. Their factory is open to the public, and there’s a small traditional kafeneio right next door that serves tasty treats from early in the morning. (Kefalos-Kos Road, Kefalos, Tel. (+30) 22420.722.60)

SMALL OLIVE GROVES, GREAT OLIVE OIL The terraced olive groves on Kos reach altitudes of 300 meters. The most common variety cultivated is Koroneiki and, together with the local Throumba, produces an annual yield of about 600 tons, depending on the year. Throumba is a wrinkled olive that matures so well you can eat it straight off the branch. The harvest begins in mid-October and lasts until the end of January; the oil is extracted at one of the three surviving mills from what was once a total of 20. The mill owner is customarily paid a percentage of the yield.

WHERE TO FIND IT koakos eleonas: The third generation of the Papadimitriou family is running

the old mill near Zipari. In addition to the oil produced for other olive farmers, the family has its own extra virgin olive oil brand from its own groves. The Koakos Eleonas (Kos Olive Yards) shop, located next to the mill, also hosts tasting seminars. (7th km of the Kos-Kefalos Road, Zipari, Tel. (+30) 22420.692.44) Hatzipetros Olive Oil: Dimosthenis

Hatzipetros started working at his father’s mill in Linopoti back when he was a teenager. Today, the mill serves some 1,000 growers, producing around 350 tons of olive oil. Ιt also welcomes visitors; from mid-October to late January, you can see the production process. At other times, join an organized tasting and tour, which includes a screening of a video showing how oil is made. The olive oil produced at the modern facility is sold under the brand name Hatzipetros in Kos, Rhodes, Nissyros and Kalymnos. (Kos-Kefalos Road, Linopoti, Tel. (+30) 22420.695.28)

There’s no doubt that their honey is made even more delectable thanks to the thyme and the wildflowers that thrive across the island.

© CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU, DIONYSIS KOURIS

OH HONEY HONEY!

melissa products

vaggelis and giannis papadimitriou of koakos eleonas

antonis drossos, melissa’s Beekeeper

making vergaki tomato sweet preserve at vouros sweet shop

at giannos dairy kos vineyard

the famous krasotyri from giannos dairy

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© DIONYSIS KOURIS

TOMATO: SWEETNESS IN A JAR When the Italians occupied Kos back in the Middle Ages, they introduced a long and thin tomato variety known as vergaki, or stick.

With a thick flesh and little juice, vergaki was regarded as ideal for both tomato paste and spoon sweets, and for a time, the island had as many as eight factories processing this crop.

The last one closed more than half a century ago, but Kos continues to produce these lovely tomatoes, mainly for sweet preserves.

WHERE TO FIND IT

SALT of the earth If you’re in the area of Tigaki, it’s worth visiting the old salt flats, active until 1989. An Italian firm bought the rights to the lagoon back in 1930 and built the still-visible 150m rail line that loaded salt onto ships. In their heyday in the early 1980s, the flats produced up to 3,500 tons a year. Haralambos Hatzipetros, who worked here for around 20 years and is perhaps the last surviving worker, remembers: “There were about 12 or 14 of us cultivating and harvesting the salt. Every August, you would see us shoveling away on a mountain of the stuff. Our working lunch usually consisted of a few figs, grapes and tomatoes, which we’d eat with thick, glossy salt – just a sprinkle was enough to give tons of flavor.”

The lagoon is a protected area, a rich wetland that hosts a plethora of migratory birds, including flamingoes and herons, throughout the winter and into mid-spring in its shallow, nutrient-rich waters.

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Vouros: This traditional sweet shop has been around for a century and is famous for its sweet tomato preserve, sold all over the island and around Greece. The tomatoes are hand-picked and the sweet is made from June to August, with yields reaching 10-15 tons in a good year.

(Limni Pyliou, Tel. (+30) 22420.412.75)

“DRUNKEN” CHEESE Since antiquity, cheese has been preserved in oil, but when Kos at some point in the past experienced a shortage of olive

oil in conjunction with an abundance of wine, the local dairy farmers tried storing their cheese in wine instead. The experiment worked, and today we can still find this type of cheese, known as krasotyri (or wine cheese), all over the island.

The simple yet successful production method involves adding wine sediment to the brine in which the cheese is aged, imbuing it with a distinct winey flavor that makes it a perfect match with fruits such as watermelon. Krasotyri from Kos has become so successful that it is in the process of being granted protected geographical indication.

WHERE TO FIND IT Giannos Dairy: The

Giannos family has been making yogurt and a selection of cheeses, including krasotyri, since 1997. The blend of sheep’s and goat’s milk used in its production comes exclusively from certified local farmers, and its manufacture is a laborious process done entirely by hand, from putting the cheese in special molds all the way to straining.

In fact, the work needed to create the 25 tons of krasotyri that the dairy produces annually would probably make 300 tons

The island’s vineyards have been cultivated continuously for centuries, even during the Italian occupation, when the grapes were all shipped to the CAIR winery on Rhodes.

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Experience Culture, Gastronomy and More of ordinary white cheese, explains third-generation cheese-maker Panagiotis Giannos, who now runs the business. The family’s krasotyri is sold at the dairy and at selected supermarkets and delis around Greece, and the company recently started exporting to the rest of Europe and the United States. (Pyli, Tel. (+30) 22420.413.98, www. krasotyri-giannou.gr)

winery receives 40,00045,000 visitors annually and its tour takes in the production facilities and the reception area, complete with a conference center and a permanent exhibition of works by Greek painters.

There is a tasting room and a beautiful garden with a view of the vineyard and the sea. (Zipari, Tel. (+30) 22240.698.60, www. koswinery.gr)

Your trip to Greece STARTS HERE

Hatziemmanouil Winery: Vassilis Hatziem-

PROMISING WINES Archaeological finds ranging from coins to amphorae have revealed the importance of wine commerce in ancient Kos – Hippocrates himself advised the islanders to drink dry, tart red wine.

The island’s vineyards have been cultivated continuously for centuries, even during the Italian occupation, when the grapes were all shipped to the CAIR winery on Rhodes.

Viniculture experienced a slump in the 1960s, but has now made a comeback – there are six units making wine with protected geographical indication status, two of which are open to the public.

WHERE TO FIND IT Triantafyllopoulos Vineyards: The

Triantafyllopoulos family cultivates Greek varieties Malagousia, Athiri and Assyrtiko along with Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, producing lovely wines, some of which have received international distinctions. This elegant

manouil, a third-generation winemaker, took over the reins in 2000, planting new vineyards and opening a state-of-the-art winery.

He grows Malagousia, Assyrtiko, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache Rouge and Syrah, blends of which produce seven different wines, some of them award-winners.

The winery overlooks the vineyards, and visitors can explore them during tours of the facility and the cellar. (Kos-Kefalos Road, Linopoti, Tel. (+30) 22420.688.88, www. hatziemmanouil.gr) Mesariano Organic Winery: Known as Mesari-

ano after its signature selection, this small winery is owned by the Mores family.

It produces a wonderful, single-variety organic wine using Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and, as winemaker Nikos Mores says, “a touch of sulfur and the sun.”

The wine’s certainly worth trying, and visitors can drop by the winery, although it isn’t fully equipped yet to receive guests. (5th km of the Kos-Choria Road, Tel. (+30) 22420.259.71, 697.277.7047)

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Š DIONYSIS KOURIS

opos palia

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R E S TA U R A N T S

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All You Can Eat Whether you crave fish, kebab, local traditional cuisine or other Mediterranean flavors, our shortlist has you covered.

BY NENA DIMITRIOu

H

ead for Averof Street if fish is the first thing that pops into your mind when you start getting peckish in Kos. The tavernas all share a vintage-folk decor, sea blue is the dominant color and the stars of all the menus include fried calamari, mussel pilaf, shrimp, other shellfish and fish. One of the best-known is Nick the Fisherman, though the recently-opened Barbouni also offers great food and has a view of the sea. Since much of the seafood is highly seasonal, don’t expect everything to be fresh and locally sourced, since the best season for mollusks (like calamari) and other shellfish is between February and March. Choose some of the smaller fish, like sardines, anchovies and mackerel, which are plentiful in summer. The locals usually go to Evdokia, located near Averof Street. It serves Greek dishes and readily sets tables out on the pavement.

