Skopelos

Skopelos is often described as the greenest island in the Aegean, with pine forest covering most of its 96 square kilometres, along with plum and almond orchards that supply the island's dried-plum tradition. The Chora climbs the slope above the harbour in tiers of white houses with slate roofs and wooden balconies, and the island counts an improbable number of churches and chapels, well over three hundred, many tiny and whitewashed on remote headlands. Beaches on the sheltered side, Panormos, Milia, Kastani, are pebble and pine-backed with exceptionally clear water; the exposed north is cliffs. The island became widely known after a 2008 musical film was shot here, which brought a wave of visitors to the chapel of Agios Ioannis Kastri in particular.

History

By legend Skopelos was founded by Staphylos, "grape", a son of Dionysus and Ariadne, and in the Late Bronze Age the island, then called Peparethos, was colonised by the Minoans. Perhaps because of that legend it was known across the Greek world for its wine; Sophocles' Philoctetes, first performed in 409 BC, includes a wine merchant from the island, and Pliny the Elder records the wine of Peparethos among those praised by the physician Apollodorus (Wikipedia, Skopelos).

The landscape

• The Chora - tiered white houses and slate roofs above the port.
• The chapels - hundreds of small churches across the island.
• The pine coast - Panormos, Milia and Kastani beaches with clear water.
• The plum orchards - the island's traditional dried-fruit crop.

When to go

May, June and September for the best combination of weather, water and space. July and August fill with families and film-tour visitors. Winter sees ferries reduced and many places closed.

Before you go

Beaches are pebble rather than sand and shade is patchy outside the pine belt. The island has one main road, and the drive to the far end takes longer than the map suggests. Film-related visitors concentrate heavily at one chapel.

Nearby

Agios Ioannis Kastri stands on the northern coast; Skiathos and Alonnisos are short ferry hops away.

Key facts