Syros

This small island in the Cycladic Isles is a nice change from the more mass-market frenzy at its sister islands of Mykonos and Santorini.

Even the slightly touristy parts of Syros have a different feeling to them, largely because Syros caters mainly to Greek tourists. The annual Festival of the Aegean also draws opera lovers from around the world.

The capital of Syros is Ermoupoli, named for Hermes, the Greek god in charge of commerce and thieves, though understandably, the merchants tend to downplay that part of his myth. Ano Syra is the other town on the island. "Syra" is sometimes used as an alternate name instead of "Syros". It also has been known as Souda and Lasouda. Like Milos, another Cycladic island, Syros has some Cretan influences in its food and culture, the result of refugees feeling from Ottoman-controlled Crete in the 1800s.

There is small Archaeological Museum, and there is a museum commemorating the famous rembetika player Markos Vamvakaris. Syros is not very well-known for its beaches but they do exist, especially along the western and southern coasts. One on the North Coast is Ormos Grammaton, which is worth visiting for another reason - the many ancient inscriptions carved into the local marble rocks. All of these are sand beaches rather than the pebbly ones that might be expected, and some are clearly nude-friendly.

Walking around and admiring the architecture of the captains' mansions on the island is a popular activity.

Syros has been important in ecclesiastical history, and Ermoupoli was the bishopric of the Cycladic islands for both the Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. Its Catholic cathedral is dedicated to Panagia Evangelistra; the Greek Orthodox church is dedicated to the Metamorphosis.

Vrontada Hill may hold a trace of a title of Zeus, under his name of Brontou or "The Thunderer".

This is not an island to seek out for wild nightlife, but with luck, you may find a small taverna offering rembetika music that would do Vamvakaris proud (or not).

Syros has a reputation for loyalty - Odysseus's faithful servant, the swineherd Eumaios, was from Syros. In ancient times, it is believed that it was a more lush island, but climate change and overgrazing over the last few thousand years have taken its toll. It also claims Pheracydes, a very early Greek philosopher.

Events on Syros

With the pair of prominent churches in Ermoupolis, Christian religious holidays get doubly celebrated, as the dates of Easter and other holidays rarely coincide. The island's patron saint in Greek Orthodoxy is Saint Dimitrios, who enjoys a feast on October 26th. Local traditions expect nice weather around and through this time, followed by storms, so the period is also called "The Little Summer of Saint Dimitrios" and there is a wine festival in his honor. It is just possible that Dimitrios has been conveniently confused for this purpose with the ancient Greek god of wine and revelry, Dionysos. The Apollo Theater was fashioned after the famed La Scala Opera House, and is sometimes called "La Piccola Scala". In 2014 it will celebrate its 150th Anniversary or Sesquicentennnial. The Apollo Theater is the key venue for the annual Festival of the Aegean held each July. Visitors can enjoy full-scale opera productions each season.

Getting to Syros

The port of Ermoupolis is a hub for commercial transit and so ferry service to Syros is good, even outside of the high summer months. There is also a small airport with direct flights from Athens; its Greek airport code is JSY. Some cruise lines, including Variety Cruises, also stop at Syros.

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