Added: 06/14/2006 |
Thassos Hiking Routes - Your Guide to the Forests, Gorges, Beaches and Stone Memorials of the PastGreen is usually the first adjective you'll hear from anyone that has been to the Island of Thassos. Not many islands in Greece are this lush. Known as the "Green Island" Thassos is relatively thin on tourists in comparison to many other islands.
The history of Thassos goes back as far as ancient times. The island is girdled with myths. According to one of them, Zeus took shelter on Thassos after kidnapping the Phoenician queen Europe. Because it is also a very popular island amongst the Greeks, the standard of food and service here is high, and you get a good mixture of the modern and the traditional.
The coastline of Thassos is embellished by the numerous sandy and pebble beaches and by the romantic, small coves of the island. Thassos is known in Greece for the extreme beauty of the beaches. It is due to their soft golden sand, to their crystalline waters and to the verdant trees, which are boarding them. Many of the beaches are easy to get to by bus, car or moped. Some of the more popular are Golden Beach, Skala Kallirachis and Makryammos.
The mountains and the inland landscapes of Thassos are also among the most picturesque in Greece. With hundreds of paths and trails, Thassos hiking and mountaineering is very popular on the island. Forests, gorges, springs and stone memorials of the past abound. Thassos hiking paths to all over the south of the island start from the village of Theologos. Likewise, every settlement in the south has a path to Theologos. Now mostly overgrown they can be difficult to find but it is not easy to lose your way in the mountains of Thassos. Renowned for its fine workmanship is the iconoclast in the church of St. Demetrios, to which the monk Ignatius Philotheites dedicated 18 years of his life, the village of Theologos has a watermill, a mansion house of the chieftain Hatziyiorgis, dozens of buildings of outstanding architectural value, the village churches, the stone bridge which is the only one of its kind on Thassos.
The villages of Theologos, Kastro, Maries, Kazaviti, Aliki, Rachoni, Panagia and Potamia, hold the key to the more recent history of island Thassos. As you stroll their narrow streets you will appreciate how simple and how harmoniously integrated with the natural environment life once was. Old mansion houses next to low cottages roughly built of stone and wood incorporate architectural skills that have since been lost. Each village has its own olive press, watermill and other manufactories. Today these villages overflow with cultural treasures of immense importance for the future of the island.
The villages were still miniature fortresses to ensure protection from the pirates who pillaged the Aegean for many centuries. These villages are very interesting and worth visiting. Combined with the beauty of the natural surroundings they are sure to enchant you as they have countless others in the past. Walk their streets, revive yourselves at their springs, visit the ruins. Some of the best Thassos hiking routes can be found here.
Pick up a map at the tourist office of the many Thassos hiking routes in the interior of the island and just enjoy nature.
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