Sporades Islands Villas & Holidays
Off the East coast of the Pelion peninsula of mainland Greece are the Sporades islands of Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonissos and Skyros. The islands were part of a thirteenth century Byzantine Empire and have retained the beautifully crafted churches of that period. A Venetian occupation was
followed by an overpowering Ottoman Empire until the islands were granted reunion to Greece in 1830. Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos are richly forested with pine and olive, and share a similar
landscape of cultivated hillsides which overlook sparkling beaches of sand and pebble.
Crete, the largest of the Greek islands and cradleof early Mediterranean civilisation, has a fascinating combination of rugged mountains, vineyards, citrus groves, forgotten ruins and isolated chapels. The coastline offers many good sandy beaches. Painters and poets have been inspired by the island’s varied scenery, the distinctive character of its people and its impressive archaeological
remains, which date from different periods of its history: Minoan palaces, Byzantine churches,
Venetian castles and Turkish minarets.