Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Póthia
The long curving waterfront of
PÓTHIA
, Kálymnos's main town and port, may not be
architecturally distinguished, but arrayed around a huge curving bay it looks fabulous
at sunset. The town itself remains vibrant year-round, even if it's not really a tourist
destination in its own right. With its houses marching up the valley inland or arrayed
in tiers along the surrounding hillsides, it forms a natural amphitheatre that readily fills
with noise, whether from souped-up motorbikes or summer sound-systems. As well as
the usual Italian-era “palace”, at the centre of the bay, Póthia also boasts backstreets
lined with elegant
Neoclassical houses
, painted the traditional pink or ochre.
Sprawled to either side of the road to the west coast, the built-up area of Póthia
stretches northwest up the valley to the suburb of
Mýli
. The whitewashed battlements
of the Knights'
Kástro Khryssoheriás
(unrestricted access), 1.2km along, offer
wonderful views over town towards Kos. Another 1.5km up, the former island capital,
Hóra
, is still a large, busy village.
Archeological Museum of Kálymnos
Evangelístria • Daily except Mon: May to mid-Sept 8.30am-3pm; mid-Sept to May 9.30am-12.30pm • €3
Tucked away in an unremarkable and hard-to-find new building on Póthia's western
hillside, Kálymnos's
Archeological Museum
provides an excellent overview of local history.
Everything is beautifully displayed, with very helpful captions in both Greek and English,
and many of its artefacts are quite stunning. Its greatest treasures, discovered underwater
during the 1990s, are a larger-than-life cast bronze figure of a woman draped in a chiton,
thought to date from the second century BC, and the well-preserved bronze head of a
ruler, which may have formed part of a colossal equestrian statue.
8
Municipal Nautical and Folklore Museum
Daily 10am-1pm • €2
Kálymnos's
Municipal Nautical and Folklore Museum
, very near the ferry port on the
seaward side of Khristós cathedral, focuses on the sponge-fishing past. A large photo
shows Póthia in the 1880s, with no quay, jetty, roads or sumptuous mansions, and with
most of the population still up in Hóra. You can also see horribly primitive divers'
breathing apparatuses, and “cages” designed to keep propellers from cutting air lines.
Péra Kástro
Hóra • Unrestricted daylight access • Free
The thirteenth-century Byzantine citadel-town of
Péra Kástro
, a magnificent fortified
enclave atop the impressive crag that towers over Hóra, originally served as a refuge
from seaborne raiders. Appropriated by the Knights of St John, it remained inhabited
until the late 1700s. It's now reached by a steep stair-path that climbs from the eastern
edge of the village.
Once you've passed through the massive gate and perimeter walls, you're faced with yet
more stiff climbing, now through a jumble of overgrown ruins, tumbled stonework, and
wildflowers, interspersed with the odd paved walkway. The views are tremendous, but
the true highlights are the nine scattered
medieval chapels
, the only complete buildings
to survive. Re-roofed and freshly whitewashed, several still hold faded frescoes.
ACCOMMODATION
PÓTHIA
Arhondiko
Áyios Nikólaos
T
22430 24051.
Much the
most basic option near the port, this refurbished mansion
on the southwest quay is the family home of an elderly
couple who speak little English, and re
mai
ns open year-
round. Plain rooms with pleasant views.
€45
Hotel Panorama
Amoudhára
T
22430 23138,
W
panorama-kalymnos.gr.
Simple, well-kept hotel, high
on the hillside west of the harbour, where all thirteen
en-suite rooms have air conditioning and balconies
overlooking the port. Th
ere's
also a pleasant breakfast
salon. Closed Nov-March.
€50
Ì
Villa Melina
Enoria Evangelístria
T
22430 22682,
W
villa-melina.com.
Póthia's quietest and most elegant
hotel, set in attractive gardens near the archeological
