Donoussa is a small Cycladic island of only 13,5 km2, located east of Naxos and north of Amorgos. Due to its geographic position, it has maintained a low profile, removed from the logic of mass tourism.
Its landscape is typically Cycladic, teeming with thyme, heath, sage, cedar trees, drywall networks and prickly pears, without being heavily built. It is ideal for carefree and romantic holidays with a touch of adventure. The island boasts breathtaking beaches for swimming, tracks marked or unmarked for hiking, forgotten villages for you to unwind and travel back in time.
Ιn Donoussa, and more specifically at the location of Vathy Limenari, you can see the remains of a fortified settlement of the Geometric Period and, according to the legend, it was here that the great god Dionysus brought Ariadne when Theseus abandoned her on Naxos.
The island has been a place of exile during the Roman times, while in the Middle-Ages it was a pirate hideaway. The first residents came to settle on the island in about the middle of the 19th century from the neighbouring island of Amorgos. Today, the island is inhabited by about 150 permanent residents, who will be waiting for you all year round for a unique travelling experience.
Its landscape is typically Cycladic, teeming with thyme, heath, sage, cedar trees, drywall networks and prickly pears, without being heavily built. It is ideal for carefree and romantic holidays with a touch of adventure. The island boasts breathtaking beaches for swimming, tracks marked or unmarked for hiking, forgotten villages for you to unwind and travel back in time.
Ιn Donoussa, and more specifically at the location of Vathy Limenari, you can see the remains of a fortified settlement of the Geometric Period and, according to the legend, it was here that the great god Dionysus brought Ariadne when Theseus abandoned her on Naxos.
The island has been a place of exile during the Roman times, while in the Middle-Ages it was a pirate hideaway. The first residents came to settle on the island in about the middle of the 19th century from the neighbouring island of Amorgos. Today, the island is inhabited by about 150 permanent residents, who will be waiting for you all year round for a unique travelling experience.
THE VILLAGES
|
Messaria
A small settlement right after the beach of Kedros. Built high up a hill with its old stone houses, Messaria used to have windmills and a blacksmith’s, the ruins of which are still accessible to the hikers. Today, it offers privacy, tranquility and beautiful field and sea views in abundance.
|
|
Kalotaritissa
The village at the end of the road. Literally and metaphorically. Visit Kalotaritissa and let its ambience travel you back in time. Right by the sea, with its small waterfront, its three beaches, its quaint little houses, the rock of Skoulonisi opposite the village, and Papas, the highest point on Donoussa, supervising everything around it. It is a natural harbour in the north of the island, where the words calmness and serenity find their true meaning again. A taverna is open during summer.
|
THE BEACHES
|
Kedros
Superb beach, right after Stavros. Can be reached on foot following a track, and also by car, provided that you leave it a few metres behind and follow the dirt road. On the sea bed of Kedros you can still discern the remains of a German ship, sunk by English bombers in WWII. In summer, right behind the beach, you will find open a bar-restaurant offering coffee, drinks and food.
|