Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
jumping-off point for all sorts of exploratory rambling.
Halkí
, 16km from Náxos Town,
is a fine introduction of what is to come; set high up, it's a quiet town with some lovely
churches, including the
Panayía Protóthronis
church (daily 10am-1pm; free), with its
eleventh- to thirteenth-century frescoes. Just behind is the restored seventeenth-century
Venetian
Grazia-Barozzi Tower
, and nearby is the distillery (1896) and shop of
Vallindras Naxos Citron
, whose charming proprietors explain the process of producing
kítron
followed by a little tasting session.
6
Moní, Kinídharos and Flério
Driving from Halkí to Moní you pass the sixth-century church of
Panayía Dhrosianí
(daily 11am-5pm, donation expected), historically the most important church on the
island with some of the oldest frescoes in Greece. Moní itself, at an altitude of 550m,
enjoys an outstanding view of the Tragéa and Mount Zas, and has numerous
woodcarving workshops. From Moní you can loop back to Náxos Town, and the first
village you encounter on the way is
Kinídharos
, with its marble quarries and daily folk
evenings; it has a reputation of staging one of the best carnivals in the Cyclades. Five
kilometres beyond is the village of
Flério
. Nearby is the most interesting of the ancient
marble quarries of the seventh- to sixth-century BC on Náxos, home to two famous
koúroi
,
left recumbent and unfinished; even so, they're finely detailed figures, over 5m
in length. The Koúros Flerioú (Koúros Melánon), from around 570 BC, is a short walk
along the stream valley; the Koúros Farangioú (Koúros Potamiás) is a steeper walk up
the hillside. Both are well signposted.
Aperáthou and the south
At the far side of the gorgeous Trageá valley, Filóti, the largest village in the region, lies
on the northwestern slopes of Mount Zas, which at 1001m is the highest point in the
Cyclades.
APERÁTHOU
(officially Apíranthos), 8km beyond Filóti, is hilly, winding and
highly picturesque; it shows the most Cretan influence of all interior villages and gave
Greece one of its prime ministers,
Petros Protopapadakis
(it's unfortunate that he was
executed for high treason in 1922). Its location high in the mountains means it is
noticeably cooler and greener than the coast. There are two Venetian fortified
mansions, Bardáni and Zevgóli, and, amazingly, four small private museums: Natural
History, Geological, Fine Arts and a Folklore museum (April-Oct daily
10.30am-2.30pm; 7.30pm June-July; 9pm Aug; €2 for all); as well as a state
Archeological museum (Tues-Sun 8.30am-3pm; free). There is some good
shopping
in
Aperáthou, as well:
Epilekton
in the main street is an excellent delicatessen with a
selection of local cheeses, hot peppers and sun-dried aubergines.
A turning at the southern end of Filóti is signposted to the
Pýrgos
Himárrou
(12.5km), a remote 20m-high Hellenistic watchtower - one of the tourist landmarks of
the island - and onward (another 12km) to the deserted but excellent in all respects
Kalandó
beach on the south coast. Bring your own water and food supplies if you're
planning to stop here.
CLIMBING MOUNT ZAS
If you are arriving by bus and intend to climb
Mount Zas
you should start from the steps
opposite the taverna
Baboulas
at the main square. This is a round-trip walk of three to four
hours on partly marked trails to the summit, a climb that rewards you with an astounding
panorama of virtually the whole of Náxos and its Cycladic neighbours. The initial path out of
the village climbs up to rejoin the road to Apóllonas. The final approach trail begins beside the
small Ayía Marína chapel. You can return to Filóti via the trail to the150m-deep Zas Cave, which
is also accessed by a separate route through
Ariés
, ten minutes' drive from Filóti.
If you have your own transport, you can drive all the way to Ayía Marína and continue on
from there.
