Culture of Ios Island. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Ios is a place where you can get to know the traditions, culture and customs of ancient Hellenes. According to testimonies of reliable ancient writers, like Herodotus and Pausanias, Ios was the island where Homer died. His tomb can be found in Platokos. Homer was buried here because his mother was from Ios Island. Unfortunately, there is no information about her burial place and the place she lived in. Chora is the capital of Ios. It is known not only as one of the most party city in Greece. This city has a long rich history and attractive streets, beautiful churches and ancient houses. There is a great number of the historical building on Ios, many of them are cult buildings such as the church of Agina Ekaterini, Agios Ioannis (John the Baptist) church and the Church of Saint Irene. You can find the ruins of an ancient fortress in Chora, which was presumably built at the times of conflicts between Greeks and Muslim conquers. Unfortunately, the fortress hasn’t preserved to present times. Ancient windmills are situated at the top of the hill near Ios. You can visit this place and enjoy amazing views.

If you are interested in the history of the island, be sure to visit the local history museum. There is a rich collection of household items, weapons and jewellery, found during years of excavations. Engineering was highly developed in ancient Greece, you can visit Agia Theodoti and see the ruins of ancient water supply and a tower. Other settlements of the island have their ancient artefacts too - the remains of ancient temples, like in Psafi. One more interesting place is ruins of a tower, situated near Plakoto.

Ios was the arena of many bloody battles for many times. Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and, of course, Venetians visited this island. Every leader had to protect the land from the leaders of neighbouring countries and pirates, who attacked and robbed all nearby settlements. The Venetians built a large and beautiful fortress to protect Ios, which can be seen not far from the Paleokastro. The building was damaged by time and weather. But it is possible to see the remains of the building. It is easy to feel the spirit of the middle ages on Ios, just spend some time walking through the local settlements, most of which were building five centuries ago. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

If you like cult objects, frescos and icons, try to visit as many local churches as possible. They were built at different times and charm visitors with interior beauty. Be sure to visit the Museum of Modern Art in Kolitsani. There are presented modern artworks and you will get to know to modern Greek artists, poets and writers. Moreover, there are hold different photo exhibitions in summer. Ios is a wonderful place, where the rich historical past is intertwined with an eventful present.