Skiathos (, ; , ; and ) is a small

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

in the northwest

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

. Skiathos is the westernmost island in the Northern

Sporades The (Northern) Sporades are an archipelago along the east coast of Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea,"Skyros - Britannica Concise" (description), Britannica Concise, 2006, webpageEB-Skyrosnotes "including Skiathos, Skopelos, Skyros, and Al ...

archipelago, east of the

Pelion Pelion or Pelium (Modern , ''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 Aegean Sea. Its ...

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

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

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 (, ; , ; and ) is a small Greece, Greek Islands of Greece, island in the northwest Aegean Sea. Skiathos is the westernmost island in the Northern Sporades archipelago, east of the Pelion peninsula in Magnesia (regional unit), Magnesia ...

(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 municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of Skiathos includes the islets of Tsougria, 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 Euboea ( ; , ), also known by its modern spelling Evia ( ; , ), is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete, and the sixth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by ...

and

Skyros Skyros (, ), in some historical contexts Romanization of Greek, Latinized Scyros (, ), is an island in Greece. It is the southernmost island of the Sporades, an archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Around the 2nd millennium BC, the island was known as ...

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. These include Achladies, Troulos, Vromolimnos, Koukounaries, Asselinos, Megali Ammos and Mandraki. Much of the island is wooded with

Aleppo Pine ''Pinus halepensis'', commonly known as the Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. It was officially named by the botanist Philip Miller in his 1768 book ''The Gardener's Dictionary''; he pro ...

and a small

Stone Pine The Italian stone pine, botanical name ''Pinus pinea'', also known as the Mediterranean stone pine is a tree from the pine family (''Pinaceae''). The tree is native to the Mediterranean region, occurring in Southern Europe and the Levant. The ...

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

History

Ancient times Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian language, ...

, 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 th ...

. 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 off 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 The Battle of Thermopylae ( ) was fought in 480 BC between the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Xerxes I and an alliance of Greek city-states led by Sparta under Leonidas I. Lasting over the course of three days, it was one of the most prominen ...

defending the pass at

Thermopylae Thermopylae (; ; Ancient: , Katharevousa: ; ; "hot gates") is a narrow pass and modern town in Lamia (city), Lamia, Phthiotis, Greece. It derives its name from its Mineral spring, hot sulphur springs."Thermopylae" in: S. Hornblower & A. Spaw ...

. The Persian fleet was defeated there at

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

and finally destroyed at the

Battle of Salamis The Battle of Salamis ( ) was a naval battle fought in 480 BC, between an alliance of Greek city-states under Themistocles, and the Achaemenid Empire under King Xerxes. It resulted in a victory for the outnumbered Greeks. The battle was fou ...

a year later. Skiathos then became part of the

Delian League The Delian League was a confederacy of Polis, Greek city-states, numbering between 150 and 330, founded in 478 BC under the leadership (hegemony) of Classical Athens, Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Achaemenid Empire, Persian ...

. This original city was destroyed by

Philip V of Macedon Philip V (; 238–179 BC) was king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon from 221 to 179 BC. Philip's reign was principally marked by the Social War (220–217 BC), Social War in Greece (220-217 BC) ...

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 or Nauplio () is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important tourist destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the Middle Ages du ...

, 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 The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city was captured on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 55-da ...

in 1453, when it passed to the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

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

Hayreddin Barbarossa Hayreddin Barbarossa (, original name: Khiḍr; ), also known as Hayreddin Pasha, Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1483 – 4 July 1546), was an Ottoman corsair and later admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Barbarossa's ...

in 1538. In 1704 monks from Athos built the Evangelistria Monastery, which played a part on the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

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 (, ) or the Cyan-and-White (, ), is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has 5 equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There ...

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

Theodoros Kolokotronis Theodoros Kolokotronis (; 3 April 1770 – ) was a Greek general and the pre-eminent leader of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) against the Ottoman Empire. The son of a klepht leader who fought the Ottomans during the Orlov revolt ...

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 is 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 (; ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the capital of the Magnesia (regional unit), Magnesia regional unit of the Thessaly Region. Volos ...

and Agios Konstantinos. The boats are operated mainly by Hellenic Seaways 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 (; : isthmuses or isthmi) 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 count ...

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 (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

, 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 airport of Skiathos has become a destination for plane spotters and those who want to see from a very close distance the spectacular take-offs and landings of planes 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 many beaches in the southwest. There are three bus routes on the island. The core route is from the main town to the popular golden beaches of Vassilias, Achladies, Asenlinos, and Agia Eleni. There are in total 26 bus stops, with stop 26 arriving at the popular Banana Beach, Banana Beach is number 26. 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

* Skiathos Medieval Castle * 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 (1851–1911), writer * Richard Romanus (1943–2023), actor * Mitzelos Adonis (1961), Music Composer, Writer, Orchestrator and Guitarist with International Action and Acceptance File:Papadiamantis Aleksandros by Nirvanas.jpg, Alexandros Papadiamantis 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