This historic island has built on its heritage to become a classy, yet affordable destination.
Spetses is a small island (22 square kilometers) off the western coast of the Peloponnese, 53 nautical miles from Piraeus. Its size is in inverse proportion to its contribution to the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s, which included the first victory against the Ottomans at sea -- an event celebrated annually, this year from September 8 to 15. The island is a member of the European Historical Reenactments Network.
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My family moved to Spetses 50 years ago. The island’s historical aura, kept alive by the old cannons at the Dapia and the imposing mansions, was at this point coupled with two prestigious landmarks, the grand and historic Poseidonion hotel on the right of the port -- one of the very first Greek island hotels, built in 1914 -- and the reputed Anargyrios College, a boarding school for boys. These, combined with the descendants of local propertied families, accounted for a steady stream of Athenian high society for most of the year. They moved about on horse-drawn buggies -- the only means of transport. Tourists were a rare species and for most locals life was hard.Outside the town, it was pure magic: thick pine forest right down to the empty coves, dotted by the occasional outlying, decaying villa and with silence only disturbed by rasping cicadas.
This was the setting that inspired author John Fowles, who taught English at Anargyrios for a year, to write the best-selling psychological thriller “The Magus.” Some years later, Dutch aviator Willem van Veenendaal wrote a book titled “Every Day is a Sunday in Spetses.”
Ιt remains pretty much so to this day, but it is not tranquil Sundays anymore, especially in summer. The magic is still there, but stripped of its mystique. The high society still comes, but en masse, including celebrities and a considerable international segment. The town has expanded to its limits and the sumptuous villas in the Old Harbor -- with yachts to match -- are among the most expensive properties in Greece.
That is not to say that Spetses is out of reach for ordinary budgets. Pricy -- yes, but not unaffordable. And the island’s natural beauty is still rewarding, despite three forest fires in the last 18 years (some say not unrelated to development pressures). Strict building specifications have helped maintain aesthetic standards and walking around the expansive town (population 3,600) you can’t help wondering whether there can be a larger concentration of bougainvillaea and jasmine plants anywhere else in Greece (according to some researchers, the name of the island may be related to the Italian word “spezie” -- a reference to its fragrant scents -- which ultimately took the form Spetsia in medieval Venetian naval maps). A walker’s delight is only dented by the excessive number of motorbikes.
The road around the island is some 25 km long and affords access to several picturesque coves surrounded by pine forest: Ligoneri, Vrellou, Zogeria, Aghia Paraskevi (it lost its pines in the last fire), Aghioi Anargyroi -- the island’s largest beach, on the southern shore, with a couple of tavernas, some rooms to rent and the sea cave of Bekiris, where you can swim or walk in and out. Nearer town are Aghia Marina and Kouzounos. Scholes is a scenic, well-organized beach outside Anargyrios College. All beaches are accessible by bus or boat.
Avid walkers will appreciate a one-hour ascent from the town to the summit of Profitis Ilias (298 m) with superb views of the mainland. From there you either continue west on a winding dirt road down to Vrellou (one hour), or turn back a few hundred yards and then right, leading down to Aghioi Anargyroi. For a lovely short walk, head to the Monastery of Aghioi Pantes (absolute silence at sunset), overlooking the cove of Aghia Marina, which can be reached by a path on the right before the monastery.
Getting there & about
Conventional ferries no longer run to Spetses, making Flying Dolphins (Hellenic Seaways, tel 210.419.9200, 22980.73141) the only option from Piraeus. There are six to seven departures daily and the fare is 39 euros. Alternatively, you can drive to Costa on the mainland (2 hrs 45 mins from Athens) and make the 1-mile crossing either by ferry boat or sea taxi. Private cars are only allowed for some permanent residents on the island; getting about, therefore, is done by bus, taxi, sea-taxi, boat, horse-drawn buggy, moped or bicycle. Boats go round the island and can also take you to sandy Costa.
What to see
The Armata naval battle re-enactment; the private museum of local Independence heroine Laskarina Bouboulina (72416) above the Dapia offers several guided tours daily; wander about the neighborhood with the old majestic mansions in the area of Aghios Nikolaos; admire Natalia Mela’s metal sculpture constructions on the promontory of the lighthouse; the Hatziyiannis Mexis Museum (72994), with relics of the War of Independence; the Byzantine churches in the old Kasteli neighborhood, the Anargyrios School, and the shipbuilding workshops in the old harbor.
By Haris Argyropoulos ekathimerini.gr