Eressos town togetherwith the twin village on the coast Skala Eressos can be found in thesouthwest part of the Lesbos island about eighty five kilometersfrom the capital Mytilene.

A place of particularinterest for its architecture, a still extremely intact and wildnature, with one of the most beautiful and longest beaches in Greece,a relaxed and bohemian atmosphere that attracts artists and where youcan be yourself without problems or someone who judge And yes,because Eressos is the place where Sappho was born, the greatestpoetess of antiquity whose poetry became a paradigm of femalehomosexual love, thus giving rise to the term “saffic”.

LGBT communities loveto meet here thanks also to the beautiful festival organized in September, gays, nostalgic hippies and people who love to enjoy aholiday in total freedom. Don’t think it’s a sort of Sodom andGomorrah, on the contrary, Eressos is one of the most beautifulholiday resorts in Greece where families with small children canenjoy moments of absolute relaxation in complete safety withoutgiving up the typical Greek flavour.

When you arrive in this partof Lesbos, the landscape transforms into an almost lunar landscapewith mountains devoid of vegetation and particular rock formationsdue to its volcanic origins. At one point the road splits leading oneway to Sigri and the other to Eressos and Skala Eressos where a hugegreen valley opens up with the old village just on the top of the Vigla hill. On the coast, the Skala town Eressos, with itspeaceful mood and perfect for escaping from everything, a longpedestrian area is the host and allows you to live in completeserenity. Excellent restaurants and typical taverns, some on coloredwooden platforms like stilt houses on the sea where you can tastefresh fish and ancient local recipes, cafes, shops, boutiques, bars,clubs and beach parties where you can spend unforgettable evenings,and still a great choice of accommodation, supermarkets, bakeries,idyllic coasts in short, everything you need for a holiday as Godintended. The area includes five other villages to be discovered withtheir own personal character such as Messotopos, Vatoussa, Chidira,Sigri and Pterounda where you can go to taste the traditional mezedesaccompanied by an excellent ouzo in the shade of huge, centuries oldplane trees. Obviously there is also a small port where fishermendock their boats when they return from fishing trips loaded withexcellent fish which is distributed among the taverns andrestaurants.

Eressos is also the mostimportant center for those with a spiritual mentality, so much sothat right here is an Ashram Centro Afroz Osho dedicated to Baghwan Shree Rajneesh known as Osho which attracts thousands of followerslike a magnet and those who want to experiment with new New Agepractices for physical and mental well being. And again, SkalaEressos boasts a beautiful open air cinema under the stars wherefilms for all tastes are shown. For lovers of hiking and birdwatching, the whole area is a real paradise that offers natural spas, archaeological remains, trekking routes between farms orchards,tiny churches, a fauna and flora rich in rare species starting fromwetland of Psaropotamos up to the highest peak where the Pithari Monastery is located to rest and enjoy a wonderful view of the springlake which is located at the edge of the town along the beach full ofturtles, frogs, and strange fish.

Another attraction notfar from Eressos is its incredible Petrified Forest that we find inthe Sigri area where you can have confirmation of what the territorywas like twenty million years ago before the violent geologicalchanges caused by earthquakes. An area of immense value where once itwas completely covered by immense oaks so as to be considered thelung of Lesvos which were completely covered by fossilized lava.There are two petrified forests in Greece, one in Lesbos, the otherin the Peloponnese.

But the most preciousjewel of Eressos also called Skala Eresou Gialos by the locals isundoubtedly its famous beach which is located a couple of kilometersfrom the village. Three kilometers of dark sand mixed with somepebbles, transparent waters that change color depending on the timeof day, going from sparkling blue to deep blue to purple duringsunset. It is well equipped with sunbeds, umbrellas, bars, taverns,showers, changing rooms and a vast choice of water sports to have funand spend carefree hours recharging your batteries with preciousvitamin D. Every year it is awarded the Blue Flag for its environmentconsidered the most clean and cared for throughout the Hellenicterritory. If on the other hand you want something more secluded as Eressos beach is very popular but given its size

In ancient times,Eressos was an important commercial center which also hosted thephilosopher and botanist Theophrastus considered the father of Botanyand the philosopher Fania, a pupil of Aristotle and remembered as thefirst ecologist in history.

For archeology enthusiasts,don’t miss the Archaeological Museum which preserves finds from theancient Eresos city dating back to the late Hellenic period up tothe early Christian era, or the main church where the ruins of abasilica dating from between the first and 5th century AD with afloor full of amazing mosaics with geometric, plant and animaldecorations as well as the icon and relics of Agios Andreas, bishopof Crete and patron saint of Eressos.

Looking at the infinityof things that this part of the island offers, one should writeendlessly, but the best thing is certainly to put Eressos and all itsvalley among the things to see in Lesvos so as to discover this worldin the world still almost unknown to mass tourism.