England

Naxos on way to Santorini
Views
Sanctuary of Apollo
Around the Town
Sunset

Beach Bar
Naxos Castle
Cemetery
A Church

Cats
Ferry
Flowers
Food
Misc

Sanctuary of Apollo

Naxos is the place According to mythology, the wine god Dionysus came from Naxos, and the ancient Greeks saw proof of this in the fact that it is a lush and fertile island. Because of the rich soil, most people from Naxos are involved with agriculture. There are fishermen, but not as many as on other islands.

Many myths in Greece involve Naxos at some point. Zeus, the highest god, was born on Crete, but grew up on Naxos. The people of Naxos used to worship him and a temple was made to his honor at the mountain Za (Zeus).

When Zeus' mistress Semele died before giving birth to their child, Zeus took the embryo and put it in his thigh. When the baby, Dionysus, was born out of Zeus thigh on Naxos, the nymphs Philia, Coronida and Clidi brought him up on the island, which was to be Dionysus favorite island. The god made the island fertile and full of grapevines, forever blessing it.

Another myth is about Ariadne, the daughter of king Minos of Crete. She had helped Theseus kill the Minotaur, and out of fear for her father, she fled with the hero. On Naxos she fell asleep, Theseus left her and when Dionysus saw her, he made her his wife. According to another version she committed suicide by jumping off a cliff in Chora.

Naxos on way to Santorini: We stopped at Naxos while on our way to Santorini. We did not get off the ferry as either Paros or Naxos was going to be our destination on the way back from Santorini. After stopping at both islands, we decided Naxos looked more interesting then Paros so we decided this is where we would visit after Santorini.

Views: Different view of the island.

Sanctuary of Apollo: The most characteristic image of Naxos is the great gate just outside Chora. The locals call it the Portara - the great door, and it is the most photographed spot on the island (see logo above). The gate was built in the 6th century BC by order of the tyrant Legdames. It was to be a temple to the god Apollo, but the building was abandoned when war broke out between Naxos and Samos. Later, Christians built a church on top of the unfinished temple. A very good time to go to the gate is in the evening when you will get to see a fantastic sunset. You can also see Paros from here.