Skiathos ( el, Σκιάθος, , ; grc, Σκίαθος, ; and ) is a small

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

in the northwest

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...

. Skiathos is the westernmost island in the Northern

Sporades The (Northern) Sporades (; el, Βόρειες Σποράδες, ) are an archipelago along the east coast of Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea,"Skyros - Britannica Concise" (description), Britannica Concise, 2006, webpageEB-Skyrosnotes " ...

group, east of the

Pelion Pelion or Pelium (Modern el, Πήλιο, ''Pílio''; Ancient Greek/ Katharevousa: Πήλιον, ''Pēlion'') is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in northern Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the ...

peninsula in Magnesia on the mainland, and west of the island of

Skopelos Skopelos ( el, Σκόπελος, ) is a Greek island in the western Aegean Sea. Skopelos is one of several islands which comprise the Northern Sporades island group, which lies east of the Pelion peninsula on the mainland and north of the island ...

Geography

The island has a north to southwestern axis and is about long and wide on average. The coastline is indented with inlets, capes and peninsulas. The southeast and southwest parts have gentler slopes and that is where most settlements and facilities are located. The terrain is more rugged on the north coast, with the highest peak at on mount Karafiltzanaka (). The main town is

Skiathos Skiathos ( el, Σκιάθος, , ; grc, Σκίαθος, ; and ) is a small Greek island in the northwest Aegean Sea. Skiathos is the westernmost island in the Northern Sporades group, east of the Pelion peninsula in Magnesia on the mainland ...

(pop. 4,883 in 2011), in the eastern part of the island. Other main settlements are Kalyvia (312), Troullos (158), Χanemos (143), Koukounaries (119), and Achladias (118). The

Municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of Skiathos includes the islets of

Tsougria Tsougria, Tsoungria, or Tsougkria ( el, Τσουγκριά, ) is a Greek island in the western part of the Sporades. , it had no resident population, as it is a protected natural habitat. It is administratively part of the municipality of Skiatho ...

, Tsougriaki, Maragos, Arkos, Troulonisi and Aspronisi. The municipality has an area of 49.898 km². They are scattered a few kilometres off the southeast coastline and are clearly visible from the town and the beaches. The island of

is visible from Skiathos with the more distant islands of

Euboea Evia (, ; el, Εύβοια ; grc, Εὔβοια ) or Euboia (, ) is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only at its narrowest poin ...

and

Skyros Skyros ( el, Σκύρος, ), in some historical contexts Latinized Scyros ( grc, Σκῦρος, ), is an island in Greece, the southernmost of the Sporades, an archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Around the 2nd millennium BC and slightly later, the ...

visible under very clear weather conditions. Skiathos view - panoramio

The main paved road runs along the southeastern stretch of the island with several narrow dirt roads branching off towards the interior and the northern coast. Farmland exists around the major settlements on the island. Despite its small size, Skiathos with its many beaches and wooded landscape is a popular tourist destination. It has over 60, mostly sandy, beaches scattered around the coastline. Some of these are Troulos, Vromolimnos, Koukounaries, Asselinos, Megali Ammos and Mandraki. Much of the island is wooded with Aleppo Pine and a small Stone Pine forest at the

Koukounaries Koukounaries ( el, Κουκουναριές, l "stone pines") is a location and a beach in the southwest part of the Skiathos island in Greece. It is 16 km southwest of the main town on the island. Skiathos is part of the Sporades group of is ...

location where there is a lagoon and a popular beach. The island's forests are concentrated on the southwest and northern parts, but the presence of pine trees is prevalent throughout the island.

History

Ancient times Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cov ...

, the island played a minor role during the

Persian Wars The Greco-Persian Wars (also often called the Persian Wars) were a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire and Greek city-states that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of the ...

. In 480 BC, the fleet of the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

King Xerxes was hit by a storm and was badly damaged on the rocks of the Skiathos coast. Following this the Greek fleet blockaded the adjacent seas to prevent the Persians from invading the mainland and supplying provisions to the army facing the 300 Spartans defending the pass at

Thermopylae Thermopylae (; Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: (''Thermopylai'') , Demotic Greek (Greek): , (''Thermopyles'') ; "hot gates") is a place in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulphur ...

