Syros Island
The small and almost unknown Syros island is located in the Cyclades archipelago right in the middle of all the emerged lands that are part of this area.
Administrative center where all the inhabitants of the sister islands must go for any bureaucratic problem, it is still little known to mass tourism perhaps because its arrival is not direct and it is necessarily necessary to make an itinerary in stages.
An island that covers about one hundred square kilometers which at first impact when you reach it seems arid and mountainous, but instead inside and towards the south it is transformed into very green and fertile areas where you can enjoy long walks through a still intact territory and where to find silence, peace and solitude.
Once the port of Syros was the most important in Greece, it was even better than Piraeus in fact it is famous for its shipyards and shipwrights, a trade that is disappearing with the progress that is now replacing manual work.
According to Greek mythology, its first inhabitant was Coeranus which means light, a native of the Paros island. One day he paid a group of Byzantine fishermen to free some dolphins that had fallen among the fishing nets and when years later Coeranus was overwhelmed by a violent storm at sea, the dolphins carried him safely to a cave on the island of Syros. Upon his death it is said that dozens of dolphins gathered off the island to pay homage to him during his funeral.
His name seems to come from the phoenix word Ousara which means rocky. It was already inhabited in 2800 BC as evidenced by the remains found in the northeastern part of the island. In the 5th and 4th centuries, it entered the Athenian Alliance and until the Byzantine period it was a continuous target of maritime raiders who forced the population to flee, drastically decreasing its inhabitants. When the Romei arrived (it was the name by which the Byzantines called themselves) they began to give life to the settlement of Ano Syros, a district of the capital and with the arrival of the Venetians, the inhabitants were converted into Catholics. In 1566 it was conquered by the Turks but remained under the protection of the Pope and the King of France, thus not suffering persecution. In 1822 immigrants from Asia and other islands of Greece began to build the current capital Ermoupolis named in honor of the God Hermes God of commerce as most of the popular were skilled traders who made it the most important port of the Mediterranean and thrive. Right here was built the first hospital, the first Gymnasium of Greece and one of the pupils was Eleftherios Venizelos who later became a prominent figure during the Cretan revolt against the Ottoman Empire, in 1897 considered a national hero and finally the first steam boat of the Greece. Until before the Second World War Syros was a thriving and rich island with its banking and insurance market and its many industries, but unfortunately it was hit hard by the conflict and began to decline until 1980, the year in which it managed to improve and come back as bright and important as it once was.
You choose to take a holiday in Syros for many reasons, the first certainly because it is not overwhelmed by mass tourism and therefore you are able to have the longed-for tranquility that everyone expects during your holiday, due to its particular atmosphere especially in Ermoupolis where tradition and culture constantly offer many stimuli, for its beaches and for its territory rich in history and pristine landscapes where you can wander and discover the soul of Syros.
Let's start with visiting the capital Ermoupolis. Like an amphitheater with two hills that can be observed from afar, let's say it's a bit demanding, above all due to the fact that it is all up and down between narrow streets and mysterious alleys. Here you will find everything you need, from all kinds of shops, accommodation, restaurants, typical taverns, cafes and clubs for staying late at night. To the north the medieval period Ano Syros district with its 800 steps to climb to reach it and where the baroque cathedral of St. George is located, to the south the Tarsana district where the workshops for repairing wooden boats are located up to the square Miaouli near the town hall considered one of the most beautiful in all of Greece with relief panels depicting Apollo and the Nine Muses.
Kini village to the west, a typical fishing village where you can be amazed with wonderful sunsets. And still Galissa to the southwest the most touristic area, where nature is luxuriant and wild. Don't miss the opportunity to push yourself up to the church of St. Stephen right on the cliff with the sea waves crashing on it. Finikas with its golden beach where you can have fun with water sports, and again Poseidonia, where in the past the well-to-do came to vacation in the stupendous and sumptuous neoclassical residences as well as to eat fresh fish.
Finally in Grammata beach to the north in a sheltered bay, deserted and wild where there is a cave where sailors wrote their prayers to the Gods on the rock to be protected during their travels.
As always, Syros is also an island to be discovered where ancient and modern live in perfect symbiosis without altering the atmosphere, an island of continuous contrasts which however will be able to enchant you and make you appreciate its shy and reserved beauty.