Anyone who reaches the Kastro understands at once why it was built there. A rock dropping straight into the sea, open to the northern Aegean, with only one narrow approach from land. From the 14th century and for about five hundred years, this was the capital of Skiathos.
A town built for hiding
For centuries the islanders of the Aegean lived in fear of pirates. Many islands built their capitals high up and away from the sea. On Skiathos they chose this rock. The entrance was over a drawbridge. When it was raised, the Kastro was closed.
Inside the walls there were hundreds of houses and many churches. When the danger from pirates passed, in the early 19th century, the inhabitants came down and built today's town beside the harbour. The Kastro was slowly abandoned.
What survives
Of the houses, mostly foundations remain. Of the churches, though, a few survive, the best known being the church of Christ, with a carved wooden iconostasis and wall paintings. There are also remains of the walls, the cisterns and a mosque from the Ottoman period.
Papadiamantis, who grew up on Skiathos, mentions the Kastro in his stories. For the people of Skiathos it is the place of the island's old memory.
Getting there
There are two ways. By car or scooter along the island road, and then on foot for the last stretch, under half an hour. Or by caique from the town harbour, on the round-the-island trips that stop at the beach below the Kastro.
Wear closed shoes. The path and the steps are stone and slippery in places. The sunset from up there is one of the finest on the island.
Around the Kastro
On the way to the Kastro you pass through the green interior of Skiathos, with pines, olive trees and small chapels. The monastery of Evangelistria is nearby and can be part of the same outing. Below the rock lies a small beach. If you go by caique, there is usually time for a swim before returning to town.