Along the pedestrian streets in the old town, you will find mostly selections of Greek meze. At the restaurant Elia, you have the option of pairing your dining selection with wines from Greek vineyards, including local ones, while at Opos Palia, you 110

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can treat yourself to numerous little plates of appetizers that go well with tsipouro or ouzo.

In the Abavris area outside the old town, you will find Ampavris, featuring a lovely courtyard and serving meze and grilled meats. Alla ki alla also has a pleasant courtyard to sit in, though the decor is somewhat surprising. Electra, the artist wife of the owner, has decorated the space with feathers, candles, handmade ornaments, garlands and even a Christmas tree. Try some feta cheese with honeyed ouzo and spicy soutzoukakia meatballs with eggs, accompanied by tsipouro, ouzo or local wine. Nearby, you will find Ali, with authentic Turkish dishes made with quality ingredients. For good kebab, head for Lambros, established in 1935. The third-generation owners, Manolis and Christos, follow the same age-old recipe with pieces of meat or ground beef strung onto skewers and grilled over charcoal. Their trademark is the way the kebab is served; inside a grilled bread roll with fresh tomato, onion and cumin.

There are plenty of options for Italian and Mediterranean

© DIONYSIS KOURIS

mediterranean cuisine at hotel kos aktis

kebab sandwich with cumin at lambros

cuisine along the Vasileos Georgiou Avenue. Avanti serves pizza prepared in a wood-fired oven, as well as more formal and creative items. Along the same road, Mezzaluna has both the character and menu of a trattoria and places its tables practically at the water’s edge.

Another place for dining by the water is H2O at the Hotel Kos Aktis. The terrace abuts the waterline and at night you can see the lights of Bodrum on the Turkish coast. The Mediterranean menu includes seabass with vegetables and a saffron velouté sauce, though one of the most popular dishes is greens with pork fillet infused with rosemary. Chef Ioulios Kalapodas sets great store on using locally sourced ingredients. The wine list offers a few selections from local wineries and other Greek wines as well.

KOS TOWN • A l i , 23 Artemisias Tel. (+30) 22420.218.60 • A l l a k i a l l a , Grigoriou V Tel. (+30) 22420.220.22 • A m p a v r i s , Abavri Tel. (+30) 22420.256.96 • A v a nt i ,1 Vasileos Georgiou Tel. (+30) 22420.200.40 • B a r b o un i , 26 G. Averof Tel. (+30) 22420.201.70 • ELIA , 27 Apellou Tel. (+30)​​​22420.221.33 • Evdokia 13 Bouboulinas Tel. (+30) 22420.285.25 • H 2 Ο, Hotel Kos Aktis 7 Vasileos Georgiou Tel. (+30) 22420.472.07 • L a m b r o s , 21 Psaron and Ierou Lochou Tel. (+30) 22420.288.08 • M e z z a l un a 38 Vasileos Georgiou Tel. (+30) 22420.486.70 • Nick the fisherman 21 Georgiou Averof Tel. (+30) 22420.230.98 • Opos paliA 38 Kolokotroni Tel. (+30) 22420.288.42

P L ATA N I Arap Tel. (+30) 22420.284.42 • HASA N Tel. (+30) 22420.202.30 • SERI F Tel. (+30) 22420.237.84 •

ZIA Dikeos Tel. (+30) 22420.696.83 • Neromylos Tel. (+30) 697.229.2109 • O ly m p i a Tel. (+30) 22420.691.21 • Oromedon Tel. (+30) 22420.699.83 •

ke F al O s • Aghios Theologos Tel. (+30) 697.450.3556 • Kompologaki Tel. (+30) 698.100.9164 • Limnionas Tel. (+30) 22420.719.51 k AR DAME NA • A N EMOS Tel. (+30) 22420.919.85 • AVLI Tel. (+30) 22420.921.00

SWEET SPOTS All of the sweets and snacks available at the stylish baby- and pet-friendly Lovemade Bakery, located at the entrance of Kardamena, are made by two sisters, Polina and Chara Mavropoulou. Breakfast, brunch, juices and a variety of raw vegan meals are served on the cool terrace under the shade of the bougainvillea. [Τel. (+30) 22421.113.75]. Paradosi Patisserie, founded in 1955, is noted not for its atmosphere but for its delicious Middle Eastern sweets – such as the homemade ice cream or the chocolate cake with chocolate cream (Serano) that are famous all over the island – all made according to the authentic family recipes. Third-generation pastry chef Mahlum Fanartzis, and his wife, Rahan Kavatzi, make about 10 tons of traditional tomato sweets a year in their workshop next door, enough to supply the whole Dodecanese. [Platani, Tel. (+30) 22420.214.90]

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mahlum at paradosi patisserie

OUT OF TOWN PLATANI

About 4k from the town center and near the Asclepieion, most of the tavernas in Platani serve Turkish food – Hasan, Serif and Arap are all excellent for kebabs.

ZIA

Enjoy an impeccably prepared meal in the pretty courtyard at Oromedon, with a clear view of the sea. At Olympia, the specialty is honey-roasted ham hock. The hospitable owners of the Dikeos taverna will tempt you with local recipes. If you are in a big group, order the traditional goat, stuffed with herbs and rice, and cooked in a wood-fired oven. Neromylos is a charming cafe housed in the remains of an old mill. Its flower-filled courtyard is perfect for breakfast or a light meal.

KEFALOS

At Kompologaki, a modern ouzeri on the central road above Aghios Stefanos Βeach, try chilled ouzo with chickpea patties and other fried nibbles.

On the northern side of Kefalos, you will find Limnionas situated next to the beach of the same name. For a view of the southern Aegean Sea, visit the family-run Aghios Theologos restaurant, known for its fresh fish.

KARDAMENA

Avli serves amazing meze and traditional Greek dishes in the cozy space of an old house that was built in 1902 and survived the big earthquake of 1933.

For fresh fish and seafood, Anemos has a fantastic sea view, especially under the light of the full moon.

Greetings from Kos

Greetings from Nisyros

Kos

The Corinthian-style temple of Apollo on the second (middle) terrace of the three-tiered Asclepieion in Kos. 2nd c. AD. [Š Giannis Giannelos]

Nis

The central square of Nikia, known as Porta, with its characteristic pebble mosaic flooring from 1923. [Š Getty Images/Ideal Image]

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Feeling the Spirit R e l i g i o u s f e s t i v a l s a r e a n i n t r i n s i c p a r t o f Gr e e k c u lt u r e , a n d N i s y r o s i s p a r t i c u l a r ly f a m o u s f o r t h r o w i n g a g o o d b a s h .

The Dionysian roots of religious festivals marking the feast day of major saints are still evident in Nisyros, where wine and food are served in great abundance and the dancing goes on to daybreak.

As in the rest of Greece, the biggest church festival in Nisyros is that celebrating the Dormition of the Virgin, which falls on August 15. Islanders and visitors alike throw themselves into the preparations for the big bash, which starts the night of August 14, after evensong. Revelers gather at the Zοsimopouleio Theater in Mandraki for a pre-party bowl of hot chickpea stew before throwing themselves into the festival proper, dancing to traditional folk tunes well into the night.

In Panaghia Spiliani, one of the most important monasteries in the Dodecanese, the celebration has a more somber atmosphere, as the icon of the Virgin is encased in flowers and the church wardens prepare the traditional koliva – a boiled wheat dish with pomegranate seeds, nuts and raisins – in an all-night vigil accompanied by psalms.

The next day, the icon is taken to the theater in Mandraki and the crowd first receives the koliva before digging into hearty platters of meat with potatoes and rice. Then comes the custom of the Cup (Koupa). A line of ladies dance in unison, the leader holding aloft a silver cup. The other ladies get to hold the chalice and lead the dance only when a man steps forward, invites them to the front of the line and throws a coin into the cup. The ritual is repeated again and again so that none of the ladies are left out; later, the money collected 33

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is donated to the Monastery of Panaghia Kyra in Emporios.

