No one to Tinos one would never dream of building a house with doors facing north, on the other hand all the trees on the island, the few that exist, have crowns that bend towards the south, to remind us that in front of a superior force we bend so as not to break. It is certain: Tinos is the windiest island among all the islands of Greece, and the wind that blows from the north, the melting potwhich blows more intensely in July and August, already tells its character. Tinos is an island of impetus and resilience, of passion and sweetness.
Tinos, named after the king of an Ionian tribe from Asia Minor, is different from all the others. Rocky and arid, 90% of its territory is terraced: not only to obtain fields for cultivation, but because the terracing system serves to collect the little rainwater that falls and, also, to prevent the ground from collapsing.
Tinos is a network of roads that move wavy between earth and rock, among over 1000 churches for 9000 inhabitants and almost as many dovecotesThe dovecotes were brought by the Venetians when they dominated the island and founded the pigeon breeding farm there, from which they obtained fertilizer, and now they are like land art works with an almost oriental flavour. The churches and chapels are a whole other story, whose tale begins at sea because any ferry you take that passes through Tinos you will find on board at least one priest with the long black Orthodox tunic who is headed there. This is the “holy island”, where pilgrims come to dedicate their prayers and their ex voto to the church of the Annunciation of the Madonnabuilt where, thanks to the dream of a nun, in 1823 an icon was found which was taken as a harbinger of future freedom from the Turks. The church is in an elevated position and pilgrims reach it from the port proceeding on all fours on his knees to ask for a favor as tradition dictates.
Inside a desert of rocks and oasis-villages
Leaving the chora you travel towards its highest point, Mount Tsiknias which is over 700 meters high and is rightly considered the home of the gods Aeolus and Borias, who from here let the winds that rule over the entire Aegean run free. Under the mountain there is a stretch of huge round boulders – perhaps coming from an ancient eruption or as legend has it the signs of a fight between giants – which create a surreal landscape, interrupted only by a few small chapels dedicated to the most important saints who on their day They are celebrated with great panigyria, festivities with food, wine and raku.
Among these rocks they seem to live only wild goatsbut among the boulders there is a small village hidden, built between and above the rocks. It is Volà xand the impression, arriving there, is to enter a fertile, green and happy oasis, after having crossed a desert. In Volax everything is very well cared for, the flowers and plants, the small streets between buildings and rocks, the houses, the colors of the windows and doors, some of which are designed with long hand-written poems, the boutiques. Everything creates a feeling of perfect harmony. At the village tavern you can eat dishes cooked by Ilias who has enormous and gentle hands. There is the shop where they still make baskets using the traditional method, even though the craftsman who makes them is the last to know where to find the reeds, how to cut them, when to do it and how to weave them to make indestructible baskets. There is the girl who makes soap and the one who makes crochet bags, there is an ancient oven to visit, while in his studio full of cats Iosif Vidos sells beautiful mini-photos of the island and the sea.
Falling in love with Tinos
I visit the island together with Sapphiredriver and agency guide trippy. Born on the island to island parents, he studied abroad but then chose to return to Tinos because he is totally in love with it. He says that the Tinians are crazy, then he says he will make me fall in love with the island too, and he will show me amazing things. In fact, the giant ball-shaped rocks are already a good start.
From there we go down towards the western part of Tinoscrossing the greenest and most wind-protected valley where the vines are grown, with five valuable cellarsand we arrive at the area that has made the island famous over the centuries, that is, the area from which the marble, an art that became an Intangible Heritage of UNESCO in 2015.
In the elegant village of Pyrgosthe heart of this area, lived Yannoulis Chalepasone of the most famous sculptors in Greece, whose bedroom in his birthplace resembles Van Gogh’s in Arles (in Greek guise of course). Pyrgos is beautiful. Everything in the village is made of marble, the streets, the decorated doors of the houses, there is a school dedicated to the art of marble and a museum, and there are boutiques selling objects sculpted by today’s artisans. The town square, with a large glorious tree in the middle, is an explosion of life. It is like this in each of these countries, a tangible beauty made of white houses, small streets, glimpses of the sea and squares at sunset. So in Isternia and then to Cardianfrom whose church you can watch the sunset and then have dinner at the restaurant Dangerousa worthy exponent of the island’s gourmet fame, which looks out over a sea as blue as few others on which the magic of the night spreads.
At the Odera Hotel, luxury in style
Tinos is like this, definitely authentic, still traditionalwith its inhabitants firmly rooted to their island and their territory. Tinos looks down on the entire Aegean. DOn the southern coast (the one most sheltered from the wind) on clear days you can see 15 islandsfrom Mykonos to Icaria and Syros, then Delos, the sacred island. It is here, on the south coast, in a protected bay with a sandy beach and transparent waters that opened the new Odera Hotel. A major investment that sets a new aesthetic standard in the Aegean: minimal and linear architecture, made of stone, reeds, water and lots of marble. It is a hotel born to be luxury with its 77 rooms, most of which are suites each with its own private pool that touches the color of the Aegean. Don’t imagine the round turquoise blue pools with hydromassage of many hotels in Santorini, these are more austere pools, water lines that make their way through the Mediterranean vegetationwith verandas where you can spend the evening, large rooms with the bed in front of a single enormous window that gives you the sensation of sleeping under the stars.
Every view from the hotel is perfect, every space – even the area where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served, with two verandas one above the other in front of a large swimming pool – creates an almost Renaissance-like play of perspectives.
Coming down from the pool you reach the beach with the most comfortable sunbeds and black and white umbrellas well welded to the sand so as not to be carried away. In the morning here you do yoga with the teacher for an awakening of the senses, even if the cool clientele of the hotel meet in the gym in the morning. There is also an excellent Spawhere thanks to Evelyn’s hands I had one of the best massages of my life (definitely in my top five). There is an indoor pool, a Turkish bath where you can also do the hammam, and a fantastic bed «body zero meditation» where you can float in a bed of warm water for super relaxing guided meditations.
The opening of a luxury hotel on the island is a very strong signal: the island will become a retreat for – those who, tired of the crowds in Mykonos, will look for a new exclusive oasis just 20 minutes away by ferry? Will it be the first of a long series, bringing with it mass and international tourism that now – on this Greek island why – definitely does not exist? Zafiros is not afraid: he is convinced that the strength of Tinos’ tradition and the islanders’ attachment to their land will be stronger than any tourist fame. Of course, to love Tinos you need to have a strong spirit. It is true and authentic, arid and windy, and it reminds you that a comfortable life is never a given, not even that of a five-star hotel.
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
