Ios Island
Ios Island also called Nio or Io is located in the Cyclades archipelago in a southerly direction right between Naxos and Santorini.
Small and intimate, it extends for about 110 square kilometres, in recent years it has become the favorite destination for nightlife in Northern Europe and Australians. Despite its lively atmosphere, Ios is also highly sought after by families or nature lovers as choosing the places to visit well is also perfect for those who do not have such a great interest in the night.
Ios has two faces, one linked to the territory for a relaxing holiday, tradition and discovery, the other more transgressive and obscure linked to mythical parties where all young people meet to have fun. One does not disturb the other at all, indeed they manage to coexist in full harmony making it ideal for any type of holiday in Greece you wish to have.
According to history, Ios is the homeland of the poet Homer whose tomb can be admired on the Psathopyrgo hill just above the Plakoto bay in the northern part of the island and to reach it you pass through Pano Kambos a very fertile part cultivated with vineyards and olive groves up to Koulida more barren and dry up to the top where a small white stone building is the sepulchral monument of Homer. The view from up here is something wonderful.
A small paradise in the middle of the Aegean from the mountainous territory with its highest peak Mount Pyrgos is characterized by barren and almost desert landscapes, natural inlets that offer long and golden beaches with a transparent sea and crazy colors. Inward instead it transforms and becomes fruitful.
Its position and natural harbor in the past has played a very important role as it has been on the route to the large Crete Island since its prehistoric times. In classical and Hellenistic times it was in its full splendor but lost its value and began its decline during the Roman domination as it was used as a place of exile. Ios was the first to hoist the flag of revolution during the Greek War of Independence.
You choose a holiday in Ios above all for the beaches, which are thirty-five, all beautiful and with a different flavour. They manage to satisfy any taste, and in addition to the very famous Mylopotas beach which is pleasant and quiet during the first hours of the day, after lunch time it comes alive above all with young people who party until the first light of dawn, there are many there are many other coasts where you can instead enjoy a quiet day at the beach such as the wild Kalamos beach which guarantees silence and little confusion, or the Papas beach, a small cove protected from the winds just to name a couple but remember that there are many others to be discovered.
The capital of Ios is Chora (called by the locals The Village) the main amphitheater-shaped center on the north-western coast. It is the main port when you arrive in Ios and it is the nerve center of the island. Houses of blinding white and cubic shape with classic blue windows, surrounded by rich vegetation is located between two gentle rocky hills. Narrow and labyrinthine streets that can only be done on foot has its main street where all the shops and night clubs are located which are literally besieged from before sunset. At the Chora there are more than 24 churches as well as the main and best known where it is a must to visit the Church of Panagia Gremiottisa, a cathedral with a high bell tower and the classic blue dome that stands out over the whole district. Obviously there are windmills identifying signs of the Cyclades Islands once used to grind grain. Other places of notable interest are the Church of Agia Ekairini built over the remains of a temple in honor of the god Apollo and the Church of Agios Ioannis Prodomos.
We then arrive at Gialos or Yalos the port beach. This is where most of the yachts that come up to here are found, so much so that during the summer season it is a little crowded, either because of its sandy coast or because all the amenities are within easy reach. However, it remains a place dedicated to relaxation, not necessarily having to take a vehicle and move to other wonderful beaches. From Gialos with a walk you can reach the Church of Agia Irini of the Byzantine period up to Valmas beach or Koumbara beach.
And yet the Odysseas Elytis Theater on the hills near the Chora completely in marble according to the Greek architecture. Every year it hosts events of different genres but based on the local culture as well as the famous Homer Festival and concerts during the summer. It's a wonderful place if only for the panorama that sweeps over the entire island.
For a moment dedicated to archeology you cannot miss the Skarkos site. Also near the Chora but in one of the wildest contexts of Ios, there are the remains of a Bronze Age village dated 3500 BC and its peculiarity is that it is still perfectly preserved today. From the concentric shape it seems seen from a distance a cultivation but in reality they are houses with small stone steps at the entrance different from each other in size to identify the hierarchy and the importance of its owners. The remains found during the excavations carried out between 1984 and 1997 are now kept in the Archaeological Museum of Ios.
A multifaceted island like almost all the Greek Islands, where nature, culture and history are the masters and only for these reasons worthy of being seen.