Astypalaia, a Greek island that steals your heart

Astypalaia is a truly picturesque Greek island, that lies exactly where the Dodecanese meets the Cyclades, in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It’s an island butterfly-shaped and ideal for those who want to travel off the beaten track. I visited Astypalaia during July for a few days and I can assure you that it’s as beautiful as people say it is.

Astypalaia, a Greek island that steals your heart

It’s a land rich in emotions, with magnificent views and hospitable residents. It’s one of the places that keeps their profile low, maintains their authenticity, their pure beauty and you get to know about them by word of mouth.

♦ The island has one of the most impressive towns of the Greek islands. Chora, the capital, looks like a Cycladic one, and sits on top of a steep hill. Get wonderfully lost in the colourful alleys, with the whitewashed houses and the vibrant bougainvilleas.

♦ Explore the Venetian Castle, that lies atop the island. It’s really imposing and it contains two beautiful churches, the Evangelistria and Agios Georgios.

♦Did you know that in Astypalaia there is the only existing infant cemetery in the world? It was discovered in 1995 and you will find it in Kylindra, the lower zone of Chora. There are many theories concerning the creation of this place and the almost 3.000 entombed infants, many of which support the sacrifice to the gods.

♦ Visit the windmills, the characteristic meeting point of Astypalaia. In the past, there used to be 12 and now eight of them are preserved. A few of them host various cultural events, whilst the one functions as a lending library.

♦ Visit Maltezana (or Analipsi). It’s one of the seaside villages of the island and the second biggest. There, don’t miss eating at ‘Almyra’ tavern. Their seafood menu has a gourmet twist. My top choices are the ‘mezes toy nayti’ and ‘brousketa with melanouri’.

♦ Vathy is the smallest and most remoted village, which consists of Exo Vathy and Mesa Vathy. Here, you can enjoy the ultimate tranquility and calmness and you can always taste the octopus that the little tavern named ‘Galini’ makes.

♦From Castellana, the Old Italian base, you will enjoy a magnificent view of the endless blue.