Skopelos: Luxuriant Vegetation With A Hollywood Flair

  • by XpatAthens
  • Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Skopelos: Luxuriant Vegetation With A Hollywood Flair

Eye-catching landscapes; azure waters on golden coasts; traditional Pelion architecture; rugged natural monuments and a pure island atmosphere are all essential elements of the image of this, the greenest island in Greece, more than half of whose territory is covered with virgin pine forest. The island enjoyed international acclaim when Hollywood producers chose it to shoot the famous movie “Mamma Mia”, establishing the island as a holiday destination for tourists from all over the world.

 

Skópelos belongs to the North Sporades group of islands and has three main ports: Skópelos, Agnóntas and Glóssa.

Hóra, on the northern coast, is the capital of the island. Its ancient name was Peparithos, after the son of the god Dionysos and Ariadne, who was the first inhabitant of the island.

Hóra nestles comfortably on a hill and sprawls around a castle. The medieval castle with its sweeping views of the Aegean, the stone houses with picture-perfect courtyards, narrow paved streets and a number of Byzantine churches, the town encapsulates the essence of a typical Greek island settlement. Take a trip through the rich history of the island with a visit to the Folklore Museum, housed in a renovated mansion built in the previous century, where you can enjoy a rich collection of folklore-related exhibits (open Mon-Sat, 10:00-14:00 & 19:00-22:00; entrance: €3).

More settlements for you to discover:

The island’s other settlements are Glóssa, Palió Klíma and Néo Klíma/ Élios.

• Glóssa, the second biggest settlement on the island, is 25km north of Hóra. “The tall village” according to Papadiamantis is distinctive for its traditional, noble character and the ruins of ancient towers and buildings that have been discovered around the area.

• Palió Klíma is a picturesque village close to Glóssa that suffered great damage during the earthquake of 1965.

• Néo Klíma or Élios, situated 18 km far from Hóra, below the forest of Vathias at an altitude of 688 m, is quite a new settlement which was built in 1981. It is very close to the beautiful beach of Hovolos. Note that all the villages on the island have excellent facilities for tourism, with hotels, rooms to let, restaurants and bars to satisfy all your needs during your holidays.


To read more, please see visitgreece.gr

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