monastery of Agia Kyriaki comes in sight. We cross a dry, marble-white river bed and scramble to the other side, up ancient stone-built terraces. This eventually takes us down to a small gorge, green with wild olive tree, juniper, cypress and shrub. We only walk the ancient, herb-scented trail half-way: we leave the stone-paved main path to go east on an agricultutal track through the olive groves and abandoned vineyards, which forks to a narrow, winding footpath. We visit chapels (sometimes built with architectural salvage from ancient temples), the old village square and the marble-built cathedral of Holy Trinity – where the Byzantine Way can be spotted, a serpentine unfolding on the terraced hillsides opposite the church. AD to protect the island population from the Saracen pirate raids), and walk through the centuries-old, maze-like alleys with houses blending the traditional cube-like Cycladic style with the neoclassical. In a nutshell Countryside/traditional village/history/taste, easy, distance 5 km, net elevation gain/loss ☘0 m, duration 3h30m (walking time: 2h30m).ĭescription Sharing a part of Route 1, this route offers hikers a taste of traditional culture & architecture, as well a rewarding hike in unspoilt Cycladic countryside! We start at Lefkes, the medieval central village (founded in the 9th c. The track becomes the old, narrow stone cutters’ trail (that used to connect the village with the nearest marble quarry), which climbs up to the Holy Trinity church (with is sculpted marble iconostasis) and the old square of Lefkes, where our efforts are rewarded with a nice cup of Greek coffee and traditional hand-made cookies and sweets at a local cafe (included in tour price). Half-way to Prodromos village, we leave the Byzantine way to start on a winding dirt track through fruit orchards, olive groves and vineyards. As we go by ancient terraced hillside fields (‘pezoules’), farmers’ stone huts and Byzantine-age stone-built bridges, we admire centuries-old olive trees and savour the sweet scent of the various wild aromatic herbs that border the route (sage, oregano, thyme, wild fennel, honeysuckle and felty germander – ‘Teucrium Polium’). We start on a mostly downhill route affording great views to the Paros-Naxos channel and walk on age-old marble rocks that pave the way to Prodromos village. Then, we find the beginning of the so-called “Byzantine Way”, a stone-paved donkey trail built centuries ago to connect the island’s main villages. We start at the main village square with a short tour around the labyrynthine alleys and the stacked white-washed houses, visiting chapels, the cathedral and & other picturesque corners of the traditional village that dates back to the 10th c. Using private transfer private transfer/ on the morning bus from Parikia (10 km), we arrive at Lefkes village, the biggest inland settlement in medieval times. ![]() Description This is a 5km circular hike accessible to most, combining traditional village charm, rural beauty… and a traditional coffee & sweets ending!
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