Amorgos
Long, Steep Island At The Edge Of The Cyclades: The White Hozoviotissa Monastery Set Into A Cliff, The Wreck Of The Olympia At Liveros, And The Walking Paths Of The Old Mule Trails · Chora (Amorgos), South Aegean
Amorgos is the long, steep island at the eastern edge of the Cyclades, a ridge of rock about 30 kilometres from end to end with two small ports, a hill capital and very little flat ground. Its one famous image is the monastery of Hozoviotissa, a white eight-storey wall of building wedged into a cliff face several hundred steps above the sea, traditionally dated to about 1088 and still lived in by a handful of monks, who have long welcomed visitors with a piece of loukoumi, a glass of water and a shot of the local sweet raki. Below it the shipwreck of the Olympia lies rusting in the bay at Liveros, and the island became quietly famous when Luc Besson filmed The Big Blue here in 1988. What people come back for is the walking: a well marked network of old mule paths over the ridges between Chora, Langada, Tholaria and Aegiali. Honest caveats: it is far out and the ferry from Piraeus is long, there is very little sand, the roads are steep and the wind is strong, and outside the short season much of the island closes.
Amorgos, eastern Cyclades; Katapola and Aegiali ports, Chora on the ridge, the Hozoviotissa monastery on the cliff below it, Chora (Amorgos), South Aegean, Greece
Hozoviotissa monastery opens roughly 08:00 to 13:00 and again roughly 17:00 to 19:00, with Monday mornings closed in some seasons so that only the afternoon visit is possible - confirm before you climb. Entry is free and a donation is usual. The dress code is strict and enforced at the door: long trousers for men, a long skirt with shoulders and chest covered for women; wraps and skirts hang at the entrance to borrow. Access is on foot up a stepped path of several hundred steps from a small car park on the road. The Minoa excavation above Katapola is an open site with no gate. Ferries reach Katapola and Aegiali from Piraeus in roughly 8 to 10 hours on a conventional boat or about 5 to 7 hours by fast boat, and more usefully from Naxos in roughly 1.5 to 2.5 hours - confirm current schedules and book August crossings ahead.