View of the town of Skyros, from NE Prehistoric Era and Early Communities Skyros shows continuous habitation from the Neolithic period (5th–3rd millennium BC), as evidenced by finds around Magazia and nearby uplands. Its position between Euboea, the Cyclades and Asia Minor placed it early within Aegean exchange networks. The presence of obsidian from Milos…
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Vasiliko bay, Peristera Peristera lies just east of Alonnisos, a long, narrow island whose quiet surface hides one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries of the Aegean. Although today it is uninhabited save for seasonal shepherds and Marine Park personnel, Peristera played an unexpected but crucial role in the maritime history of Classical Greece. A…
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Planitis bay, Kyra Panagia Kyra Panagia Kyra Panagia occupies a unique position in the history of the Northern Sporades: it is almost certainly the island referred to as “Alonisos” in antiquity, a name transferred only in modern times to today’s main island. This identity shift explains why ancient references to Alonisos often seem inconsistent unless…
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Returning to port Prehistoric Beginnings Alonnisos enters the historical landscape surprisingly early. Although the most famous Mesolithic sites lie on neighbouring islets, the main island shows signs of prehistoric activity from the Neolithic onward. Small-scale surveys across the south and southeast coastlines—particularly above Megalos Mourtias, Vrysitsa and near Kokkinokastro—have yielded stone tools and pottery fragments…
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View of Skopelos town, from NE The western coastline of Skopelos—stretching from Loutraki in the north to the broad, serene bay of Panormos and the sheltered inlet of Agnontas—forms a distinct historical landscape shaped by maritime life. Unlike the main urban centres of the island, which were typically positioned on elevated ground for defensive reasons,…
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Skiathos harbour, from SE Skiathos stands at the threshold between the Pagasitic Gulf and the open Aegean, a small but strategic island whose history unfolds across three millennia. Its position—close to the mainland but surrounded by deep channels—has shaped every period of its life: an accessible harbour in peaceful times, a vulnerable frontier during invasions,…
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Kottes fishing harbour, Trikeri The region formed by Palaio Trikeri, the small island at the southern exit of the Pagasitic Gulf, and the mainland settlements of Trikeri and Kottes, presents a compact but historically distinctive zone shaped by maritime activity, population movements, religious life, and political upheaval. Although geographically limited, it has accumulated a layered…
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Idyllic cove The inland plateau of Argalasti and the coastal curve of Milina belong to one of the most culturally layered landscapes of Pelion. Archaeological traces around Argalasti indicate habitation as early as the 11th–10th century BC, with small rural settlements tied to the fertile interior valleys. The gentle slopes, abundant springs, and sheltered coves…
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Kato Gatzea fishing harbour The western slopes of Mount Pelion, descending gently toward the sheltered waters of the Pagasitikos Gulf, form one of the most historically layered landscapes in Thessaly. Among its most characteristic settlements are Ano and Kato Gatzea, together with the nearby villages of Vizitsa and Milies — a cluster where…
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Volos and harbour, from NE Volos, stretched along the inner curve of the Pagasitikos Gulf and framed by the commanding presence of Mount Pelion, is one of Greece’s few cities whose identity has been shaped equally by myth, seafaring, industry, and catastrophic rebirth. Today its waterfront cafés and neoclassical facades suggest a relaxed Mediterranean charm,…
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