Skopelos Page 2

Towns

Postcard views of old blue slate, red tile roofs, and lovely views contribute to the charm of Skopelos Town and its harbor. Some of the older buildings show a trace of Venice, Thessalian or Macedonian style. The town is lush with flowers and plants. Skopelos has many shops selling good local merchandise and traditional crafts.

Skopelos Town has 123 churches. The most notable are Zoodochos Pigi, which boasts an icon attributed to St. Luke, and Christo, which has a gilded interior and an Armenian-style apse. Kasto, at the top of town, once housed a Temple to Athena. Beyond Platonos Square is the church of Panagia Eleftherotria, where many ceramic plates decorate the 18th Century stone building.

The Museum of Folk Art has many embroideries and other fine collections, all housed in an 18th Century mansion. This museum has a Skopelean wedding room with a bridal bed and the traditional wedding costumes. Other noteworthy sights around Skopelos Town include the fortified Monastery of Episkopi and the stone sarcophagus of Ag. Reginos. Just outside of town, look for the huge ovens where plums are dried to become Skopelos' famous prunes at the Fournou Damaskinon.

A walking path connects several monasteries. It begins near the beach and leads to wonderful views and various interesting monasteries.

Glossa, the island's other chief settlement, is an hour's bus ride away along the scenic southern coast. Along the way, you'll pass two Minoan tombs that were filled with rich burial goods now on display at the National Museum in Athens. Glossa was constructed mainly during the Turkish occupation. There are ruins of three 4th Century BC towers still visible above the town.

Glossa's port is Loutraki, a steep 3 km below Glossa. Most ships stop at both Loutraki and Skopelos Town.

From Glossa take the hour-long walk to the Monastery of Ag. Ioannis, perched like an eagle's nest over the sea and approached by 100 steps carved in the native rock. Watch for almond trees, which thrive around Glossa.

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See getting to the Sporades from Athens