Naxos Island - Cyclades, Greece
Naxos is the biggest island from the Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea - a whole of 428 square km. Also, it is has the highest density of population. It was at the heart of the Cycladic culture - there are many ruins and interesting ancient places to prove that. There is one temple submerged in the sea, with two columns still popping out - you can either enjoy the view from the land, or dive and explore their beauty in detail.
You can get there by ferry, and this is the only island from the Cyclades, that has its own airport.
Many of the Cyclades have mineral deposits; Naxos has fertile soils and constant sufficient supply of fresh water (unlike many other places at that geographical region.)
The island with all the "most" and "the best", has also the highest peak in the Cyclades - Mount Zas (1 004 m)
The main settlements on the island are Tragea, Koronos, Apollonas, Filoti, Sangri.
The main villages are: Filoti, Apiranthos, Tragea (chalki), Koronos, Sangri, Apollonas
In literature, the island was mentioned by Homer; from mythology it is considered to be the marriage place of the god Dionysus (who is the god of wine and ultimately, pleasure). Also, before the historic Trojan War, Theseus fled away from Ariadna, the daughter of the King of Crete. Dionysus had a crush on the beautiful heart-broken Ariadna, but she couldn't get over the loss of Theseus and committed suicide.
Now, back to real history: In 5th c BC the citizens of Naxos started a revolt which grew into the Persian War between Greece and Persia. Later Naxos dominated trade in the Cyclades, as the most important and biggest harbours were at Naxos and, of course, the large population meant a lot of markets.
Naxos had the same destiny as all the other Cyclades, and generally Greek islands - Byzantium rule, Venetian rule and Ottoman rule; reunion with the Greek state in 1832.
Naxos has many schools, lyceums (middle schools), one high school, a lot of churches, a post office and a bunch of squares (plateies).
At Naxos you can see the most numerous examples of Greek architecture, and especially the Cycladic variety. Whitewashed houses, sloping roofs, almost no curves on the outer façades of the buildings. The Greek authorities have solved the problem with growth and traditions very originally - they just banned modern-looking new buildings. If you want to build any new construction, you have to devise its appearance so that it looks in compliance with the traditional houses around it. Just then you get an approval.
You can smell oleander everywhere - it is the living decoration of the island in pink, white, yellow. There are some not very big wineries, cherry tree plantations, pomegranates. At Naxos are produced the two most important agricultural products of Greece - olive oil and oranges. The island also exports potatoes; and many people earn their living by fishing.
From the polished shells and other sea crustaceans many jewelers produce beautiful necklaces, bracelets, earrings. There is one special stone, that can be found only at the beaches of Naxos, and many types of jewelry are produced from it. It is called Naxos' eye.
The most important landmark, also known as the symbol of Naxos is the "Portara" - it looks like one part of the Stonehenge, and is actually an ancient temple of Apollo.
You can see an imposing Venetian castle overlooking the sea; another worthy site is the Church of Panagia Mirtidiotisa (close to the main port). The museum of Naxos is within the cool chambers of the Castle. It has a big number of exhibits from various periods of the history of Naxos. You will be able to compare samples of ancient local art and the influences from the many civilizations, which have left their traces on the island.
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