Syros Island - Cyclades, Greece
Syros (Greek: Συρος), or Siros or Syra is the ideal middle of the Cyclades complex, located in the Aegean Sea, at 78 nautical miles south-east of Athens. The island includes famous towns like Hermoupolis and Ano Syros. Hermoupolis is the administrative capital of the Island and the whole Cyclades complex. It has always been a significant port town even more than the relatively more famous Pireus.
You can access it via water as there is a very orderly and frequent system of water transportation, and by plane - as there is an airport at Syros.
Hermoupolis, the "Queen of the Cyclades", stands on a natural amphitheatre, in a hilly region. The architecture is eclectic - neo-classical buildings, old imposing mansions and the traditional whitewashed houses cascading down to the picturesque and rather large harbour. The City Hall atthe central Miaoulis Square ringed with cafés and huddled up under palm trees, has a splendour all of its own. The "City of Hermes" (hermo-polis, polis is the Greek for city) has numerous magnificent churches, the most remarkable of which are Metamorphosis, Koimisis, St Demetrius, Three Hierarchs, Anastasis, Evangelistria and St Nicolas. The Archaeological Museum has a collection of rare exhibits, which you should not miss - after all Greece is one of the countries with richest history and highest concentration of archaeological findings. An interesting part of the town is the Neighbourhood of the Captains, Vaporia. Strolling around its narrow streets and big neo-classical mansions, you can't miss the typical Greek atmosphere. Especially if you end up in one of the vivid taverns.
Ano Syros is the second-biggest town on the island and was founded by the Venetians at the beginning of the 13th century on the hill of St. George, north-west of Hermoupolis. Ano Syros has preserved its enchanting Medieval spirit. Innumerable stairs among narrow coble streets and houses with coloured doors lead you to the highest point of the town, where the view is worth the effort - a panoramic view of the islands of Tinos, Delos, Mikonos, Paros and Naxos. The medieval settlement of Ano Syros is not accessable by car (which explains to a great extent why it has been preserved); you can walk around it mostly by marble steps. The distance from the port to the main entry of the town is around 3500 metres. The Catholic Basilica of San Georgio rises up and cast its shadow over Ano Syros. The church was built in the 13th century.
During Roman times the capital of Syros was at the same place - the area of contemporary Hermoupolis. After the decline of the Roman Empire, The barbaric loots and piracy made Syros suffer a lot economically. In the Byzantine years Syros was the main part of the Aegean Dominion. After that it was ruled by Venetians, and Ottomans, but Syros has always been a relatively secure shelter, and many refugees has chosen to come there.
With the formation of the Greek Republic, the Catholic population of the island was Hellenized and changed their Latin family names to Greek. The island returned to peace and tranquility and became famous as a crossroads of cultures and religions in the Aegean and as an international trade center linking Western Europe and the Mediterranean sea to the East.
Since 1830 the commerce of fabrics, silk, ship building, leather and iron light industries flourish at Syros. At the same time, a bank system was also developed. In 1860 Hermoupolis was the most important commercial port in Greece. The advance of architecture at the island is notable - from the classical it passed though several periods, many foreign and Greek architects took the challenge to build at the island. Today Hermoupolis enjoys the greatest density and diversity of neoclassical architecture among all the Greek islands.
The capital today has 7 elementary schools, 4 high schools, 2 technical schools and most importantly, the Aegean University - the Department of Fine Arts.
There are many attractions - both traditional and modern, almost everything you might desire on a holiday. The hospitality of the local people, the well-organized infra-structure, the variety of entertainment options, the beauty of the landscape and the sandy beeches, the monuments promise a wonderful rest in whichever part of the year. The rest, as they say, depend on you.
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