Kythira

Kythira is the island that takes half of Greece to reach, and the crossing is part of its magic. It lies far to the south, between the Peloponnese and Crete, at the meeting point of two seas, and it feels like nowhere else in Greece. Ferries from Neapoli arrive below Chora, the capital, where the old town climbs a hill beneath the ruins of a great Venetian castle. From the battlements both seas are visible at once — the Aegean to the east, the Ionian to the west — which is exactly the kind of place the ancients chose for Aphrodite, born of the foam where two waters meet. Days go to exploring: the gorge at Mylopotamos, where waterfalls pour into cool pools and the village is a maze of stone lanes; the harbour of Avlemonas, ringed by white houses and a tiny island fortress; the long beach at Kaladi, reached down a cliff path, where the water is so clear the boats seem to float in air; and the monastery of Mirtidiotissa, perched on a ridge with views to the horizon. Kythira is green and empty and slightly wild, its hills covered in thyme and sage, its villages full of grandmothers making lace. It is not an easy island — the roads are winding, the beaches take work — but the people who come to Kythira come back, again and again, seduced by a place that has kept its soul.

Kythira has been a crossroads since prehistory, and its name is woven through the oldest Greek myths: Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is said to have risen from the sea foam near the island, and one of her most ancient cults was celebrated here — hence her epithet Kytheria. The island's strategic position, guarding the sea route between the Aegean and the western Mediterranean, made it a prize for every power in the region. In antiquity it was a possession of Sparta, a forward base for the city's fleet. In the Middle Ages the island passed between Byzantines, Venetians, and Franks, and from 1204 the powerful Venieri family ruled Kythira as a feudal fief, leaving behind the great castles of Chora, Mylopotamos, and Kato Chora that still crown the hills. The Venetians held the island for centuries, and their influence is everywhere in the architecture and the local dialect. After the fall of Venice, Kythira passed briefly to the French and then to the British, before joining Greece in 1864. In the twentieth century the island declined as its people emigrated, many to Australia, and today Kythira is still one of the least developed of the Greek islands, prized by those who love its wildness, its castles, its myths, and its silence.

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: "It is named from Kytheros son of Phoinix". "It was called Porphyrousa because of the beauty of the purple shells around it". (Ethnica, s.v. Κύθηρα).

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.

Kythira has beaches for every taste, from wild cliff-backed coves to organised family bays. Kaladi, on the east coast, is the island's showpiece: a long beach of white pebbles between red cliffs, reached down a steep path, with water of dazzling clarity. On the west coast, the beaches of Firi Ammos, meaning red sand, and Paliopoli are dramatic and often empty. Diakofti, near the port, is a long, gentle beach of golden sand with shallow water, ideal for families. Kapsali, below Chora, offers two small pebble beaches in a pretty bay. Avlemonas has a sea-pool carved into the rock, perfect for a calm dip, while the rocky coves along the coast reward snorkellers. The island's beaches are quiet, uncrowded, and rarely organised — bring water, shade, and a sense of adventure, and you will be rewarded with some of the finest swimming in Greece.

Kythira's food is the honest cooking of a poor, fertile island. The hills are covered in thyme and sage, which flavour the honey and the meat from the island's goats and sheep. The local speciality is fatourado, a slow-baked dish of goat or lamb with potatoes, onion, and the island's excellent olive oil — a Sunday favourite. The sea offers fresh fish and octopus, and the island's gardens produce the artichokes of Avlemonas, which are celebrated each spring. The local cheese, a soft white myzithra, is served with honey for breakfast, and the island's honey — dark, fragrant, and utterly delicious — is the souvenir everyone buys. In Chora and Potamos, the tavernas serve home-cooked meals with a view, and the pace is slow, honest, and completely Kythiran.

Kythira's best seasons are late spring (May to June) and early autumn (September to October), when the island is green, the wildflowers are out, and the beaches are empty. The island's position between two seas gives it a mild climate, so even the winter is gentle — many visitors come in winter for the solitude and the dramatic skies. Summer (July and August) is warm and busy around Chora and Kapsali, but Kythira is large enough that you can always find a quiet beach. The famous festival of Myrtidiotissa on 15 August draws pilgrims from across Greece and Australia — an unforgettable cultural event if you can plan around the crowds.

Kythira is reached by ferry from Neapoli in the Peloponnese, a crossing of about an hour and a half, or from Gythio. Flights from Athens serve the island's small airport.

A car is essential — the island is large and the best beaches and villages are spread out along winding roads. The beach at Kaladi involves a steep, unshaded descent — go early, take water, and wear proper shoes. For the Mylopotamos waterfall, wear shoes that can get wet. The monastery of Myrtidiotissa has a strict dress code, shoulders and knees covered, and remember that the island runs on its own slow rhythm, so do not overschedule. Take a bottle of Kythiran honey home, and spend at least one evening watching the sunset from the castle at Chora.