Sifnos: A Collection of Fine Jewel Villages
Posted: Sunday, May 08, 2011
by Paroshep
http://www.parosparadise.com
The well known travel advice to enjoy the journey as well as the destination was never truer than for the Greek island of Sifnos. One of the smaller islands in the Cyclades group, it is a string of delightful villages separated by interludes of gorgeous mountain and sea vistas. The main town is the sprawling village of Apollonia in the hills near the center. The whole island is only about five km wide and 15 long, so reaching each of the other villages is an easy, enjoyable journey to a beautiful and relaxing destination.
My wife and I stayed at a traditional pension in Platys Yialos at the southeast of the island. This narrow village has one street and a beach which serves as a pedestrian street as well. Our first morning we enjoyed a wake up ride to the southwestern port of Vathy for breakfast. It was both beautiful and relaxing.
Later we rode our motor scooters up to Kastroon the opposite side of the island. It is difficult to convey the sense of this cliff top village. It is ancient and overflowing with antiquities sitting everywhere. There are no vehicles because it is all stairs. Even the locals must carry their groceries from a parking lot on the edge of town.Another unique attribute of Sifnos that impressed us greatly is its cleanliness. There is no litter; the houses are kept up; even the farms were tidy! Not overdone, just well kept. Since Sifnos is relatively small the tourism volume is low. This helps keep the island more pure and more traditionally Greek. We were we first told about Sifnos by some friends who are great walkers. While we are not, we did see some scenic trails that look intriguing. Buy a quality local map and you will find them.
At the far north end of the island is Heronissos. Until recently this narrow harbor village was mainly accessible only by those with yachts or sailboats. Now there is a new road and we found it quite grand to be scootering along the island ridge and then down to a still old fashioned Greek fishing village.
Sifnos is known throughout Greece as a potters’ island. It is not known how early pottery began on the island though it is mentioned in the third century B.C.. By the eighteenth century potters from Sifnos were traveling and relocating all over Greece to spread their industry. But at the main ferry port of Kamares you have your choice of several ceramic factories still owned and operated by local families.
As I mentioned Sifnos is not on the major ferry routes but can still be easily reached from Athens/Piraeus along with neighbors Milos, Serifos, and Kimilos. You can also get there from the other Cyclades by way of Paros and Mykonos and perhaps other islands as the schedules vary each year. For any island hopper we recommend you visit this collection of fine jewel villages. No matter how you travel you will find new discoveries around every corner and beautiful and relaxing destinations.You can view our collection of photos starting with Day Fourof our Picasa album.
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