According to Greek mythology, the Naxos island is the home of the god Dionysus or Bacchus as it is called by the Romans, the divinity of fun, ecstasy and passion caused by wine, and one of the reasons why we believe in this legend is the fact that the fertile valley within the island offers abundant harvests of the sweet nectar which turns into excellent juice known throughout Greece and the world.

The myth of Dionysus begins when Zeus the God of Gods, falls in love with Princess Semele and takes on human form to conquer and seduce her. When Semele becomes pregnant,  the God confesses her true identity and Era the very jealous Zeus wife who became aware of her husband's millionth betrayal, she also turns into human convincing Semele to be her nurse once the baby is born. By deception, Era makes the princess confess who the father of the newborn is and influences Semele that Zeus is not actually what he wants to make believe so putting hatred and suspicion among them. At that point Semele asks Zeus for proof that he is actually the King of the Gods and the God forced to show himself in his actual form, he presents himself as a lightning bolt and lightning charring and killing Semele. Little Dionysus who was still in his mother's womb, however, "escaped" and Zeus who loved him very much took him and put him in his leg until birth. He then entrusted it to Ino's sister of Semele but the perfidious Era drove her and her husband crazy. At this point Zeus transformed the child into a kid and entrusted him to Hermes and the nymphs who together with Silenus in a constant state of intoxication and with the gift of prophecy, made them grow. Dionysus with a cheerful and enterprising temperament traveled to many places discovering the cultivations of the vine and teaching the secrets of the art of wine.

Another mythological version, however, tells that Theseus during the return from Crete after killing the Minotaur thanks to Ariadne, abandoned the girl on the Naxos island and Dionysus when he saw her he fell in love with her, making her later his bride and making her become a goddess. In order to thank the benevolence of Dionysus, the inhabitants of Naxos built a large temple which today is located near the Glinado village, about five kilometers from the capital.

Its construction dates back to around the 6th century BC respecting the Ionian style, it was then rebuilt in the 1st century BC by the Romans and in the 5th century AD it was transformed into a Christian church. Its discovery took place in 1982 but only in 1996 it was opened to the public. Over time it has been a very important place of worship as evidenced by the finds found that can be admired in a small room right next to it. This is an extremely prestigious site so as to be mentioned in the international archaeological bibliography and in the main books of Greek architecture.

Better with your own vehicle and simply from Chora, take the direction towards Glinado and you will find the site.The site is very well maintained and the entrance ticket costs around € 2 per person.An interesting alternative to a day on the beach and to be put among the things to see in Naxos.