Cyclades
Islands
: Amorgos, Andros,
Folegandros, Ios,
Kea, Kythnos,
Milos, Mykonos,
Naxos, Paros
and Antiparos, Santorini,
Sifnos, Serifos,
Sikinos, Syros,
Tinos
Northern
Aegean Islands:
Chios, Ikaria,
Limnos, Lesvos,
Samos, Samothraki,
Thassos
Ionian
Islands:
Corfu (Kerkyra), Ithaki,
Kefalonia, Kythera,
Lefkada, Paxos,
Zakynthos
Saronic
Islands:
Aegina, Angistri,
Poros, Hydra,
Salamina, Spetsis
Sporades
Islands:
Alonissos, Skiathos,
Skopelos, Skyros
Dodecanese
Islands:
Astypalia, Halki,
Kalymnos, Karpathos,
Kassos, Kastellorizo,
Kos, Leros,
Nisyros, Patmos,
Rhodes, Symi,
Tilos
Other
Islands:
Crete, Evia,
Cyprus
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Dodecanese Islands - Kassos (Cassos)
Kassos is not a place for bungee jumpers or barhoppers;
it is a quiet island, one that brings forward the homely
beauty of Greece, and is ideal
for relaxation. Everything in Kassos is slow-paced, and
the tiny island has only two taxis. Citizens of Kassos
are friendly, but may not be able to speak English; you’ll
find yourself mostly treated well and left alone.
Kassos, according to legend, is named after its founder,
a Cretan prince, which may indicate that its first settlers
were Minoan. Also called Amphe, Achne, and Astravi in
antiquity, Kassos is mentioned in the Iliad when Greeks
living there go off to fight in Troy. It was conquered
by Rhodes in the 8th century BC, and later became a member
of the Athenian League when all Greece united against
the Persians. Later it fell, like all of the Aegean, under
the power of Rome, and suffered greatly from the depredations
of pirates.
In medieval and renaissance
times, Kassos was ostensibly a Venetian territory,
but in reality it was a headquarters for pirates. Later,
it was ruled by the Turks, who built up its small fleet
into a commercial power; this came in handy later when
the island donated its ships to the Greek rebellion against
the Turks. Turkey had the last grim laugh, though; almost
all the inhabitants of Kassos died when the Turks slaughtered
everyone they could find as they put down the rebellion.
Not until the early 20th century, when the Italians were
recreating the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean, did
the Turks lose control of Kassos. After World War II,
Kassos had been broken, its inhabitants impoverished.
Only recently has tourism been contributing to its revitalization.
Fri, the capital of the island, is the home of the Ag
Spyridonas, a beautiful Greek Orthodox church. In Emborios,
you will find another church, this one dedicated to the
Virgin Mary. And in Poli, the old capital, there are some
remains of the Venetian Kastro and the Ag Triada, another
beautiful old church.
For those who enjoy archaeology,
in Ellinokamara caves with traces of Neolithic settlements
can be explored.
Besides exploring the island, your vacation will probably
consist of fishing, snorkeling, and laying
around on the beach, perhaps on the little island
Arimarthea off the coast. Kassos is not known for its
night life, grand restaurants, and gift shops; rather,
a vacation at Kassos is a trip into Greece’s more
rustic past. Visitors to Kassos should take it slow, and
leave all their cares in the other world they usually
live in.
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