In addition to the Dormition festivities, every village on the island holds a separate festival to celebrate its patron saint or protector. The Church of Panaghia on the main square of Emporios has its celebration on September 7 while Taxiarchis Church in the same village has its festival on November 7–8. On September 14, Nikia holds a festival for the Feast of the Cross and it celebrates Saint John the Theologian on September 25. The festival of Aghios Panteleimon in Avlaki on July 27 is also quite lovely, with food and music in the church courtyard.

Easter is by far the biggest event in the Greek Orthodox calendar. During Holy Week leading up to Easter Sunday, the women are busy dyeing eggs, baking sweet tsoureki bread, preparing biscuits and cooking the food that is handed out during the processions of holy icons around the villages, the most important of which is the procession across the whole island of the icon of Panaghia Spiliani on Good Friday. The icon’s return to its home in Mandraki is then marked with a big fireworks display.

The people of Nisyros never miss a chance for a good party. May Day, the first of May, though not a religious celebration, is always special, as wandering musicians play folk tunes in the streets. Islanders also observe the old custom that calls for celebrating spring on that day by weaving a garland of flowers, while the Monastery of Panaghia Kyra holds a festival, too.

An aerial view of Mandraki, the capital of Nisyros.

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THE GRAND Tour A pretty impressive array of things to see, eat, drink and do will make you forget this is a tiny island.

BY Greg Haji Joannides*

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© GIANNIS GIANNELOS

Harbor Insights The boat ties up at Mandraki, the island’s capital and main harbor. Tourists flocking in from Kos have been inundating the small town every day for the past few years, creating the impression that mass tourism has taken its toll on the island, yet there is much here that remains unaltered.

One place that hasn’t changed is Ilikiomeni (Old Woman) Square, a key meeting point. This is one of the most

enchanting spots in town, either for coffee in the morning or a glass of ouzo and a snack of fruit and cheese in the afternoon. Here, under the shade of two enormous ficus trees, you can find the cool tranquility you need after a midday swim at Chochlakous. This wild beach of big black pebbles is right behind the large rock of the Panaghia Spiliani Monastery, which juts out so impressively from the Castle of the Knights of St. John. Though it appears somewhat un-

welcoming, it is a popular bathing and sunset-watching spot.

The cafés Vegos, Irini (where you can buy cheese) and Andrikos are the square’s three hangouts, serving food and desserts that are invariably good.

A short walk will bring you to the town hall and Delfinion (Dolphins) Square, whose beautiful pebble mosaics are the work of local craftsman Dinos Papadelias. The area behind the town hall is Langadi, the loveliest neighborG R E E C E IS

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1. The beach of Aghios Antonios on the neighboring islet of Gyali, known for its pumice mines.

hood in Mandraki, with traditional homes boasting ornate wooden balconies and stone stoops. The main cobbled street running through Langadi leads to the Paliokastro, the Hellenistic-era fortress that served as the island’s acropolis and has a wonderful view over the entire town. You can also reach the fortress from the beach.

By now you have earned some refreshment at Liotridia, and if you time your visit for just before sunset, then so much the better. This is a small hotel with a lounge that welcomes non-guests and is worth visiting, not just for a meal or an aperitif, but also for its design esthetic, the work of long-time island resident and architect Petra Kotsidou.

If food is your way of discovering a destination’s identity, then a visit to the home of Maria Diakomichali should definitely be included, as she knows all of her island’s traditional recipes. She makes and sells “psilokouloura” biscuits and halva, and organizes seminars on the local cuisine. Diakomichali and her son Harry have also recently launched an agritourism initiative called Anaema, which, among other things, organizes walks and embroidery classes and arranges lodgings in traditional dwellings known as spiladia (from the Greek “spilia”, meaning “cave”). Nearby is Loles Kores, a new store that promotes Greek design and offers a different take on the Nisyros experience with original clothing and accessories, decorative objects and modern souvenirs.

The main cobbled street running through Langadi leads to the Paliokastro, the Hellenistic-era fortress that served as the island’s acropolis.

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© SOFIA KARAGIANNI, CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU

2. The view from the Chapel of the Virgin Mary on the way to the summit of Profitis Ilias.

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3. Andrikos Kafeneio in Mandraki is the ideal place for a raki or coffee.

Another site that should not be missed is the historic complex of the Public Thermal Baths. The east wing of the bath complex, which is still in operation today, stands like a noble witness to the facility’s distinguished history. The long wooden staircase at the entrance, the old mirrors adorning the corridor walls and the music-like sound of water spilling into the healing baths create a one-of-a-kind atmosphere. Some people may be put off by the fact that the baths are communal and can get quite noisy, but the facility is still worth a visit, if only for a swim at the old marina located at its doorstep or a meal at the Loutra Kafeneio, serving some of the best food on the island. The menu comprises local dishes, as well as inspired modern cuisine using local products and cheeses, all served with the requisite carafe of raki or koukouzina, a local spirit made with grapes and figs. Cook and owner Dimitra Topaloglou has recently opened a more upmarket restaurant on the Mandraki coastal road.

HITTING the BEACH East of Mandraki is Paloi. The youngest village in Nisyros – often referred to as Emporios’ seaport – was first settled in the late 19th century and has evolved into a vibrant yet tranquil fishing village with hotels and restaurants, the perfect place to stay if you’re looking for easy access to the island’s beaches. The beach of Paloi – sandy and shaded by tamarisk trees – is usually overrun with local children enjoying the sea while their parents are at work. It’s a nice spot for a dip or a meal at Astradeni, Captain’s, Ellinis or the Tsambikas Taverna, better known as Afroditi. Noteworthy sites on the outskirts of the village include the disused Medicinal Baths, which date to the end of the century, and the Chapel of Panaghia Thermiani, built in 1871 inside the ruins of the Roman baths that once stood here.

Taking the road east out of Paloi will bring you the island’s best beaches: Lies, Moulari and Pachia Ammos. The first of these, Lies, has dark sand and pebbles, and while it does not afford much shade, it’s big enough for bathers to have some G R E E C E IS

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room to themselves and enjoy a sense of solitude. Just before you reach the beach, you’ll find Giorgis from Emporios making fresh cheese. If you’re lucky you can sample some freshly made on the spot or you can always get some to go.

At the end of the beach, the food truck/ café Oasis is a true haven in this stark and wild landscape; open from morning to late afternoon, it serves coffee, refreshments, snacks and raki with meze.

To reach Pachia Ammos (which means “thick sand”), take the footpath by the parking area on the main road.

Long and wide, this beach has coarse brown and black sand and a small valley further inland that makes it particularly popular with freestyle campers. It features regularly on lists of the country’s best beaches – and rightly so. If you can’t be bothered to make the trek all the way there, settle for Moulari, a small beach near the start of the trail that’s a miniature version of Pachia Ammos and is quiet even during peak season.

UP-AND-COMING Emporios is the first village off the main road which heads up the eastern

slope of the mountain, above the volcano’s crater. It is crowned by a medieval fortress called Pantoniki (or All-Victorious), which also contains a 13th century church dedicated to the Archangel (Taxiarchis). The village was deserted after the earthquake of 1933, but today it is regarded as the heart of the island, a magnet for visitors and local alike. It’s home to three shops, quite a few new hotels and the Sterna Art Project Organization. There are two tavernas on the first square you meet as you come into the village. To Balkoni tou Emporiou – where a lady called Katina runs the kitchen – is a historical landmark, as it was here that a desperate battle between German troops and Greek resistance fighters took place in 1945. Right across the way, Apyria is run by brothers Triantafyllos and Yiannis, and their sister Ourania. Both establishments serve local products and great food, all prepared according to traditional recipes.

One of the best-known eateries in the area, at what they call the “new entrance” to the village, Aposperi is a modern kafeneio that serves excellent meze and spirits and wines produced

Tip Step inside the tiny cave at the entrance to the village of Emporios and experience one of the island’s apyries, or natural saunas, fueled by hot steam (36-40°C) escaping through vents in the ground. Saunas like this can also be found inside some of the village’s houses, where they provide natural heating in the winter. The island’s biggest natural sauna, which is also accessible to visitors, is located on the way to Aghia Irini Beach.

