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Astypalea (Astypalaia)
Accommodations on Astypalea
Astypalaia. This most western of the Dodecanes
has had many names: Ichthyossa (abundant in fish) in ancient
times; Stampalia or Astropalia, as the lacals call it today.
The name Astypalaia (or Astipalea) means "old city". A moutainous
island with indented coastline concealing numerous delightful
coves, Astypalaia in fact resembles two islands joined by a ribbon
of land only 105 metres wide. The main village is Hora or Astypalaia,
built up the side of a steep hill, and presided over by the massive,
austere remains of a Venetian castle. Its small, square houses,
painted white with brightly coloured doors and windows, follow
the contours of the hill in an olmost unbroken band down to the
sea. So closely are they packed that the walls of the uppermost
houses form part of the outer fortifications of the castle.
A row of windmills on the pass of the hill provides
an additional picturesque note. One enters the castle from the
southwest side of the hill. Inside it are two churches, dedicated
to St. George and to the Annunciation (Evangelismos). The former
contains a noteworthy carved iconostasis. Below the castle stands
the 18th century church of Our Lady Portaitissa, one of the most
beautiful in the Dodecanese. It too has an impressive iconostasis,
covered with gold leaf. Livadia, Analipsi and Vathi are charming
fishing hamlets on the south and north coast of the island, while
among its many beaches, Tria Marmara, Schinontas and Vathi stand
out.
Foto's van Y.C. |
