Naxos Villages

Naxos Travel Guide

Kournochori Naxos

Α small village to the heart of Naxos. Its seems like time passed and left this village without impact. You may see the famous castle of Della Rocca, the famous Kouros in the archeological site Flerio. There are very nice tavernas to eat local products at very low rates. People are very friendly and hospitable.

Kinidaros Naxos
The village Kinidaros is known as the village of “the ones who have fun” and is situated 16 kilometers away from Chora. There, you will see the modern marble quarries, where the majority of the locals are occupied. In Kinidaros village you will find a fantastic hiking route leading to Kinidaros waterfalls and the ancient bridge. You will also find 3 small churches in a row.

The residents of Kynidaros are distinguished for their effortless disposal in music and dancing. The rich music and dance tradition of the village is maintained almost unchanged in the passage of time. Soem of the most famous singers of traditinal greek music come from Kinidaros Village. (Konitopoulos) .

Some of the best dancers of come from Kinidaros VIllage.

Apeiranthos Naxos
Apeiranthos, one of the island’s most beautiful villages, is built in the heart of the highlands of Naxos and is rich in history and tradition. It seems untouched by time as it preserves its unspoiled traditional character, and impresses with its medieval architecture.

Apiranthos, is one of the oldest settlements on the island, and has much in the way of interesting folklore to offer, as well as some remarkable examples of traditional architecture. Here the widespread use of marble, for both masonry and road construction is such a characteristic feautre of the village that is also knows as "Marmarino" (made of marble). Steep, narrow little lanes with covered archways, balconies covered with lowers, clean freshly painted houses. Delightful little squares surrounded by cafes and tavernas, meeting places for the locals.

A unique feature of the houses of Apiranthos are the twin chimneybreasts, constructed in such a way to function at the best level.

Chalki Village

The most fertile area of Naxos with large olive groves. There you can the Barozzi Tower and the ancient church of Saint John in the valley. There are hiking routes here too you can follow. In the past, Chalki used to be the trade center of the island, whereas today, it is the seat of the municipality of Drymalia.

Here in Chalki and Damarionas, in these two villages, local aristocracy used to live in fine Neoclassical houses.

When it comes to taste, the word Kitro is synonymous with Naxos Island. Kitro is a strong, scented liqueur made from the leaves of the citron (lemon) tree, and distilled according to traditional methods. The distillery of Mark Vallindras was founded in 1896 and they offer a nice guide over the Kitro making procedure.

The harvesting of the citron leaves takes place from October to February, and the distillation process follows immediately thereafter. Additional ingredients are added in the next stage (water, sugar, natural colourings, et. al.) in order to give Kitro its final “shape”.

Kitro is sold in three different varieties: yellow (without sugar); white (a bit of sugar [preferred by the locals]); and green (with more sugar [preferred by most visitors]).

Today Kitro liqueur is purposely produced in moderate quantities, in order to avoid compromising its quality standards.