Naxos

Naxos is the big one — the largest island of the Cyclades, with beaches, mountains, olive groves, and villages enough for a month of wandering. Arrival is by ferry, and the first sight is the Portara: the great marble gate of an unfinished temple to Apollo, standing alone on its little islet at the harbour mouth. It is one of the great landmarks of the Aegean, and it gets better at sunset, when the light pours through the doorway of the god. Above, in the mountains, lie the marble villages of the interior — Apiranthos, with its white houses and marble-paved lanes; Chalki, with its old tower houses; Filoti, tucked beneath Mount Zas, the highest peak in the Cyclades. Everywhere there are olive groves and orange trees, and the air smells of thyme and summer. The swimming beaches include Agios Prokopios, a sweep of fine sand by the water, and the little coves of the south coast, which are nearly empty even in August. Naxos gives everything: history at the Portara, mountain walks, village squares, long beaches, and the best food of the islands. It is the Cyclades you can have all to yourself.

Naxos has been inhabited since the Neolithic, and it was one of the most powerful of the ancient Cycladic islands. Its tyrant Lygdamis — a figure Herodotus places in power in the 6th century BC — began the colossal Temple of Apollo on the harbour, the famous Portara, which was never finished. That the temple is his work is an archaeological inference; no ancient author mentions it. It is also where Theseus abandoned Ariadne after the slaying of the Minotaur, and the Naxians kept two separate Ariadnes with two different sets of festivals, as Plutarch records in the second century AD. Naxos produced famous marble, quarried in the interior, and its sculpture and kouroi (giant marble statues) are among the masterpieces of archaic Greek art. In the Middle Ages the island gave its name to the Duchy of the Aegean, founded by the Venetian Marco Sanudo in 1207, who made Naxos the capital of the duchy that ruled most of the Cyclades until the 16th century. His castle still stands in the old town of Naxos town. After Ottoman rule and then independence in 1821, Naxos remained a prosperous island of farmers, shepherds, and fishermen, and it is still one of the most agricultural of the Cyclades, famous for its potatoes, its olive oil, its cheeses, and its marble.

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: "The island is named from Naxos, ruler of the Carians". "Others say from Naxos son of Endymion; Euphorion says from the verb naxai, 'to sacrifice', as some say they sacrificed". (Ethnica, s.v. Νάξος).

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.

Naxos has the best beaches in the Cyclades — long, sandy, and varied, running for more than thirty kilometres along the southwest coast. Agios Prokopios, just south of the town, is the queen: a long sweep of pale sand with crystal water and tavernas at the edge of the beach. Next door, Agia Anna is quieter and even more beautiful, with dunes behind it. Plaka is the longest stretch, nearly three kilometres of sand that still feels empty beyond the middle; Mikri Vigla, at its end, is a windsurfing spot. The south coast — Pyrgaki, Kastraki, and the coves below the hills — is wild and barely developed. On the east coast, the little beaches of Moutsouna and Panormos are pretty and quiet, reached by winding roads through the mountains. And Apollonas in the north has a long pebble beach below the kouros. Whatever you want from a beach, Naxos has it, usually without the crowds.

Naxos is the food capital of the Cyclades, an island that grows, makes, and cooks its own. The potatoes of Naxos are famous across Greece, the olive oil is excellent, and the island produces cheeses that are protected by law: arseniko, which is salty and sharp sheep's-milk cheese, the hard aged graviera, and the soft fresh myzithra. The local specialities include rosto, a slow-roasted pork with garlic and red wine, and the island's own pasta, xinohondros, cooked with tomatoes and meat. The sea provides excellent fish, and the tavernas of the town and the villages serve generous, honest food. For the classic Naxos meal, order the graviera, the rosto, a plate of the island's potatoes fried in olive oil, and a glass of the local wine — the island has been making wine since antiquity, and its vineyards are among the oldest in Greece.

May, June, and September are the ideal months on Naxos: warm, green, and uncrowded, with the beaches at their best. July and August are hot and lively — Naxos has plenty of visitors, but the island is large enough that the beaches and villages never feel overwhelmed, and the meltemi wind keeps the south coast cool. Spring is beautiful, with wildflowers and the almond blossom, and autumn lingers warm into October. For the festivals — the panigiria of the mountain villages, with music, food, and dancing — summer is the season, and Filoti and Apiranthos are the places to catch them.

Naxos is reached by ferry from Piraeus in about five hours, and from the other Cyclades. Flights from Athens arrive at the island's own airport.

A car is the best way to explore — the island is large, and the mountain villages and south-coast beaches are spread out. The Portara is best at sunset, when the crowds gather for the light. Rent a car or scooter for at least a couple of days, drive to Apiranthos and Chalki in the interior, and spend at least one day on the south-coast beaches. The kouros at Apollonas and Flerio are worth the drive, and the mountain roads reward slow driving with huge views. Naxos has more to see than any other Cycladic island — give it at least four days, and you will want more.