Zákynthos

Area of island: 406 sq. km/157 sq. mi

Chief town: Zákynthos

Zákynthos (Italian: Zante), one of the Ionian Islands, lies in the Ionian Sea only 16km/10mi off the west coast of the Peloponnese. The western half of the island is occupied by a karstic plateau rising to 758m/2,487ft, the eastern half by a fertile and intensively cultivated alluvial plain with a luxuriant growth of vegetation.

View a slideshow of Zakynthos Pictures

With its beautiful scenery and good bathing beaches, Zákynthos is a very popular holiday island.

The island has been known since the time of Homer by the name it still bears, said to be derived from the wild hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis L.). Settled at an early period by Achaeans and Arcadians, it soon developed into a trading and seafaring town the influence of which extended as far as the Iberian peninsula, where it founded the colony of Zakantha, later known as Saguntum. In 455 B.C. the Athenian admiral Tolmides made the island a dependency of Athens. After the Peloponnesian War it became a member of the Attic maritime league. In 217 B.C. it was conquered by the Macedonians, in 191 B.C. by the Romans.

After being devastated by the Vandals it was captured by the Normans, and later was ruled by Frankish dynasts. It was occupied by the Turks in 1479 but recovered two years later by the Venetians, who held it until 1797. Thereafter it shared the fortunes of the other Ionian Islands.

From its long period of association with Venice the island has preserved an Italian and Venetian stamp. It was the birthplace of the Italian poet Ugo Foscolo (1778-1827) and the Greek poets Dionysios Solomos (1798-1857), author of the Greek national anthem, and Andreas Kalvos (1792-1869).

As a result of the devastations suffered in the course of an eventful history and of severe earthquake damage (particularly in 1515 and 1953) Zákynthos has preserved few old buildings.

Airport 6km/4mi south of Zákynthos town.

The Feast of St Dionysios, the island's patron saint is celebrated on August 24.

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Town, Zakynthos, Greece

The capital of the island' of Zákynthos bears the same name. Zákynthos, on the same site as its ancient predecessor, extends in a wide arc along the gently sloping shores of a bay in the southeast of the island. Above the town are the ruins of a Venetian castle, which is believed to have collapsed in the 1515 earthquake.

The only one of the town's magnificent Venetian mansions to survive the 1953 earthquake is the residence of the Roma family, with the charming chapel of Kyra ton Angelon. Other notable churches are Áyios Nikólaos, on the harbor, and Áyios Dionysios, with the relics of the town's patron saint.

If you walk along the flag-stoned coastal promenade, the so-called Strata Marina, at dusk, you'll get the true flavor of the town.

 Byzantine Museum

The Byzantine Museum at Zákynthos has a scale model of the pre-earthquake town which was built by the Venetians. It houses a breathtaking collection of icons and frescoes rescued from the island's destroyed churches and monasteries.

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 Museum of Dionysios Solomos and Eminent Zakynthians

The Solomos Museum in Zákynthos contains the tombs of Dionysios Solomos and Andreas Kalvos and relics of the island's history and culture.

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Castle

Above Zákynthos town is the Venetian fortress, which is believed to have collapsed in the 1515 earthquake. Only the gate, outer walls and battlements still stand. But from this vantage point there is a spectacular view of the harbor, fertile inland plain and beaches as far as the eye can see.

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Zákynthos International Festival of Medieval and Popular Drama

The annual International Festival of Medieval and Popular Drama is held in Zakynthos in mid-August.

Ancient tragedies are performed on August 15.

Pitch springs, Kerri, Greece

14km/8.5mi southwest of Zákynthos town, at the village of Kerí, are the famous pitch springs mentioned by Herodotus. The pitch has been used since ancient times for the caulking of boats. The springs are now much less productive.

Laganás Bay

In the southeast of the island of Zákynthos, 8km/5mi south of Zákynthos town, is the wide bay of Laganás, with beautiful sandy beaches.

Laganás Bay has long been a breeding area for the endangered loggerhead turtle. However, the turtle habitat was becoming threatened by the huge number of tourists that began frequenting this area in the 1980s. As a result, in 2000 Greece made the area in and around Laganás Bay a managed national wildlife park.

This was met with resistance by local residents who made their livelihood off the tourist trade. Beach areas at Laganás Bay were now protected, patrolled and carried restrictions, and limited some beach access.

In recent years locals have been encouraged to develop eco-tourism geared toward turtle observation.

Makhaiadron - Church of Ayía Mávra

11km/7mi west of Zákynthos, in the village of Makhaiadron, stands the church of Ayía Mávra, with a typical (though much reconstructed) interior and a beautiful peal of bells.

Anafonítria Monastery

35km/22mi northwest of Zákynthos is the 15th century Anafonítria monastery (15th C. icons, 17th C. frescoes), in which the island's patron saint, Dionysios, was a monk.

Blue Grotto

At the northern tip of the island of Zákynthos, accessible only by boat, is the Blue Grotto.

Volimes, Greece

The village of Volimes has a wonderful Venetian tower and lovely old churches with frescoes dating to the 12th and 14th centuries.

Lófos Stráni

Near the hill overlooking Zákynthos town is the Lófos Stráni.