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© MARO KOURI, SOFIA KARAGIANNI, CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU, SHUTTERSTOCK, VANGELIS ZAVOS

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1. Young people are continuing the folk music tradition of the island.

4. “I’ll be right back in 10 hours,” says the sign, underlining the relaxed pace of the island.

2. Narrow street with cats and colorful houses in Mandraki.

5. Nikia is renowned for its views over the crater and for its beautiful square, known as Porta.

3. Ilikiomeni Square in Mandraki is a meeting point for locals, as well as a beautiful place to enjoy coffee.

6. Dinos Papadelias quit hairdressing to get to grips with the creative art of mosaics. For every square meter he lays, he has to use 2,500 pebbles.

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© PANOS KOKKINIAS

© VANGELIS ZAVOS

Residents of Emporios participating in the filming of director Panos Karkanevatos’ “Athanasia.”

CREATIVE FORCES

by Kallia and her father Vangelis. His experiments in the kitchen often result in gourmet gatherings, while come evening, cocktails and uplifting music raise everyone’s spirits.

Impromptu parties are not unusual in Emporios. This upbeat atmosphere is one reason why demand has spiked in the past few years for new B&Bs and hotels; one of these is Sterna Nisyros Residences, a minimalist gem with an irresistible 360-degree view. For something different, ask around the village for the key to Taxiarchis Church or spend time exploring Kafka, a neighborhood now in ruins but still fascinating to walk around, as it offers you an excellent sense of the village’s architectural identity. volcano views Nikia, off the main road heading southwest, is renowned for its views over the crater. It’s also noted for its small circular town square, Porta, which sits beneath a cathedral dedicated to the Presentation of the Virgin Mother (Eisodia tis Theotokou). Porta is the perfect spot for a afternoon stop and a bite of food at Nikolas’ kafeneio. Don’t forget to visit the Volcanological Museum, where

a fascinating video tells you about how Nisyros was created.

As you head from Nikia to the southern coast, the landscape fills with weird lava formations; these eventually drop down sheer cliffs into the sea. In the middle of these cliffs are two small bays called Avlaki and Aghia Irini. Avlaki served as Nikia’s harbor until 1950 but is now completely deserted, although it’s a good spot for swimming. Near it is the Monastery of Aghios Panteleimon, which hosts the island’s liveliest church fete every year at the end of July.

Any tour of Nisyros is incomplete without a visit to the big crater and, if you can’t get enough of the volcanic experience, take some more time to explore the smaller craters to the right of the valley, as they are also very interesting. There are a lot of walking trails leading from the crater to the villages of Emporios and Nikia, as well as to the island’s highest summit, Nifios.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Athens-born artist Greg Haji Joannides is the founder and director of the Sterna Art Project, an organization that promotes creativity and expression on Nisyros through exhibitions and artists’ residencies.

For the past 20 years, the Mediterranean Film Institute (www. mfi.gr) has been inviting screenwriters and film directors from all over Europe and the Mediterranean to Nisyros for its Script to Film workshops. The program is run by acclaimed Greek feature and documentary filmmaker Eleni Alexandrakis, who puts together an interesting roster of free screenings at Emporios Elementary School and by artist Jason Karaindros, a fan of the island and a professor at the Regional School of Fine Arts in Rouen, who hosts special workshops on script and project development.

Every July and August since 2014, the Sterna Art Project (sterna.com.gr), founded by artist Greg Haji Joannides, has provided a creative platform for up-and-coming and established artists from Greece and other parts of the world.

Sterna, an interdisciplinary, non-profit organization that organizes exhibitions and residencies, is located in the medieval castle of Pantoniki in Emporios. It is named after the water storage tank inside the main residence, which is the biggest ever built in Emporios, with the idea being that it constitutes an empty vessel waiting to be filled with new creative ideas.

Info • Vegos:

Tel. (+30) 22420.315.89, Mandraki, Ilikiomeni Square • Restaurant Irini: Tel. (+30) 22420.313.65, Mandraki, Ilikiomeni Square • Kafeneio O Andrikos: Tel. (+30) 22420.315.12, Mandraki, Ilikiomeni Square • Ta Liotridia: Tel. (+30) 22420.315.80, Mandraki • Anaema: Tel. (+30) 697.294.7320, Mandraki • Loles Kores: Tel. (+30) 22420.310.24, Mandraki • Astradeni Restarant: Tel. (+30) 22420.310.61, Paloi • Captain’s house: Tel. (+30) 22420.310.16, Paloi • Taverna Ellinis: Tel. (+30) 22420.313.97, Paloi • Aphrodite Restaurant: Tel. (+30) 22420.315.60, Paloi • Oasis: Tel. (+30) 697.405.1010, Paloi, Lies Beach • Sterna Art Project & Residences: Tel. (+30) 694.205.0050, Castle of Emporios • To Balkoni tou Emporiou: Tel. (+30) 22420.316.07, Emporios • Apyria: Tel. (+30) 22420.313.77, Emporios • To Aposperi: Tel. (+30) 22420.310.22, Emporios • To Kafeneio tou Nikola: Tel. (+30) 22420.316.70, Nikia • Nisyros Volcanological Museum: Tel. (+30) 22420.314.00, Nikia • Mandraki Public Thermal Baths: Tel. (+30) 22420.312.84 • Loutra Cafe-Restaurant: Tel. (+30) 22420.317.92

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ILLUSTRATION: ASIMINA MITROTHANASI © NIchOLAS MASTORAS

Mandraki Public Thermal Baths

Some like it hot

The story goes that, in 1870, Nikolaos Apostolidis, a prominent Nisyrian suffering from psoriasis, traveled all the way to Constantinople to seek treatment, only to be informed that the hot waters back home held the key to his cure. So he came back, dug a pit in an area with hot springs in Skopi near Mandraki and began to take a daily dip. In a few days, he was cured. Apostolidis went on to finance the construction of a simple thermal spa, which he then donated to the community. On a larger scale, the Mandraki Public Thermal Baths still operate; the acidic and hydrosulfuric water here can reach temperatures of 45.2°C and is used for the treatment of muscoloskeletal, gynecological and dermatological disorders. Of course, it is very likely that it was Hippocrates of Kos who first operated a thermal bath on Nisyros, according to an inscription found in the ruins of Roman baths discovered in 1889 near the village of Paloi.

After this discovery, Pandaleon Pantelidis, a doctor, took it on himself to erect therapeutic spa facilities bearing Hippocrates’ name. The baths, with more than 100 rooms, entertainment halls, a casino, a barbershop, a library and a theater, proved immensely popular until the early 1930s, when they were gradually abandoned.

Mandraki mUSEUMS The Archaeological Museum covers the island’s entire history, from prehistoric times to the post-Byzantine era, including finds from the necropolis of the ancient city dating to the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic period. Tel. (+30) 22420.315.88, Tue-Sun: 8:00-15:00 Nisyros Folklore Museum occupies a two-story 18th-c. mansion set up like a traditional home, with rooms that include a kitchen, a baking room, and a living-room/bedroom; it also features displays of utilitarian objects, tools and local handicrafts. Open peak tourist hours.

WALKING TRAILS Nisyros boasts more than 40 trails, many signposted; the best are also the most accessible. Start at the Evangelistria Monastery in Mandraki and continue on to the top of Nifios for the amazing 360-degree view of the Aegean Sea (approx. one hour). Keep walking and you reach Lakki, the valley where the crater is located (one hour).

Alternatively, you can head from Evangelistria up to the northern rim of the crater and on to Emporios. From there, you can make it to Lakki (approx. 75 minutes).

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Distinct Identity E x plore t he rich a nd va ried del ight s of t he isl a nd’s cuisine Despite sharing common culinary influences from bost east and west, the Dodecanese islands have all developed their own distinct traditional cuisines – and Nisyros is no exception to this rule.

