The Byzantine Castle of Paleokastro
The Byzantine Paleokastro Castle can be found in the northeastern direction of the Ios island about twenty kilometers from the port.
Paleokastro which in Greek means "old castle" (paleo=old kastro=castle) dominates above a hill at an altitude of 275 meters above sea level in an isolated area, difficult to reach and consequently difficult to conquer with surprise attacks. Its position between the beach of Agia Theodothi and the Psathi beach is dictated by the fact that from here you have a complete view of the Aegean and allowed the inhabitants to see in time the arrival of pirates or those who wanted to usurp the island . The view is something spectacular, you can clearly see the Naxos island, Paros Andros up to Ikaria when the sky is particularly clear and all the islets surrounding Ios as well as part of the island.
Curiosity, in ancient times, fire signals were used to communicate with neighboring islands and ships.
It was built in 1300 by Marco Crispo, son of Francesco Crispo who usurped the Naxos Duchy in 1361 on the basis of a previous Byzantine fortress. Originally the Byzantines built the manor as a control tower for the maritime passages arriving in Crete but with the arrival of the Venetians it was converted into a fortified citadel to protect the population.
To this day you can still admire parts of the mighty walls, some right on the edge of the cliff that surrounded it and that gave shelter and security to the citizens, ruins of some buildings as well as the beautiful church dedicated to the Paleokastrissa Virgin Mary shaded on the right side by a centuries old olive tree. Every 8th of September an important festival is organized in honor of the Virgin Mary in which all the Ios inhabitants participate as well as many visitors from the nearby islands.
How to get to
Paleokastro Castle
It's not difficult, perhaps a bit demanding towards the end but only for the atmosphere that you breathe that will make you go back to the Middle Ages and imagine what life could have been like here and above all the panorama will be the two prizes that will far exceed the effort.
First you have to take the road towards the Psathi small village and follow the signs towards Paleokastro Castle. You will come to a point where you will have to leave your vehicle and take a snake shaped paved path with whitewashed steps that climbs up the hill for about twenty minutes and you will eventually have arrived.
In this regard, we advise you to wear comfortable shoes because the walk is uphill and above all not to go during the hottest hours as you will be in the sun for the entire journey. However, bring water to hydrate yourself and a hat to protect you from the sun's rays.
An excursion that is really worth it, therefore to be listed among the things to see in Ios, a leap into the past and panoramas that will remain a wonderful memory of your holiday in Ios.