Naxos Island
Naxos is located in the Cyclades archipelago and is the largest of them all. Together with Paros, Santorini and Mykonos, it is one of the four corners called the "magic golden rectangle" and given their proximity they can be an excellent starting point for a traveling holiday in Greece by touching them all.
Naxos offers its visitors 150 kilometers of coastline with immense beaches with soft sand and shallow waters with clean waters and bright colors, so much so that families with children, couples and those who want a luxuriant nature to be explored every year choose it as half.
It covers an area of 430 square kilometers so not really tiny with loads to see and do. To the west where the capital is located, it is mostly flat with vast plains and numerous sandy beaches, while in the center it has gentle hills and mountains that even reach 1000 meters, waterways which, as in the past, feed the production of fruit, vegetables, wine and yellow gold, oil which, in addition to satisfying the needs of the inhabitants, is also exported to supply the nearby islands. Here is the Monte Zas the highest peak of Naxos. To the north and northeast the coast becomes more rocky and wild.
According to mythological stories, Zeus would have grown up in Naxos (his birth instead took place in Crete). Falling in love with Semeli daughter of King Kadmo of Thebes, he generates a son Dionisos God of wine and joy. The mother while carrying the baby dies so Zeus puts it inside her thigh to give it life. Dionisos grew up in Naxos and loved it so much that he made it fertile and full of vineyards which still today offer a sublime nectar. Another myth instead the one that in theory gives the island its name is the one that speaks of Theseus. During his return from Crete after killing the minotaur with the help of Ariadne daughter of Minos, he stops in Naxos to rest. During a dream Dionisos appears to him and advises him to abandon the girl on Mount Drios which Theseus did to her for fear of a vengeance from the God. In reality Dionisos had fallen madly in love with Ariadne and wanted her all for himself. At the end there is a happy epilogue the God and the girl got married, lived a happy life and from their union were born Zeus Oinopion (wine drinker), Stafylos (grape) and Evanth. From this story comes the saying "leave it alone" for the cowardice of Theseus who abandons his beloved.
From writings and archaeological ruins, it can be deduced that Naxos was originally inhabited by the Thracians who made known the cult of the god Dionysos. Between 3200-2100 BC it was the center of the Cycladic civilization. In 530 BC the tyrant Ligdami began the construction of the Portara symbol of Naxos together with the times of Demeter and Apollo which were to express the urban development and the power of the island. In 502 BC the Persian wars began which came to life thanks to the revolts of the inhabitants who also influenced Asia Minor with their gesture and in the Byzantine period Naxos became the most important commercial center of the Archipelago. Following the fourth crusade in 1198 it was conquered by Marco Sanudo (we are in the period of the Venetian Serenissima) who dominated all the Cyclades Islands until 1566 when the pirate Khayr al Din Barbarossa conquered it and put it under Ottoman rule which however left the administration to the Venetians as they are very skilled in managing their assets by enriching their coffers with taxes. After almost four centuries of domination, finally in 1821 with the revolt for independence, Naxos returns under the Greek flag.
Naxos is perfect for any type of holiday concept, it is good for sportsmen who can enjoy activities where the wind is essential as its geographical position is exposed to currents especially on the west side where there are several centers for windsurfing or kitesurfing, for those who love trekking, the whole mountainous part offers paths where you can find corners from the crazy view, for those who love to laze comfortably on the beach and what beaches you will find in Naxos, and still those interested in history since the island is a small open-air museum.
Do not miss the icon of Naxos the Portara of which a large part of the foundations are still intact and the stone portal, a reminder of the temple dedicated to the god Apollo facing the sacred Delos island, or the Dionysos temple and the Demeter temple in the Gyroula village.
The villages of its hinterland as well as offering archaeological sites of considerable value are also an alternative to beach life to discover the area that will surely leave you with beautiful memories as well as a better knowledge. In Apollonas for example there are the remains of a Kouros a huge ten meters high statue of the God Dionysos. If you go towards the mountain instead the Monte Zas of a suggestive landscape beauty, you meet the Cave of Zas also called the Cave of Zeus where according to the myth the father of the Gods would have spent his childhood with a beautiful cave full of stalactites and stalagmites. Still inland you will come across cedar forests of Lebanon, a very wild area that alternates between fields of olive trees and orchards a real nonsense.
And finally a view of the capital with its old city made up of labyrinthine alleys where a surprise appears at every corner up to the Kastro (the castle) which dominates the city from above dating back to 1200 where the panorama is nothing short of spectacular.
Lose yourself in Naxos as in all the islands and enjoy this wonderful land that will surprise you day after day.