9000
years of history, 220 islands, more than
2051
kilometres coastline, 242 sites to visit, 77
museums to see and much more.....
A
ccording to the writers, like Herodotus,
Thucydides and Strabon, the name Cyclades
was given to the islands because they shaped a
circle round the holy island of Delos. The most
important of the islands are: Amorgos, Anafi,
Andros, Antiparos, Delos, Folegandros, Ios,
Kea, Kimolos, Kythnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini
(
Thira), Serifos, Sikinos, Sifnos, the small Eastern Cyclades
Islands (Donousa, Irakleia, Koufonisia & Schinousa), Syros and
Tinos.
According to tradition, first residents of Cyclades were Karres,
Leleges and Phoenicians. The oldest settlement of people in
Cyclades is dated in 9000 B.C., as shown by the mesolithic
settlement that was discovered in the region Maroulas of
Kythnos.
The Cyclades group of islands is considered one of the finest
vacation destinations worldwide, providing visitors with a wide
range of diverse activities: history, religion, sea activities, etc.
All Cycladic Islands share some distinctive features, such as the
renowned Cycladic architecture with the whitewashed houses,
narrow cobblestone alleyways, fascinating archaeological,
historical, religious and natural sights, quaint seaside or mountain
villages and endless beaches.
Each island though has several specific characteristics that make
it stand out from the rest, making the islands absolutely unique.
From prehistoric years and up to the archaic period, the islands
of Cyclades were covered with dense forests. The climate of the
Cyclades Islands is mild, an endless summer.
Every island has its own unique identity; Andros with its springs
and greenery, Tinos with the pious shrine of the Holy Virgin Mary,
Delos the birthplace of Apollo, Santorini with its volcano legacy
and wine, the cheerful Ios, the inaccessible Amorgos of the
poets, Sifnos with its ceramic art, Paros with its famous Arhilohos
and marble, the unexpected Folegandros, the humble Sikinos,
Milos of the catacombs and the statue of the Venus de Milo,
Naxos of dancing and music, the reclusive Anafi, the sail
experienced Kythnos and the serious Kea.
Santorini, famous for its wonderful sunset, was created by the
explosion of the volcano in the middle of the gulf of the island,
where two other tiny islands, Thirasia and Aspronisi, are also
located.
Myconos, with its windmills and the whitewashed, cube shaped
houses with coloured window shutters is the cosmopolitan centre
of the Cyclades.
GA S T RONOMY
The particular morphology of the ground of the Cyclades played
for centuries a fundamental role in the occupations of residents.
The Cycladic ground gives the basic raw materials for survival:
olive oil, potatoes, fava, tomatoes, and capers.
The fish become salted or “gouna” (one of the most peculiar
specialties, sun dried fish, mainly in Paros), in order to last the
winter. Meats are salted and become sausages, “siglina”, “louza”
or “apokti”. Dairy products acquire fame beyond the limits of the
Cyclades and throughout the whole of Greece: the kopanisti of
Syros, Tinos and Mykonos, tyrokafteri of Naxos, the gruyere of
Naxos and Tinos, the green cheese of Santorini, the San Michael
of Syros, the arsenico of Naxos and Sikinos, petroti of Andros
and Tinos, the malachto cheese of Andros, and the skotyri of Ios.
The local specialty of Sifnos and Folegandros is the “gylomeno”
cheese, the most extraordinary cheese in all Greece that matures
and is maintained in sediments of wine.
MEETINGREECE
124
CYCLADES ISLANDS
A magic journey to sea
colors!