. The Persian fleet was defeated there at

Artemisium Artemisium or Artemision (Greek: Ἀρτεμίσιον) is a cape in northern Euboea, Greece. The legendary hollow cast bronze statue of Zeus, or possibly Poseidon, known as the '' Artemision Bronze'', was found off this cape in a sunken ship,W ...

and finally destroyed at the Battle of Salamis a year later. Skiathos then became part of the Delian League. The city was destroyed by

Philip V of Macedon Philip V ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 238–179 BC) was king ( Basileus) of Macedonia from 221 to 179 BC. Philip's reign was principally marked by an unsuccessful struggle with the emerging power of the Roman Republic. He would lead Macedon ag ...

in 200 BC. In 1207 the

Ghisi The House of Ghisi was a prominent Venetian noble family, originally from Padua or Aquileia. History Following the establishment of Crusader states in Greece after the Fourth Crusade, the Ghisi became an important dynasty there. Andrea Ghisi ...

brothers captured the island and built the Bourtzi, a small Venetian-styled fortress similar to the Bourtzi in

Nafplio Nafplio ( ell, Ναύπλιο) is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece and it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important touristic destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the ...

, on an islet just out of Skiathos Town, to protect the capital from the pirates. But the Bourtzi was ineffective in protecting the population and in the mid-14th century the inhabitants moved the capital from the ancient site that lay where modern Skiathos Town is to Kastro (the Greek word for castle), located on a high rock, overlooking a steep cliff above the sea at the northernmost part of the island. The island returned to Byzantine control in the 1270s, and remained in Byzantine hands until after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, when it passed to the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. Like the rest of the Northern Sporades, Skiathos was conquered by the Ottoman admiral

Hayreddin Barbarossa Hayreddin Barbarossa ( ar, خير الدين بربروس, Khayr al-Din Barbarus, original name: Khiḍr; tr, Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa), also known as Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1478 – 4 July 1546), was an O ...

in 1538. In 1704 monks from

Athos Athos may refer to: Fictional or mythical characters * Athos (character), one of the title characters in the novel ''The Three Musketeers'' (1844) by Alexandre Dumas père * Athos (mythology), one of the Gigantes in Greek mythology * Athos Fadiga ...

built the Evangelistria Monastery, which played a part on the Greek War of Independence as a hide-out for Greek rebels. The first

flag of Greece The national flag of Greece, popularly referred to as the "blue and white one" ( el, Γαλανόλευκη, ) or the "sky blue and white" (, ), is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has nine equal horizontal stri ...

was created and hoisted in the Evangelistria Monastery in Skiathos in 1807, where several prominent military leaders (including

Theodoros Kolokotronis Theodoros Kolokotronis ( el, Θεόδωρος Κολοκοτρώνης; 3 April 1770 – 4 February 1843) was a Greek general and the pre-eminent leader of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) against the Ottoman Empire. Kolokotronis's g ...

and Andreas Miaoulis) had gathered for consultation concerning an uprising, and they were sworn to this flag by the local bishop. After the War of Independence and demise of piracy in the Aegean, Kastro became less important. In 1830s, the island's capital was moved to the original site — where it still remains. Today, the ruins of Kastro are a tourist attraction. During the 19th century Skiathos became an important shipbuilding centre in the Aegean due to the abundance of pine forests on the island. The pine woods of the island were then almost obliterated. This was brought to a halt though, due to the emergence of steamboats. A small shipwright remains north of Skiathos Town, which still builds traditional Greek caiques. File:Lalaria Beach.jpg, Lalaria Beach File:Skiathos 1976 - panoramio.jpg, Street in Skiathos town File:Houses on skiathos.jpg, Houses of Skiathos

Transport

There is a regular boat service to the island and the rest of the

islands with departures from

Volos Volos ( el, Βόλος ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional unit ...

