Anafi

Anafi sits at the eastern edge of the Cyclades with fewer than three hundred permanent residents, and its landmark is Kalamos, a bare limestone monolith rising some 460 metres straight from the sea at the island's eastern end, often described as one of the largest monoliths in the Mediterranean. On its lower shoulder stands the monastery of Panagia Kalamiotissa, reached by a two-hour walk from the road, with a smaller chapel on the very summit. Below, the monastery of Zoodochos Pigi occupies the site of an ancient temple of Apollo, with column drums built into its walls. The Chora is a classic white Cycladic village on a hill above the port, and the beaches, Roukounas, Klisidi, Megalos Roukounas, are sandy and often empty even in August.

History

By myth Apollo made the island appear to the Argonauts as a refuge from a storm, lighting it with his bow, and the name Anafi is taken from the Greek for "he made appear". After the Fourth Crusade of 1204 Marco I Sanudo, Duke of Naxos, granted the island, known to the Latins as Namfio, to Leonardo Foscolo; in the late 1270s Licario and John de lo Cavo, a native of Anafi, recovered it for Byzantium. Later its ruler William Crispo, 1390-1463, regent of the Duchy of Naxos, is said to have built the kastro above the present village and a fortress on Mount Kalamos (Wikipedia, Anafi).

Highlights

• Kalamos - the great limestone monolith at the island's eastern end.
• Panagia Kalamiotissa - the monastery on the rock, reached on foot.
• Zoodochos Pigi - a monastery built over an ancient temple of Apollo.
• The empty beaches - long sandy stretches with almost no development.

When to go

May, June and September; ferries are infrequent and the meltemi can cancel them, so build slack into travel plans. The walk up Kalamos needs an early start and plenty of water.

Practical notes

Anafi is remote and basic: a few tavernas and rooms, no bank, limited shops, and boats that may not run for days in bad weather. There is no shade on the walks. Visitors come precisely for the emptiness.

Nearby

Santorini is the transport hub two hours west; the Small Cyclades lie north.

Key facts