One of the stars of the dinner table is the chickpea fritter (known as pitthia – a Greek version of falafel), usually served with an almond-and-garlic sauce. Dig into summer salads made with an array of wild legumes and vegetables, and seasoned with tangy capers; ask for traditional dishes like boukounies (pork chunks fried in lard) and kapamas (kid goat stuffed with rice).

Nisyros also produces some very interest-

ing cheeses, the most popular of which is myzithra, served as a meze, as a side dish, or even drenched in honey, as a dessert.

Different approaches to syrup-soaked fried dough (xerotigana, diples, loukoumades) are the stars of the dessert menu, along with sweet preserves (made with quince, bitter orange or the small local tomatoes) and pastellaria (roasted figs sprinkled with crushed almonds and sesame seeds). The island also has a tradition in drinks, with the most popular being its soumada, an almond-based soft drink. You should also try the koukouzina, an alcoholic drink – much like raki – made from grape or fig, and sapsycho, made with rosemary.

© FOOD STYLING: TINA WEBB - PHOTO: GEORGE DRAKOPOULOS, ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHER: MANOLIS KAPA

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ARCHITECTURE

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Anatomy of a Nisyrian House The traditional two-story dwelling is an ingenious construction, striking the perfect balance between form and function.

BY RICHARD ECONOMAKIS

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he towns of Nisyros typify Greek Aegean settlements, with houses clustered close to each other for shade and protection from the strong Aegean winds. Streets wind along natural topographic boundaries for convenience, occasionally parting to create squares (plateíes) where churches, chapels and other public buildings are situated. Churches tend to be cross-vaulted basilicas influenced by the Latin church type introduced to the Dodecanese by the Knights of St. John. Chapels are modest barrel-vaulted structures, hidden from view to evade detection by pirates, and sometimes excavated from rock outcroppings. Other public buildings include the Town Hall (Dimarcheío), the Port Authority building (Kazérma), the island’s schools (scholeía), and the Public Thermal Baths (Loutrá) at Mandraki. These all show strong neoclassical influences, having been built in pe-

riods of heightened national sentiment and expectation of union with the Greek motherland.

The typical Nisyrian house is a two-story building (dípato or anokátogo); sometimes it is a single-story (monópato) and more rarely a three-story (trípato) structure. The ground floor is known as the katóï, while the upper floor is called the anóï (from the ancient words “katógeion” and “anógeion”).

The third story is referred to as the órofos, and appears occasionally where the property area was not sufficient to accommodate the tenants on two levels.

Houses are simple four-sided boxes, conforming to property boundaries, with the occasional projecting terrace or appended exterior stairway. They are built of medium-sized rubble stones held together with lime mortar; in olden days, they were left exposed and unpainted. In the early 20th c., it became

common to plaster and whitewash the façades in the manner of Cycladic vernacular buildings, but exposed rubble stone is now fashionable again. Most houses are accessed from the street, the entrances occasionally being elevated a meter or so off the pavement with the presence of stepped stone platforms (pezoúles) to protect the ground floor from rain water and facilitate the unloading of pack animals.

Some buildings are entered by way of courtyards (avlés) at the front or on the side of the principal façade. Subtle differences are noticeable in the houses of the three principal towns.

For instance, the structural arch is used more commonly at Emporios; in Nikia, houses have tiled, lean-to roofs; in Mandraki, the thrápfa, or roof stair-tower is common. In general, however, the plan arrangement follows the same principles.

A yellow and green outsider among the all-white houses in Nikia.

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© VISUALHELLAS.GR

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1. New pebble mosaic pavement in Mandraki by Nisyrian craftsman Dinos Papadelias, who has once again popularized the technique.

2. Stone-built pyramidal type of Nisyrian chimney known as a fanoftis.

the most characteristic rooms and furnishings of the Nisyrian katoΪ:

1. Stepped landing 2. Entrance 3. Entrance hall 4. Baking room 5. Oven 6. Hand-mill 7. Buffet 8. Staircase 9. Storage 10. Storage room (now usually a bathroom) 11. Place for hay and small animals 12. Kitchen 13. Fireplace 14. Sink 15.

Cistern 16. Grappling hook 17. Dish-rack 18.

Water bucket 19. Downspout 20. Courtyard

GROUND FLOOR (KATÓÏ) Because of the tightness of space in the settlements, home builders typically arranged spaces in opportune ways, and it is difficult to identify a single dominant plan type. However, certain rooms were common to all houses. For instance, most ground floors incorporate a multi-purpose living space, the katóï, and a cooking space called the maerió (from the ancient “mageireíon”). In older times, the katóï and maerió floors were made of compacted earth or clay, or occasionally pebble mosaics. Beyond these rooms in the back of the house are two or more smaller spaces communicating directly with the court or avlí.

These are the achyrónas for storing hay 20

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(which also doubles as the aoumás, or shelter for small animals), and a kellí for storing wood. There’s nearly always a small room with an oven opening onto the katóï, which is called the fournarió.

Here one usually finds the cherómylos, or hand-operated mill, consisting of two flat stones where grain was ground in preparation for the oven.

All of the older houses contain a wooden sleeping platform called a moní, which is elevated about 1.20m off the floor. Though usually located upstairs, this feature is also occasionally found in the katóï. It is separated from the rest of the living space by a transparent latticed curtain (the amoussía).

The sleeping mattress (stróma), which in older days was filled with hay, is kept covered during the daytime with decorative embroidered sheets known as ploumisménes sendónes. The bed is accessed by stepping on the pángos, a long wooden box located at the foot of the sleeping platform, which is used to store sheets and a clean change of sheets. Sometimes a series of vertical, ladder-like steps are built against the moní, rising between two vertical posts that serve as rails. The closet-like space beneath the moní is called a kellári, and serves as a pantry.

Directly above the door to the kellári is the moussándra, a small wooden platform built even higher than the level of the moní. This is where small children sleep, close to their parents behind the amoussía, and protected by a wooden parapet.

In one corner of the cooking area, or maerió, is the fireplace (záki or tsimniá), where foods are cooked and a fire tended for warmth in winter. This consists typically of a lower compartment where the wood is kept, and an upper estía, or hearth, which commu-

© CORNELIS DE VRIES/MELISSA PUBLISHING HOUSE

nicates directly with the flue. The sink (pinakoplýtis or anerádos) is normally located close to the fireplace; in earlier times, ash was used instead of soap for cleaning. Against the wall of the cooking area is a round wooden table-top, the soufrás, which can be stacked vertically out of the way between meals.

The cherómylos (or hand-mill) is made of two round flat sections of volcanic stone (the upper panópetra or panáris and the lower katópetra or katáris). The panópetra is turned with the help of a stick which is secured to the ceiling.

Sometimes the katóï is built directly over a cistern (vistérna), the round mouth of which (tráchilas) is constructed of stones and mortar and covered with a stone slab or wooden plank. The cistern is essential to all houses on Nisyros, as the island lacks natural springs.

In the more densely-built parts of town, wooden staircases are incorporated indoors in the katóï, usually facing the principal entrance. The space underneath the stair here serves as the equivalent to the kellári, or pantry.

the most characteristic rooms and furnishings in a Nisyrian anoΪ:

1. Staircase 2. Hallway 3. Bench/chest 4. Livingroom 5. Stair-box 6. Sofa 7. Chest 8. Dresser 9. Fireplace 10. Sofa 11. Brazier 12. Balcony 13. Bedroom 14. Bench/chest 15. Icon stand/ wedding-wreath display case 16. Sleeping platform 17. Elevated infant’s bed 18. Downspout 3

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3. Merging into a single sculpted mass, roofs in Mandraki await the autumn rains to catch precious water and direct it into private cisterns.

4. A double hand-mill in Mandraki. The turning sticks are attached to wooden wedges that are fastened to the edge of the upper stone.

UPPER-FLOOR (ANÓÏ) The upper floor of Nisyrian houses typically consists of a large public sitting room (sála), which occupies the entire front of the building; a smaller room ( kámari) used for storage or for the loom (argaliós); and a long private room (the mésa kámari) on the back side, which served as the principal bedroom.

