What and Where to Eat and Stay
Unlike the smaller Cycladic islands with a tiny chora and a port, Paros is blessed with a handful of countryside villages, known for their traditional atmosphere, whitewashed buildings, winding paved streets, and pretty churches. Away from Parikia and Naoussa are communities with streets too narrow for cars to pass, and beautifully kept houses with geranium-filled courtyards and sleeping cats. This is the Cyclades at its most tempting, with the steady breath of the wind and blue skies as your companion and the scent of pines and mountain herbs filling the air.
Many visitors bypass the interior of Paros, preferring to stay on the coast better to enjoy the beaches and the nightlife. However, one enigmatic way to discover the beautiful interior is to walk the medieval flagstone path that once linked the two sides of the island. Starting in Marmara, the name means marble, a quintessential blue and white shimmering Cycladic village, head west to Prodromos where the Byzantine Road begins, a path thought to have been built around 1000 AD.
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A fortified farming settlement with distinctive walls made up of the outer houses, the village is full of narrow, arched walkways and bougainvillea-filled pedestrianised streets that lead to the Church of Agios Ioannis with its distinctive bell tower.
Nearby Marpissa is built on the hill of Kefalos with no less than nineteen churches and nine squares. Beautifully kept, it was mostly built in the 16th and 17th century and its cobbled streets are a delight to wander. The central square features three characteristic windmills, while a path leads to the top of the hill and the monastery of Agios Antonios and the ruins of an ancient castle. The views across the eastern side of the island over the Aegean to Naxos are unparalleled.
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5 kilometres on from Prodromos is the Ottoman capital of Paros, Lefkes. Built amphitheatrically into a green valley, it is perhaps the most beautiful of the mountain villages on the island. Repeated piracy in the 17th century swelled the population as the Parians moved inland away from the coastal regions. Still the largest interior settlement, it has a peaceful atmosphere with a main street, Ramnos, scented with Jasmine and Honeysuckle. Dominating the village is the church of Agia Triada with two imposing campaniles and an impressive marble altarpiece carved by a Tinian sculptor that attest to the former importance of Lefkes.
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A further 5 kilometres back towards Parikia is Marathi where, during the Classical period, thousands of slaves worked the marble quarries. The world famous stone, beloved by sculptors for its milky glow, was mined here and exported all over Europe; the Venus de Milo, Nike of Samothrace, Napoleon’s tomb, and countless other monumental treasures all began their life here.
Read also:
Where to go for a perfect meal in Paros -Traditional taverns, cosmopolitan restaurants, historic coffee shops
Paros: Cosmopolitan Cyclades island
Piso Livadi: A small, peaceful seaside village in Paros, with excellent food
