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Ios Villages
Chora - Mylopotas Ios Greece
Exploring Chora means, first of all, walking. Choose a cool morning, wear your most comfortable shoes and get ready to set off. One hour is enough for the ones who just want to have a look at this whitewashed village, perched on the slope of the hill between the port and Mylopotas. The more demanding ones will need the whole morning to discover the hidden beauty of Chora. That's because Chora was built up for the sun and it's the sun that reveals the village to the visitor or hides it from him.
To go up to Chora, just follow the wide stone steps of the old ascending road that comes from the port. On your way, right before entering the village, you will come across a part of the walls that once surrounded the ancient town. Following the same road you reach the first square of Chora. To your right stands the modern Orthodox Cathedral of the island, named Evangelismos (Annuciation) and, nearby, a church dedicated to St. Ekaterini, where in 1903 an excavation unearthed the remnants of Byzantine foundations and the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Apollo. Above these ruins the Christians built the Byzantine Cathedral, whose altar rests upon two of the temple's columns.
To your right there is the marketplace and the two main roads that lead you across the village and to the square of the mills. Following the road that goes up, you reach the second square of the village, with its four cafes. On the left side coming from this square, the stone steps lead to the old castle of Chora, where the sublime church of Panaghia Gremiotissa (Our Lady of the Cliffs) is situated, built during the years of the Turkish occupation. According to one tradition, an icon of the Virgin was found among the rocks of Mylopotas' seashore, with a lit candle standing on it. The legend has it that the inhabitants of Crete had thrown the icon in the open sea to protect it from falling to Turkish hands, and that the waves had carried it to that coast. The icon was then taken to the church of the Holy Cross, but only to be found again the following morning on the same steep mountainside. When the islanders tried to build a new church for the icon, but not on the exact spot where it had been found because of its inaccessibility, the foundation stones of the church kept disappearing every day in a miraculous way.
It was only then that the islanders understood that the icon had chosen that exact spot, because it was the only one from where the dim shape of Crete could be viewed. On this piece of rough land they built the new church, known today as Gremiotissa, with its miraculous icon.
A little beyond this church you can see the ruins of the castle walls and enjoy the magnificent view of the port and of Vigla.
If you walk towards the northern side of the castle, you will come across the ancient walls again.
On the other side of the market area, the square with the old windmills is a centre of commercial activity and a meeting place for the local festivals. Today, because of a complicated system of private ownership, the square remains undeveloped, used only as a parking space, but we hope that the efforts of the local authorities will soon pay off, so that the inhabitants and the visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy the fantastic view from a reorganised square.
From the square of the mills, you can follow the narrow street that goes up to Prophitis Elias. A path of 500m., with magnificent view to Chora and to Mylopotas, leads you to the church of Prophitis Elias. In periods of water shortage, a procession with icons and banners is made along this path towards the church.
Klima, Kalamos, Tris Klissies, Manganari Ios
After driving from Chora to Mylopotas, follow the dirtroad at the end of the beach, leading to the south coast of the island. This itinerary will may offer you the most interesting excursion.
By passing Mylopotas and turning right at the crossroads, you reach the splendidly isolated beach of Klima.
If you enter the main road again, it will take you to the monastery of Kalamos, a very well-preserved 200-year-old building, a special place of worship for the locals.The same road leads straight to Kalamos, a beautiful pebbly beach, or, if you turn left after the monastery, the way to Tris Klissies reveals three beautiful secluded beaches, accessible only on foot.
Kalamos
Trisklissies A short way off lies Manganari. Four of the most beautiful beaches in the Aegean, each one lying next to the other, wait for the visitor to enjoy their peaceful nature. There are many seaside taverns where you can taste fresh fish, as well as good accommodation.
Pirgos, Paleokastro, Psathi
Before the road starts descending to Aghia Theodoti, you can turn right at the first crossroads and take the road leading to Pirgos. There, on the highest peak of the island (713 m.), stands the 16th century Byzantine church of Aghios Ioannis (St. John), built on the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Apollo.
Taking the same road back, you will soon reach the beautiful winding, stonepaved road to Paleokastro. Its steps lead to the windswept site where the Byzantine castle lies, overlooking the Aegean with panoramic views in all directions. Among the ruins stands the beautiful church of Panagia Paleokastritissa (Our lady of the Old Castle). The same road also leads to Psathi, a long beach with deep blue waters and white sand, one of the breeding places for the Mediterranean sea-turtle.
To your left, tucked away among the rocks, there are some smaller, exquisite, sand-bottomed beaches, and to your right the ruins of another ancient temple. A little before the beach, you can take a detour to Psathi, a small village well-situated on the most fertile spot of the island, with a few taverns and rented rooms.
Port Of Ios Greece
The port, with its own life and market activity, is the apropriate place for enjoyable walks. To the left side, of the port stands St. Irini, a chapel of amazing beauty, built in the 17th century. It's a peculiar structure with two altars, one older than the other, that were supposedly used for the Orthodox and the Catholic cults respectively. The path from St. Irini leads to Valmas and then to Kolitsani, two small, remote sandy beaches.
If you feel too tired for walking, you can make a stop to cool yourself in the long beach of Gialos to the right of the port, where you'll also find many restaurants, bars and cafes. The next beach after Gialos is Koumbara. It will take you about 20 minutes to get there if you decide to go on foot, or 5 minutes by bus. Besides its main sandy beach, Koumbara consists of many small and picturesque sandy beaches.
From the port also starts the old stone-paved road that leads to Chora, next to the church of St. George, which is half buried in the ground. St. George is cross-shaped with a rounded dome, a unusual rhythm compared with the traditional architectural features of the island. The road goes uphill with vegetation, eucalyptus and drinking fountains on either side. Another pleasant walk from the port leads to Kambos and on to the hill of Skarkos, a site of archaeological interest where excavations from 1984 up to our days have revealed various ancient ruins.
Tomb Of Homer, Aghia Theodoti Bay
Setting off from the port or from Chora, by motorbike or by car, you make your way up to Pano Kambos, a fertile valley rich with vineyards and olive trees, and to Koulida. From there, if you leave the asphalt road and take the path branching off to the left, you'll be heading to the amazing beach of Plakoto. Some metres short of that, there's another path that leads to the ancient ruins dating from the Hellenistic period, where tradition claims that the tomb of the poet Homer lies. On your way back, you can also drive to Aghia Theodoti bay. Limpid waters and a sandy beach, taverns and rented rooms, as well as the occasion to admire the 16th century church of St. Theodoti, the oldest on the island, built in the 16th century.
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