Alonissos

Alonnisos / Alonissos (Αλόννησος)

Alonnisos is a peaceful island, clean and quiet sitting on the edge of the Aegean Sea. Like the rest of the Sporades Islands, it’s green and hilly, with dramatic, rocky cliffs to the north. It’s the most environmentally savvy of all of the islands as the water around the island declared a marine park.

Originally known for its vineyards, the island went through troubled times after a disease struck the vines destroying the industry in the 1965s. Shortly after a large earthquake destroyed the island’s main town, after which the population was rehoused on the site of the port at Patitiri.

The main town, Patitiri, isn’t your typical Greek Island village, lacking the picturesque ambience of the many other islands, but it is a great base to explore the rest of the island. It is named after the wine presses that were one located there. Most of the island’s beaches are found on the island’s south and west, while to the north there are many walking trails and cliff walks to be discovered.

On the hill behind Patitiri is the island’s original village. Although some have moved back to the site, it still has the feel a ghost town, still, quiet and picturesque, the streets give a taste of how it used to be on the island. The traditional white houses and narrow streets, especially near the top of the hill, give the visitor a taste of how the town used to be.