There are numerous variations on the way one reaches the first floor of a Nisyrian house. In general, houses in more built-up areas of town incorporate a wooden staircase within the katóï, placing it near the entrance. In such cases, one ascends directly into the kámari or a small hallway. A common feature is the glavaní, a raised and stepped built-

in hollow box in the room directly over the staircase, which affords more headroom over the stairs. In some houses, there is an exterior stone stair that rises to a landing over the entrance to the ground floor (the domátsi in Mandraki; páno avlí at Emporios; and xáto at Nikia), from which one attains the sála and other upper-floor rooms.

Nisyrian houses often incorporate small, brightly painted wooden balconies (usually around 1x2m), accessible from the sála, which double as places to keep dry foods and laundry. Their sides are made of closely-fitting vertical planks ( katonákia), supported on a row of cantilevered timber beams.

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The sleeping giant of the Dodecanese Nisyros, the youngest of Greece’s active volcanos, is also the most fascinating – an endless source of knowledge for scientists and inspiration for artists and inquisitive travelers.

BY MARIA COVEOU

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syrians sought to explain both the regular earthquakes occurring on their island and the fumes that rose from the earth. Modern science, of course, has a different story to relate: one about a volcano that, having started its life underwater, started to emerge from the sea about 150,000 years ago. Over the next 135,000 years, a series of magmatic eruptions both great and small formed an island-volcano similar in shape and size to the Nisyros we know today.

When Neolithic man inhabited the island some 6,500 years ago, all magmatic activity – the result of which is

The other-worldly nature of the crater Stefanos, seen here from the top of the caldera, is an endless source of inspiration.

© GETTY IMAGES/IDEAL IMAGE

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isualize the scene: above the Aegean Sea, the war between the Giants and the Olympian Gods is raging. Poseidon, the god of the sea, is giving chase to a giant by the name of Polyvotis. When he finally catches up with him, near Kos in the south-east, he uses his trident to tear off a chunk of the island, which he then catapults on top of Polyvotis. This piece of Kos becomes the island of Nisyros, trapping the hapless giant underneath – an eternal prisoner of the Olympians, forever groaning and puffing in anguish in his effort to break free.

This is at least how the ancient Ni-

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© CORNELIS DE VRIES/MELISSA PUBLISHING HOUSE, CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU

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View of the caldera with the village of Nikia standing guard over the crater.

molten rock – had ceased. The only eruptions witnessed by those primitive people, and all subsequent inhabitants in historical times, were hydrothermal.

These occur when the hot fluids under the earth’s surface produce so much steam that the layers of rock buckle under both the pressure and the concurrent earthquakes, popping like the lid of a pressure cooker and expelling steam, gas, mud and rock.

Hydrothermal eruptions are not as catastrophic as magmatic ones, but they must have been as frightening, judging from the account of French geologist Henri Gorceix, who witnessed one in 1871: “After a violent quake the villagers of Nisyros heard crashes as loud as thunder; red and yellow flames leapt into the air, higher than the island’s loftiest peaks, falling back into the sea; the fields at the base of the original crater were covered in white dust. That same night, huge fumaroles opened up and since then have not ceased to vomit forth their fumes.”

The “legacy” of all those hydrother14

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mal eruptions to future generations were the circular craters that are nowadays so popular with tourists. Of the 20 traced on the island, the largest, most imposing and most visited of all is the approximately 4,000-5,000-year-old Stefanos, known simply as “the volcano.” Elliptical in shape, with a diameter ranging from 260m to 330m and 27m deep, Stefanos is in fact one of the largest and best preserved hydrothermal craters in the world. Its fumaroles (the holes in the ground) are still puffing hydrogen sulfide and the water under the surface boils at corrosive temperatures. This serves as a reminder that even though Nisyros has not given any indication of magmatic activity for thousands of years, it is, nonetheless, a potentially active volcano. Therefore, a hydrothermal eruption following an earthquake is not out of the question.

This is why there is a permanent observatory on the island to monitor earthquakes and volcanic activity.

And still, no rotten-egg stench or risk has ever deterred – or should ever deter – visitors from making a pilgrimage to this most hospitable of Nisyros’ craters, or to any of the island’s craters for that matter, if only to experience up close the earth’s inner workings. Such visits are

a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, given that craters are rarely accessible and at most volcano-hosting destinations one can, at best, enjoy the view from the top of a caldera. Nisyros, however, is unique in that it is accessible in the same way a museum is – in this case, an open-air geological museum. And to geologists and volcanologists, it is in fact one; its young age (150,000 years is very recent in geological terms) and its inactivity allows them to easily trace the volcano’s formation from the exposed rocks.

No geologist or geology student, however, seems to find the island-volcano more intriguing than the visiting artist. Be it either the out-of-this-world landscape of its craters or a strange fascination with the earth’s potentially destructive nature, artists have returned over and over again seeking inspiration.

Greek director-producer Eleni Alexandrakis first visited the island 30 years ago and has not stopped returning ever since, “magnetized,” as she says, by its volcanic energy. She has filmed several scenes on the island, while her film “Angel and the Weightlifter” (2008) was shot almost exclusively inside Stefanos.

In fact, Alexandrakis is so fascinated by volcanos that, for the past two years, she has been organizing a summer film festival of sorts called Ifestiada in the village of Emporios, where she screens films and documentaries relating to volcanos.

Even though no magmatic activity has been recorded for thousands of years, Nisyros is a potentially active volcano and a hydrothermal eruption is not out of the question.

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Sulphur crystals form around the fumaroles, painting the Stefanos yellow. Don’t try to collect them for they will crumble to dust immediately.

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© Pinelopi Gerasimou

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NISYROS VOLCANOLOGICAL MUSEUM

On 18 August, 2016, fifteen young Greek musicians took part in a unique musical encounter called 634 Minutes Inside the Volcano, during which they composed on the fly a musical piece inspired by the crater.

Other visual artists, including fellow directors as well as photographers and painters, have also used the volcano as a muse, though nothing seems more impressive than how a volcano can inspire music. Last summer, in fact, a unique, one-night-only experimental musical encounter took place in the Stefanos crater. Under the August full moon, 15 young Greek musicians met for the first time and improvised for exactly 10 hours and 34 minutes (the length of time between sunset and sunrise), composing on the fly a lengthy music piece inspired by the unique volcanic scenery around them. “The place has an incredible, primordial vibe. You could feel the earth boiling underneath you, hear the hissing of the vapors,” recalls pianist Tania Giannouli, who participated in the event.

And if a volcano’s ability to inspire seems too intangible or even metaphysical a notion, a visit there is very likely to stir the inner artist of the most prosaic of people. But even if your creative genius fails to bubble to the sur16

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face, you will have been a guest of one of Greece’s most eloquent of geological hosts, which is certain to make you ponder on human powerlessness when faced by giants.

Special thanks to volcanologist Giorgos Vougioukalakis from Greece’s Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration (IGME).

Everything you ever wanted to know about volcanos, and Nisyros in particular, can be found in the island’s contemporary Volcanological Museum, the only one of its kind in Greece.

Located in the village of Nikia at a prime spot on top of the caldera, it offers panoramic views of the caldera’s interior and of Stefanos. Interactive screens with digital representations, a three-dimensional model of the island, a video projection showing the creation of Nisyros and other active Aegean volcanoes, as well as a unique collection of 250 volcanic rocks, many of which can be touched, make the visit here a powerful experience.

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Open mid-May until mid-October • h o u r s : 11:00-19:00 daily A d m i s s i o n : €4 (reduced €2) • Tel. (+30) 22420.314.00

The crater Stefanos “starred” in the 2008 film “Angel and the Weightlifter” by Greek filmmaker Eleni Alexandrakis.

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An Explosive History G E O L O G I C A L m i le s t o n e s i n t h e t u m u lt u o u s l i f e o f t h e i s la n d - v o lca n o

2.5 million years ago

160,000 years ago

150,000 years ago

60,000 years ago

55-50,000 years ago

25-15,000 years ago

The first volcanic episodes occur around Nisyros.

