Aegina

Aegina was a naval power that rivalled Athens, minted some of the earliest European coins, the silver turtles, and served briefly as the first capital of independent Greece in 1828, which is why its harbour town has such solid neoclassical houses and a governor's residence. The island is roughly 87 square kilometres of hills and pistachio groves; the Aegina pistachio has protected designation status and the harvest in September fills the town with roasting smells. Beyond the port lie the temple of Aphaia on its wooded ridge, the ruined Byzantine town of Paleochora with its scattered chapels, the monastery of Agios Nektarios and small resorts at Agia Marina and Perdika. Horse-drawn carriages still work the waterfront, and the fish market beside the harbour is the real thing.

History

Herodotus calls Aegina a colony of Epidaurus, and its position between Attica and the Peloponnese made it a place of trade very early; Kolonna was its main fortified settlement of the Early Bronze Age, Minoan pottery appears around 2000 BC, the Aegina Treasure in the British Museum dates from between 1700 and 1500 BC, and a purple dye workshop of the 16th century BC has been excavated at Cape Kolonna. Mycenaean gold ornaments and a refuge on Mount Ellanio belong to the end of the Bronze Age, and the island was probably not Doricised before the 9th century BC. Around the 8th century BC it belonged to the League of Calauria with Athens, Orchomenos and other cities, and by tradition Pheidon of Argos set up its mint, making it the first city-state in Europe to issue coins, the Aeginetic stater (Wikipedia, Aegina).

What's there

• The harbour town - neoclassical facades, a fish market and the chapel on the mole.
• The pistachio groves - the island's signature crop, harvested in September.
• The Kolona site - a single standing column of a temple of Apollo above the port.
• The village beaches - Agia Marina, Marathonas and the fishing hamlet of Perdika.

When to go

Spring and autumn for walking and empty beaches; September for the pistachio harvest. Summer weekends bring heavy day-trip traffic from Athens, and the boats fill.

Before you go

Aegina is a working island rather than a postcard: the town is busy, the roads carry real traffic, and the beaches are modest by Greek standards. A car or scooter helps considerably, as bus services are limited outside the main routes.

Nearby

Agistri lies twenty minutes away by boat; Poros and the rest of the Saronic islands continue south.

Key facts