Anafi

Anafi is the kind of island that people either never hear of or dream about — a small, dry island east of Santorini, with a population of a few hundred and a beauty of pure stone and light. The ferry brings visitors to the port, from which the climb leads to the chora, which stands on a high rock crowned by the ruins of a castle and a monastery. The village is a maze of whitewashed lanes, arches, and flat-roofed houses, and from its edge the sea is visible in every direction. Below, the beaches of Anafi are long, empty, and beautiful — Klisidi and the beaches of the east coast are for swimming, with the island's goats and the seabirds for company. In the fields above the coast stand the ruins of the temple of Apollo Aigletes, the sanctuary of the island's ancient city. Anafi is a place of extremes — sun, stone, silence, and the enormous blue of the sea — and its simplicity is its power. It is the Cyclades at their wildest and most honest.

Anafi has been inhabited since antiquity, and in ancient times it was known as the island of the ancient city of Anaphe. The most important monument is the temple of Apollo Aigletes, a Doric temple of the 4th century BC whose ruins still stand in the fields above the coast; the sanctuary was a famous oracle and a place of pilgrimage in antiquity. In myth, the island was created by the god Apollo, who revealed it to the Argonauts during a storm. In the Middle Ages Anafi was part of the Duchy of the Aegean, and its castle — on the rock above the chora — was built by the Venetian rulers of the island. Under Ottoman rule the island was poor and isolated, and in the 20th century its population fell to a few hundred as its people emigrated. Today Anafi is one of the least visited islands of the Cyclades, prized by the few who come for its wild beauty, its ancient ruins, and its enormous quiet.

The name is recorded by Stephanus of Byzantium in the sixth century AD. His Ethnica is not a book of stories but a dictionary of Greek place-names, and for this one it says: "When the Argonauts were being driven about by the storm and darkness, Anafi appeared to them, and so it was called". (Ethnica, s.v. Ἀνάφη).

That is the whole of what an ancient source has to say about how the place got its name. It is a shorter answer than the guidebooks give, and it is the only one with a source behind it.

Anafi has some of the emptiest and most beautiful beaches of the Cyclades. Klisidi, near the port, is a long, sandy beach with clear water. The beaches of the east and north coasts — including the beautiful coves below the cliffs — are wild and almost always deserted. And the tiny coves of the south coast are perfect for a solitary swim. The water is deep, clear, and warm, and the swimming is some of the most peaceful in Greece. Bring water, food, and shade, and you will have some of the finest beaches of the Aegean entirely to yourself.

Anafi food is the honest cooking of a small, self-sufficient island. The island produces excellent honey, cheese, and wine, and its terraced fields grow vegetables and the island's herbs. The tavernas of the chora serve the classic Greek table — grilled fish, goat, and the island's own produce — with a warmth and simplicity that is the true taste of the wild Cyclades. The local dishes include the island's cheese, its honey, and the pastries made for the festivals. For a real Anafi meal, order whatever the owner recommends and eat it on a terrace above the sea.

May, June, and September are the best months on Anafi: warm, quiet, and beautiful, with the beaches empty and the island at its most peaceful. July and August are hotter and livelier, with a few more visitors, but Anafi remains one of the least touristed islands of Greece. Spring is lovely, with wildflowers, and autumn lingers warm into October. Whenever you come, stay at least a couple of nights, and let the island's wild simplicity work its quiet magic.

Anafi has no airport and is reached by ferry only. The crossing from Santorini takes about an hour and a half, with services from Naxos, Amorgos and the other Cyclades as well.

The island is small — walk, or hire a scooter. Climb to the chora and the castle, walk to the temple of Apollo Aigletes, and swim at the long empty beaches. Bring water, sunscreen, and a hat — Anafi is hot and dry. And bring a sense of adventure: this is the wild Cyclades, and its rewards go to those who come ready for sun, stone, and the enormous blue of the sea.