The region is struck by its greatest volcanic event ever. Nisyros is an underwater volcano, with probably just its peak jutting out from the sea.

The volcano begins to emerge from the sea to form a land cone.

The first eruptions take place as a huge amount of gas-rich magma, which has been accumulating below the earth’s surface, finds release.

After a suspension of volcanic activity, a catastrophic eruption takes place. The peak of the volcano collapses and the Nisyros caldera is formed.

The post-caldera domes (the hills), filling some two-thirds of the caldera, are formed after another catastrophic eruption.

L E G E ND Beach deposits and scree Hydrothermal explosion products and lacustrine deposits Yali upper (<10.000 years) Post-caldera domes and lava flows Upper pumice (~15.000 years) Nikia lava domes and flows Lower pumice (~25.000 years) Emporio lava domes and hot avalances Kyra formation (30~40.000 years) Argos lava (~60.000 years) Lava flows and tephra of the first subaerial cone (70~150.000 years) Submarine lavas (>160.000 years) Fault Morphological caldera rim

~6,500 years ago

5,000-4,000 years ago

Neolithic man inhabits the island.

A hydrothermal eruption gives birth to the Stefanos crater.

1871

1873

1887

A violent earthquake sets off a series of hydrothermal eruptions.

Two small craters open up, Polyvotis and Alexandros (or Flegethro).

A hydrothermal eruption, the last one recorded in Nisyros’ history, gives birth to the crater Mikros (small) Polyvotis.

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Hydrothermal crater Dome Lava neck Fumarole Hot Spring

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© CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU, MINISTRY OF CULTURE & SPORTS/EPHORATE OF ANTIQUITIES OF DODECANESE

The gate of the Hellenistic acropolis, locally known as Palaiokastro, southwest of Mandraki.

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SHAPED

BY CONFLICT Born in a mythical battle, Nisyros has been coveted and conquered over the course of millennia, but steadfastly retained its Greek identity.

BY Richard Economakis*

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ccording to ancient mythographers, Nisyros was created by the god Poseidon during his battle with the giant Polyvotis, whom he pursued until he came to the island of Kos. Using his trident to break off and hurl a fragment of Kos, Poseidon crushed Polyvotis under the rock’s weight. That rock, the myth says, is Nisyros.

The island has been inhabited since Neolithic times. A Cycladic figurine now in the Berlin Glyptothek is said to come from Nisyros, and a later Minoan presence is confirmed by the discovery, at

the Palace of Zakros in Crete, of a beautiful chalice made of a single piece of obsidian from the island of Yiali, adjacent to Nisyros.

The earliest written mention of the island occurs in Homer’s “Iliad” (8th c. BC), in which we learn that Nisyros contributed ships to the expedition against Troy (1184 BC), under the command of the rulers of Kos, Pheidippos and Antiphos. Soon after the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization, Nisyros appears to have been overrun by a new wave of Greeks from the mainland, the Dorians. The ancient historian

Herodotus identified the 5th c. BC inhabitants of Kos, Nisyros and Calymnos as Dorians from Epidauros in the Peloponnese. The colonists who settled in the southeastern Aegean formed a “Dorian Hexapolis,” of which Nisyros was regarded as a partner. By this time, Nisyros had at least one town, a harbor, thermal baths, and a temple dedicated to Poseidon. The city was located in the area of the modern town of Mandraki, beneath the ancient acropolis of Palaiokastro.

During the Persian Wars, Nisyros fought on the side of King Xerxes

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The “Baroutochanas,” the Castle of the Knights of St. John in Mandraki, overlooking the village.

and took part, under the command of Queen Artemisia of Halicarnassus, in the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC. After the formation of the Delian League, Nisyros became a tributary ally of the Athenians, contributing troops and funds during the Peloponnesian War. Following the victory of Sparta at Aigos Potamoi in 405 BC, the island briefly joined the Spartan side, until the Battle of Cnidos in 394 BC, when the Athenian admiral Conon temporarily re-established his city’s hegemony in the area.

Alexander the Great claimed sovereignty over Nisyros and the surrounding islands in 334 BC. Macedonian Rule was welcomed as a necessary imposition of order in the region by a Hellenic power. Around 200 BC, Nisyros joined the Rhodian Peraia, an alliance of Greek regional states under Rhodian hegemony. When the forces of King Phillip V of Macedon attempted to subdue the Rhodian allies, the Nisyrian admiral Gnomagoras helped to defeat them.

In 41 BC, Nisyros was sacked by Anthony and Cleopatra after the bat10

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tle of Pharsala, because its inhabitants disobeyed them. Under Emperor Vespasian (AD 67-69), the island belonged to the Roman “provincia insularum.”

Extensive Roman baths, parts of which are still visible, were constructed near the present-day harbor town of Paloi.

With the foundation of Constantinople in AD 330, Nisyros became an integral part of the Byzantine Empire.

The island was administered as part of the Byzantine “theme” of Samos. After 1082, when Emperor Alexios Comnenos offered the Venetians privileges in the eastern Aegean, they began exerting significant influence in the area. During the Fourth Crusade, the Byzantine governor of Rhodes, Leon

Gavalas, declared independence and fortified Nisyros. In 1246, after Gavalas was succeeded by his brother Ioannis, the islands were re-incorporated into the Byzantine Empire. Following a brief occupation by Genoese forces and their subsequent expulsion by Emperor Michael Palaiologos, Nisyros fell under the protection of the Knights of Rhodes, who took possession in 1315.

What followed was a period of occupation by a succession of forces belonging to Western aristocrats. A popular insurrection took place in 1352 against the Italian master of Nisyros Novello Manocca da Ischia.

Immediately after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, Nisyros was for-

Alexander the Great claimed sovereignty over Nisyros and the surrounding islands in 334 BC. Macedonian Rule was welcomed as a necessary imposition of order in the region by a Hellenic power.

© ARTIN KARAKASIAN, VISUALHELLAS.GR, MINISTRY OF CULTURE & SPORTS/EPHORATE OF ANTIQUITIES OF DODECANESE

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1. Poseidon fighting Polyvotis. Tondo of an Attic red-figure kylix, ca. 475-470 BC. Found in Vulci, Etruri (Cabinet des Médailles-Bibliothèque Nationale de France).

2. A grave stele from Nisyros, dating from Roman times (Archaeological Museum of Rhodes).

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tified by the Knights in anticipation of massive Ottoman attacks. In 1455, an Ottoman fleet led by Hamza Bey attacked Nisyros and carried off many of its inhabitants, selling them into slavery. The island was again overwhelmed in 1457 by an Ottoman fleet. In 1471, the Grand Magistrate of Rhodes Giovanni Battista de Orsini, in whose charge Nisyros had been placed, handed the island over to the Catalan Knight Galcerano da Lugo, with orders to prevent the Ottomans from returning.

Suleiman the Magnificent wrestled the eastern Aegean islands from the Knights in 1522. Because it willfully submitted to Suleiman, Nisyros was granted a degree of autonomy and was not settled by Turks. However, Turkish rule was severe and gradually eradicated the local religion and cultural identity. Substantial privileges were bestowed on natives who would convert to Islam and follow Turkish language and customs. A head tax (the “maktou”) was imposed on Christians and Islamized men who re-embraced the Christian faith were put to death by dismember-

ment or beheading. One 15-year old Nisyrian by the name of Nikitas Karmiris suffered such a fate in 1754, and was later canonized as Aghios Nikitas.

In the second half of the 18th c., Nisyros and the other islands experienced a relaxation of Ottoman authority, thanks to the Russo-Turkish War (1769-1792), during which Empress Catherine forced the Ottomans to ease their control over the Greek Orthodox population. Nisyros played an active role in the Greek Revolution of 1821 by supplying men for the fleet of Admiral Andreas Miaoulis. The Dodecanese islands enjoyed a short period of freedom in 1823 as a part of the “Temporary Administration of Hellas,” but after the London protocols of 1829 and 1830, they were required once again to submit to Ottoman rule, albeit in exchange for special privileges. After the Young Turks’ Revolution of 1908, these privileges were cancelled.

