The picturesque village of the island
In the picturesque alleys
Skyros, is an island of stark contrasts that captivates every visitor.
It combines the green color of the Sporades in its northern part with the Cycladic character in its southern part.
The picturesqueness of Chora, the traditional streets, the Skyrian houses that are like small museums, with the traditional Skyrian decoration, the terraces and the small courtyards of the houses with jasmine and boukanvillia literally “enchant” you.
From Chora Going up the central picturesque street you will end up at the top of the hill, where you will find the Castle of Skyros.
It is located at the highest point of Chora, on a rock approximately 179 meters high. According to mythology, this rock was the ancient acropolis and the palace of the mythical king Lykomides.
On the first level of the Castle City, there is the Monastery of Agios Georgios (963 AD) of the Patron Saint of Skyros with its amazing Byzantine Hagiographies and a part of the fortification, while on the second level, there is the restored Church of Episkopi (895 AD), medieval water tanks, ruins of old buildings as well as a large part of the castle fortification. In this place you can enjoy the sunrise or sunset with a view of the beach “Magazia” and the vast Aegean Sea.
Going down a little further from the castle you will find the beautiful square of Eternal Poetry with a fantastic view of the endless blue of the Aegean Sea, dedicated to the philhellene English poet Rupert Brooke, who, according to his wish, was buried in Skyros.
The square hosts a bronze statue dedicated to eternal poetry, as well as a bust of the poet.
Art and culture
Further down you will find the Folklore Museum FALTAITS
The Museum was founded in 1964 by Manos Faltaits and is one of the first local Historical-Folklore Museums in Greece.
It was created with the aim of preserving the traditional heritage of Skyros. It includes all the traditional culture and history of the island, from the post-Byzantine to the modern era and contains, among other things, rare books, costumes, historical documents and papers, such as the Proclamation of the Greek Revolution, as written by members of the Friendly Society, and the Denunciation of the Greek Revolution of 1821. And an authentic representation of a Skyros house where a large number of collections are housed, with objects of the culture and traditional art of Skyros, such as ceramics, porcelain, embroidery, textiles, furniture and utensils.
Next to it is located the Archaeological Museum where the findings from the excavation of the fortified settlement of the Early and Middle Bronze Age (3rd and 2nd millennium BC) in Palamari are exhibited.
As you go down to the town, don’t forget to enjoy meals in the taverns in the central street and square, visit the shops on the cobblestone streets and shop for souvenirs, Skyrian ceramics, Skyrian thyme honey and stop for a glass of wine with Skyrian tastes at the cafes on the central cobblestone streets.
