Itisallgreek2me

Saturday, 11 June 2022… Astypalea is the most western and the most remote of the Dodecanese islands… sometimes referred to as the butterfly island due to it’s shape… joined by a strip of land in the middle just 100m wide. It’s capital Chora is built high on a peninsular with Pera Gialos in the bay on one side and Livadi on the other.

At the top of the hill is the imposing 13th Century Venetian Castle of Chora, also known as the Querini Castle after the Querini family who erected the Kastro and ruled the island from 1207-1522. Until well into the 20th Century over 300 people lived inside the Kastro, however, depopulation and a severe earthquake in 1956 combined to leave only a desolate shell today, notwithstanding the two churches Evangelistria and Agios Geórgios which are within the Castle walls.

A row of eight windmills run across the top of the peninsular by the Square. Although this mountainous island belongs to the Dodecanese, it is more like the Cycladic Islands in appearance, with the traditional white and blue colours of the houses (but not always) and wooden balconies.

As I mentioned in my last Blog, I first visited Astypalea in 2010. As I walked about the island today… to Livadi beach, back up to Chora, the Castle and all through the streets and alleyways, I’m happy to say, very little has changed in 12 years.

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