TRADITIONAL NAXOS: MEET THE AUTHENTIC VILLAGES OF DAMALAS – KERAMI – KALOXILOS – HALKI

 

 

Making our way through the fertile valley of Tragaea, we’ll stop at Kerami, a whimsical village, halfway between Halki and Filoti. Awaiting you are picturesque narrow streets, charming white houses, lush gardens and a magnificent view over a sea of olive groves. In the centre of the village, we’ll admire the impressive architecture of the landmark 18th century tower Markopolitis-Kalavros and take in other notable sights including the Byzantine churches of St. John (13th century), nestled among the olive trees, and that of St. Apostles, in the nearby abandoned village of Metohi.

 

A 20-minute stroll takes us to Kaloxilos, a quaint little village, built on a verdant landscape among oaks, olive and plane trees, prized for its pretty houses and gardens scented with rare flowers. Don’t be surprised to hear someone saying, “Welcome to Hollywood!”. It’s the local’s witty catchphrase, as Kaloxilos in Greek breaks down to Kalo for holly and xilos for wood! At the Holy Trinity church we’ll admire an impressive marble iconostasis before stopping in at the Folklore and Folk-Art Museum, where the owner will enlighten us about his painstakingly assembled and restored collection, housed in a well-preserved mansion, bequeathed by his grandfather.

 

Our final village stop is Halki. Legend has it that this village was named after a family of coppersmiths and tinkers (halkos = copper) sent there by the Venetians. Until a few decades ago, centrally-located Halki was populous and affluent and served as the administrative and commercial core of the island. This is no longer the case, but its ornate neoclassical mansions still stand as proud testament to Halki’s former wealth.

 

Let’s take a peek inside the emblematic church of Panagia Protothroni, continuously in service since 1052, as well as the imposing Barozzi tower (17th century) and the gracious manor that hosts the Vallindras distillery. Here, we will taste the famed local liqueur Naxos Kitron (PDO), meet the producers and learn about this fiery Naxian aperitif.

 

Last but not least, we’ll settle in at the legendary café of Galanis to mingle with the locals, learn about the café’s colourful past - and discover the heavenly traditional dessert Galanis is famous for far and wide. Based on milk, Galaktoboureko is Greece’s much-loved answer to the custard slice and we can’t think of a sweeter note to end your Naxian adventure on.