Turkish rule ended in 1912, when the Dodecanese were seized by an Italian fleet after Italy had annexed North African territories controlled by Turkey.

Though welcomed at first as liberators, the Italians soon began to transform the islands into permanent colonies. In 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne stipulated that Turkey permanently cede the islands to Italy. Native resentment toward the Italians grew with the introduction of harsh taxation, the nationalization of Greek businesses, and the denigration, in 1937, of the Greek language to the status of a regional tongue.

Following Italy’s surrender to the Allies in 1943, the Dodecanese passed into German hands. Nisyrians fervently resisted the new occupying forces.

The German surrender of the Dodecanese was signed on May 8, 1945. Like the rest of the islands, Nisyros remained under British protection for two years until the much-desired union with Greece, on March 31, 1947.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Richard Economakis is an architect, associate professor and Director of Graduate Studies for the Architecture and Urbanism Program at University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA. He combines teaching with his own private practice.

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insight

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IN A NUTSHELL Nisyros is a lovable island and here’s why.

BY A N T H O U L A K AT S I M AT I D E S * I L L U S T R A T IO N : P hilippos A v ramides

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The volcano. Yes. A real volcano. This is what gives Nisyros an incredible energy that makes you feel as if you’re on a different planet. The whole island is actually a volcano, but you can descend into its crater. Smell the sulfur, feel the heat and be awestruck by of the beauty that surrounds you. When you emerge, cool down in the shade and have a coffee at the café. Ask someone to tell you the myth of the giant Polyvotis and his fight with Poseidon, who imprisoned him under the earth where he hisses and rumbles – but for now, thankfully, does not erupt.

The natural sauna at the entrance of Emporios village – another way to experience the intense volcanic activity. Or, if you had enough heat, head into what seems like a deserted village and explore the beauty and contrast of the ruins alongside the villas. Be sure to eat at the local tavernas. Take in breathtaking views and/or a shot of ouzo or tsipouro with your meal.

Hohlaki beach. We can’t boast about our sandy beaches because we have lots of rocks! But nothing compares to the sound of big, blue-black volcanic pebbles rolling down the shore as the waves retreat. You can meditate to the sound. It’s therapeutic. It’s soothing. Plus, the sea is crystal clear. Be sure to bring water shoes if your feet are sensitive, and plenty of sunscreen.

Shade is limited.

Gyali, a nearby islet, boasts the prettiest beaches, although it has huge quantities of pumice deposits and obsidian lava. Should your tour go on to the next islet of Aghios Antonios, you’ll really be in heaven. If you get lucky, you might even hitch a ride from a local who is headed over there to fish. Enjoy diving off the boat!

The “round” Porta Square of the sweet village of Nikia. Enjoy a homemade soumada, a sweet, non-alcoholic almond drink, on ice, while taking in the amazing views of the Aegean. Then get lost in the winding cobblestone paths of the village and admire the architecture.

As you exit the village, make sure to look up at the pristine white church of Profitis Ilias which appears suspended in the sky.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anthoula Katsimatides is a New York-based actress, producer and writer. Her one-person show, What Will People Think?, won best autobiographical script in the 2014 United Solo Festival and sold out five shows in 2015.

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The Dorian-built fortress known as the Paleokastro, a kind of “Egyptian-pyramid” wonder – how on earth did the people lift and place those gigantic stone blocks? Beyond marveling at its creation, I strongly suggest you bring a coffee here and watch the sunset, or visit when there is a full moon and have a philosophical conversation with one of the older locals.

Sometimes the moon is so big and so close, you feel as if you could reach out and touch it!

Rent a bike and ride down the lanes of Mandraki. Keep a lookout for the unique pebble mosaics in the sidewalks, all created by a local craftsman. If you’re adventurous, bike to the fishing village of Paloi. Swim at the beach and eat fresh fish at any of the tavernas while taking in the pretty view of the harbor.

The Panaghia Spiliani Monastery (Virgin of the Caves), the protectress of the island. It’s located in a cave on the side of a mountain, so there are a lot of steps to climb so be sure to visit at a time when the sun isn’t at its hottest. If you’re there in mid-August, listen for boat horns blowing on the 14th as they arrive (around 10am) and as they depart on the 15th (around 3pm). They are bringing the faithful to Nisyros to venerate the monastery’s icon in honor of the feast of the Dormition. On both evenings, be sure to head to the annual celebrations above Ilikiomeni Square. Traditional food, music and dancing will keep you out till dawn.

Speaking of dawn, a night out is not complete without a visit to the bakery in Mandraki. It opens just around 2am and you can enjoy fresh-out-of-the-oven goodies before bedtime. There are several fun bars and cafés where you can drink with the locals. There are no distinctions between local and tourist joints on Nisyros, which can lead to unforgettable memories and lifelong friends.

If you spend enough time there, you might just fall in love for real with a local or a fellow tourist, and the magic is enhanced. And then you’re hooked. I wish that for you.

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G R E E C E IS

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N IS Y R OS 2 0 1 7

7

Authenticity

© ARTIN KARAKASIAN

© ODYSSEAS SAKELLARIDHS

© GI A NNIS PS AT H A S

A magical destination

WELCOME TO NISYROS!

© ARTIN KARAKASIAN

© ODYSSEAS SAKELLARIDHS

Enchanting volcanic beaches

Charming Nisyrian houses

© ARTIN KARAKASIAN

© GI A NNIS PS AT H A S

Out-of-this-world volcanic landscapes

12 24

08

18

CONTENTS Greece Is - NISYROS, 2017 Issue, First Edition 6. In a Nutshell. New York-based

18. Anatomy of a Nisyrian House.

actress Anthoula Katsimatides, originally

The traditional two-story dwelling is

hailing from Nisyros, puts together the

an ingenious construction, striking

ultimate shortlist of reasons to fall in love

the perfect balance between form and

with the island.

function.

8 Shaped by Conflict. Nisyros has been

22. Gastronomy. Explore the rich and

coveted and conquered over the course

varied delights of the island’s cuisine.

of millennia, but steadfastly retained its Greek identity.

24. The Grand Tour. A pretty impressive array of things to see, eat,

12. The Sleeping Giant

drink and do will make you forget this is a

of the Dodecanese. Greece’s youngest

tiny island.

active volcano is an endless source of knowledge for scientists and inspiration for artists and inquisitive travelers.

32. Feeling the Spirit. Religious festivals are an intrinsic part of Greek culture, and Nisyros is particularly famous for throwing a good bash.

ON THE C OVER The central square of Nikia, known as Porta, with its characteristic pebble mosaic flooring from 1923. © Clairy Moustafellou

4

GREECE-is.com

More than 5,000 years of history

Polyvotis is your gracious host The municipal Guest House Polyvotis offers 20 rooms with en-suite bathrooms with showers and with basic amenities, including a ceiling fan, TV and a mini fridge, and veranda views of the Aegean Sea. Facilities include a bar, a dining area where breakfast is served daily, a sun terrace, a garden and a fitness center. Free Wi-Fi is available in all common rooms.

© ARTIN KARAKASIAN

• Mandraki Village (50m from Nisyros Port) • Tel. (+30) 2242.031.011, (+30) 2242.031.012,

© GI A NNIS PS AT H A S

© GIANNIS GIANNELOS

An abundance of hot springs

greece is experience culture, gastronomy & more

N I S YRO S

FIRST EDITION

ISSN: 2459-041X

2017 ISSUE

6 - 7

8 - 11

12 - 17

18 - 32

IN A NUTSHELL

H I S TO R Y

T H E V O LC A N O

EXPERIENCE

Size doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter; there are many reasons to fall in love with this small, unpretentious island, which has gained die-hard fans through the decades.

Born in a battle between a god and a giant and shaped by conflicts, Nisyros has been a bone of contention between all the powers that swept through here.

The youngest of Greeceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s active volcanos is also an endless source of knowledge for scientists and inspiration for artists and inquisitive travelers.

Architecture that strikes the perfect balance between form and function, film-set villages and a way of life that resists the modern sirens... Need we say more?