Tour of Apollo Island

Get to know every nook and cranny of Naxos .Starting from your hotel we head to the first site for the day. In the fertile plains of western Naxos, between reeds and neatly cultivated plots, lies a temple fittingly dedicated to the goddess of agriculture Demeter. A century older than the Parthenon, this temple has managed to weather two and a half millennia with more than 50% of its original structure preserved carrying invaluable information on ancient architecture. Moving on we arrive at Halki, a village situated in a fertile plateau, adorned with beautiful neoclassical mansions and home to the second site on our journey; the distillery that first made the –today– iconic liqueur “Kitron”, Vallindas Distillery.We get to know everything about the production (tree, fruit distillation methods)and the consumption (taste tasting) of one of the three PDO liqueurs in the country. The next location we visit is the picturesque mountain village of Apiranthos. The marble-paved alleys, the majestic view, the distinct traditions and the rich culture are only a few of the charms that will make you fall in love with this jewel of a village. Crossing the mountains of the north-east we end up in Apollonas, the northernmost village of the island. Just a small fishing village today, Apollonas was one of the most important Naxian ports in antiquity as that is where the famed local marble was exported from. The restaurants around the bay are full of delicacies waiting to be tasted. Just a few minutes away, on a hill overlooking Apollonas, in an ancient marble quarry lies the unfinished statue of Kouros (5th4th century BC), an imposing 11-meter colossus that invokes images of ancient art, worship and trade.Making our way back south our final stop for the day is in yet another part of the island blessed with fertile soil, Eggares. There, we visit the village’s traditional 19th century olive press and gain precious insight into practices and a way of life that now belongs to the past/ now long gone.