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 |  | Travel Reviews : Aegean Islands |
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| | | | The view from the ramparts
in the shade of a mulberry tree, ripe red berries dropping into our breakfast of Greek yogurt and honey, we gazed out across a sparkling Aegean to the island of Alonissos, its rocky peaks dominating the horizon.
Closer to hand, verdant mountains dropped sheer to the sea and waves crashed against dazzling white cliffs far below.
This was the stunning view from our holiday home, Pyrgos, a small castle on a remote headland on the isle of Skopelos.
The stone watchtower, with its crenellated ramparts and stained glass windows, looks timeless, standing in isolation on the tip of a promontory at the end of a rutted track snaking round the hillside.
In fact, it's just 10 years old, built by local artists Spiros and Vassiliki Kosmas who let it out until they are ready to retire there.
Vassiliki has decorated the main ceiling with figures from Greek mythology and created cave-style paintings on the walls of our bedroom, hewn out of the hillside.
She had just finished painting dolphins on the bottom of the beautiful pool near the cliff edge while around the grounds Spiros had created strange sculptures from rock, metal and brick.
A scramble down the cliff path brought us to our own private swimming area where we could dive off the rocks and sunbathe on the huge flat boulders. It was difficult to drag ourselves away to explore the island but it was worth the effort.
With no airport, Skopelos is largely untouched by tourism. Its mountainous interior is covered in pine forests and olive groves.
Along the coast are sheltered bays, deep gorges and sleepy fishing villages.
There are a few asphalt roads and dirt tracks which zigzag across the island. We could drive miles without seeing another car, the only hold-ups caused by herds of goats.
Travel guide: Aegean Islands
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| | | | Surrounded by lemon trees
The rocky coves of the northern tip of the island, reached by tortuous tracks, are entirely deserted and even in June the more popular beaches dotted along the west coast were never crowded. My favourite was Kastani, a sandy bay surrounded by wooded hillsides.
Further down the coast, the village of Agnontas is renowned for its seafood restaurants.
At one waterside taverna Pavlos invited us into his kitchen to choose from a huge selection of fish caught that morning.
For local specialities, head for Perivoli, a short walk from the main square in Skopelos Town.
Here, in Reginos' orchard surrounded by lemon trees, we tucked into mussels in basil and tomato, beef with smoked aubergine puree and a delicious pork dish with apples and prunes in a wine sauce.
The town itself is archetypal Greece - a cluster of pretty white-washed houses cascade down the hillside around the bay, their wooden balconies smothered in geraniums and bougainvillea.
Heather Parsons, an English woman who runs walking tours of the island, led us past the tavernas and craft shops along the harbour and up through a maze of stone-paved alleyways.
'There are more than 100 churches here,' she told us as we paused for breath in front of the tiny chapel of Agios Michaelis, 'but this one is really special.'
She pointed to massive slabs of pink rock which formed the cornerstones.
'These are sarcophagi from the Minoan or Neolithic age,' she said. 'How they came to be incorporated into a 17th-century church nobody knows.'
With few archeological remains on the island, this is likely to remain a mystery.
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| | | | A spectacular setting
The main site at Sendoukia was an hour's drive to the central highlands where a graveyard dating back thousands of years was uncovered last century.
A trail of red paint daubed on the stony path marked our way through the pine trees. Bright green lizards scuttled past us as we emerged on to a high plateau and looked down on the coast curling round two sides of the island.
Three tombs had been chiselled out of the rock. With such a spectacular setting it must have been a burial site for kings.
You'll need a head for heights to visit the monastry at Agios Ioannis. Perched on a pinnacle of rock just offshore, the only way up to it is by more than 100 steps cut into the sheer rock face.
I can't imagine how they built it, using only nets and pulleys.
The medieval monasteries near Skopelos Town nestle amid the cypress trees on the hillsides.
If you ring the doorbell the monks will invite you inside to show you their ornate chapels, the gold altar screens adorned with icons.
By contrast we found the little whitewashed monastery of Taxiarchon deserted. It is tucked away in a deep valley, a 40-minute hike along a rough cliff path.
A cloud of blue butterflies settled on the wild flowers as we unlatched the gate leading into an overgrown garden.
The air was hot and still, the only sound the whirr of cicadas. The building looked abandoned but oil lamps and candles were stacked in one of the earth-walled rooms and a fresh garland of flowers hung in the little chapel.
It seemed an ideal hideaway and was, in fact, used as a refuge for British soldiers during the Second World War.
Vangelis, a sprightly 90-year-old former mayor of Skopelos, told me how he had helped them escape.
'We smuggled them from the mainland and hid them there until we could get them on a ship to neutral Turkey,' he explained.
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| | | | Vine-covered trellis
Vangelis was arrested by the occupying Italian forces but was released after the local people marched on their headquarters.
'I fled to the island of Jura until things quietened down,' he recalled. The following day, we sailed to Jura ourselves.
Vassilis, a marine biologist as well as our skipper on the schooner Oceanis, told us how the barren spot was part of a marine park created 10 years ago to help protect the monk seal.
'We have the largest group in the Mediterranean,' he told us, 'but you are unlikely to see them as they are very shy and live in caves.'
The monk seals may have been elusive but Vassilis spotted dolphins only minutes into our cruise.
Standing on the bow he called to them with strange shrill cries while his little black mongrel, Odyssey, paced back and forth scanning the waves in expectation.
The dolphins seemed to respond to Vassilis's call and before long we were leaning over the prow watching them dart in front of the ship.
Most islands in the park are uninhabited but we dropped anchor in a horseshoe bay to climb up to the monastery on Kyra Panagia.
'It was used by the monks of Mount Athos,' Vassilis explained. 'Not even female animals were allowed there, so they raised animals on Kyra Panagia. The last monk stayed for 15 years before it closed in 1984.'
It was a quiet, peaceful spot. A vine-covered trellis shaded the courtyard and beside the chapel and library the monks had a storeroom for wine and their own olive press.
I could see why the last monk was reluctant to leave and after only a week on Skopelos I felt much the same.
As we sailed back to the nearby island of Skiathos for our flight home, I took a last look at Pyrgos and promised to come back, if only for the view.
TRAVEL DETAILS:
Pyrgos can be booked through http://www.holiday-rentals.com.
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| | Available rental properties in Aegean Islands |
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| |  | | AMETHYST ONE, village house, Lemnos
Amethyst One is a small village house, completely renovated to very high standards. Views sweep down to the sea, and across this peaceful, gentle island
|  | | Stonehouse Panagiotis- Petrina
Petrina are beautifully restored village houses offer you the opportunity to spend a relaxing holiday in the peace and quiet of a traditional villa
|  | | Lagos Whole House- Petrina
Petrina are beautifully restored village houses offer you the opportunity to spend a relaxing holiday in the peace and quiet of a traditional villa
|  | | Garden House- Petrina
Petrina are beautifully restored village houses offer you the opportunity to spend a relaxing holiday in the peace and quiet of a traditional villa
|  | | Little House- Petrina
Petrina are beautifully restored village houses offer you the opportunity to spend a relaxing holiday in the peace and quiet of a traditional villa
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Holiday Rentals in Aegean Islands |
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