and Agios Konstantinos. The boats are operated mainly by

Hellenic Seaways Hellenic Seaways is member of Attica Group, which is engaged in passenger shipping through SUPERFAST FERRIES, BLUE STAR FERRIES, HELLENIC SEAWAYS and AFRICA MOROCCO LINK operating 35 vessels providing modern, high-quality transportation service ...

using its high-speed Flying Cat vessels as well as conventional ferries. Skiathos International Airport is at the northeast of the island next to a lagoon and a lowland

isthmus An isthmus (; ; ) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea counterpart of an isthmus ...

separating the island from the peninsula of Lazareta. As of summer 2011, Skiathos airport is served by Olympic Air flights from both Athens and

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

, while foreign airlines provide charter flights from a range of airports in European countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Cyprus and Scandinavian countries. During the winter 2013/14, work began to expand the airport, with a runway extension and increased hard standing for parked aircraft. The modern major road runs along the eastern and southern coast. Narrower roads, some paved and some dirt, reach the interior and the northwest coastline. There is regular, and during tourist season, very frequent bus transit from the main town to the

beach in the southwest. There are three bus routes on the island. The core route is from the main town to

beach which travels along the south coast of the island. There are in total 26 bus stops and Koukounaries Beach is number 26 and the last stop. This route operates a fleet of five coaches as frequently as five times an hour during the summer peak season throughout the day, but is significantly reduced during the winter. The second route departs from Skiathos Town, to the Monastery of Evangelistria at an hourly daily schedule and the third bus route to Xanemos on the north coast with up to six round trips daily, both operated using mini-buses.

Sites of interest

Sites of interest in the town

* Church of Panaghia Limnià, built in 1837 * Church of Tris Ieràrches * Bourtzi Peninsula * Papadiamantis House - Museum

Sites of interest in the island

* Holy Monastery of Evangelistria * Old Monastery of Panaghia Ekonistria * Old Monastery of Panaghia Kechrià * Byzantine Church of Christ (in the Castle)

Beaches

* Koukounaries Beach * Lalaria * Banana beach * Xanemos * Megali Ammos * Achladies * Vromolimnos * Agia Paraskevi * Troulos * Asselinos (Small and great) * Maratha * Mandraki * Limani tou Xerxi * Kechria * Kastro * Tsougria (island)

In cinema

Skiathos and its neighbour

were the filming locations of the 2008 film '' Mamma Mia!''.

Notable residents

* Zisis Oikonomou (1911–2005), poet and prose writer *

Alexandros Papadiamantis Alexandros Papadiamantis ( el, Ἀλέξανδρος Παπαδιαμάντης; 4 March 1851 – 3 January 1911) was an influential Greek novelist, short-story writer and poet. Biography Papadiamantis was born in Greece, on the island of Skiatho ...

(1851–1911), writer *

Richard Romanus Richard Romanus (born Richard Joseph Romanos; February 8, 1945) is an American actor. Among other roles, he has appeared in Martin Scorsese's '' Mean Streets'' and provided voices for Ralph Bakshi's animated films '' Wizards'' and '' Hey Good Loo ...

, actor * Mitzelos Adonis (1961), Music Composer, Writer, Orchestrator and Guitarist with International Action and Acceptance File:Papadiamantis Aleksandros by Nirvanas.jpg,

photographed by fellow Greek writer Pavlos Nirvanas, 1906 File:Papadiamantis House Museum in Skiathos Town 03.jpg, Papadiamantis house-museum

Gallery

File:Skiathos 13 - panoramio.jpg, Another view of the port File:Greece-Skiathos-Mpourtzi at dawn.jpg, Bourtzi at Skiathos town File:Monument of Alexandros Papadiamantis, Bourtzi, Skiathos, Greece.jpg, Monument of Papadiamantis File:Evangelistria Monestery gatehouse.JPG, Gatehouse of Evangelistria Monastery File:Skiathos beach.JPG, Beach in Skiathos File:Koukounaries beach.jpg, Koukounaries Beach

References

External links

* * * {{Aegean Sea Greek city-states Islands of Thessaly Landforms of the Sporades Municipalities of Thessaly Populated places in the Sporades Stato da Màr