Samothrace

Samothrace is among the wildest islands of the Aegean. The ferry from Alexandroupoli lands at Kamariotissa, the island's only real port, from which the road climbs into a landscape of mountains, gorges, and forests that feels more like the Alps than the Aegean. The island is dominated by the granite peak of Saos, which towers above everything, and its streams and waterfalls tumble through the forests to the sea. The beaches of the north coast, where the water is cold and the coast is rocky and dramatic, are for swimming, and the paths through the gorge of Fonias, past waterfalls and ancient bridges, are for walking. But the heart of Samothrace is the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, in the valley of Paleopolis, where the Winged Victory was found in 1863 and where the mysteries of the ancient world were celebrated for more than a thousand years. Standing among its ruins, with the mountain above and the sea below, the reason the ancients chose this place is not hard to see. Samothrace is an island of raw beauty and deep, ancient mystery.

Samothrace has been inhabited since the Neolithic age, and its fame in antiquity rests on the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, one of the most important religious centres of the ancient Greek world. The sanctuary was a place of the mysteries — initiation rites open to all, regardless of nationality or status, that promised protection at sea and a better afterlife. Its worshippers included Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great, and its great festival was celebrated for more than a thousand years. The most famous discovery at the sanctuary was the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the magnificent Hellenistic statue now in the Louvre, found in 1863. In the Middle Ages the island was a refuge for pirates and a possession of the Gattilusi and the Ottomans. Under Ottoman rule it was one of the poorest and most isolated islands of the Aegean. In the 19th century it was a centre of the struggle against Ottoman rule, and its great mountain, Saos, gave the island its fierce, independent character. Today Samothrace is known for its wild beauty, its waterfalls, and the extraordinary atmosphere of its ancient sanctuary.

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 was called from the Samians and the Thracians". (Ethnica, s.v. Σαμοθρᾴκη).

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.

Samothrace is not an island of long sandy beaches, but its coast is spectacular. The north coast is lined with pebble coves and dramatic headlands, including the beautiful beach of Pachia Ammos and the coves near Therma. The beaches are mostly small, clear, and framed by the mountain and the forests, with cold, clean water that is a delight on a hot day. There are a few sandy stretches, including the beach of Kamariotissa and the cove of Kipos, but the real pleasure of Samothrace is swimming in the shadow of the great mountain, in water that runs from the island's springs. Bring good shoes for the rocky coast and a mask for the clear water, and expect a coastline of wild, unusual beauty.

Samothrace food is the cooking of a remote, self-sufficient island, and it has its own character. The island produces its own cheese, honey, and wine, and its meat, especially the goat and lamb of the mountain, is superb. The tavernas of Kamariotissa, Therma, and the villages serve the daily catch and the island's own produce with a simple, generous warmth. The island is also known for its 'kavourma' — a traditional preserved meat — and for the sweets made with the local honey. For a proper Samothrace meal, find a taverna in the villages, order the goat or the fish, a plate of the island's greens, and a glass of the local wine, and let the mountain air sharpen your appetite.

May, June, and September are the ideal months on Samothrace: warm, green, and beautiful, with the waterfalls full and the island at its best. July and August are the main season, when the island fills with Greek and Turkish visitors and the beaches and the sanctuary are livelier. The island is at its most dramatic in spring, when the snow is still on Saos and the waterfalls are at their fullest. Whenever you come, give Samothrace at least a few days — the mountain, the sanctuary, and the coast all deserve more than a day each.

Samothrace has no airport, and the ferry is the way in: about two hours from Alexandroupoli, with sailings from Kavala and the other islands as well.

The island is mountainous and the roads are winding, so a car is useful, though many visitors use the local buses and taxis. Do not miss the Sanctuary of the Great Gods — it is the island's heart — and the waterfall of Fonias. Climb Saos if you are fit, swim at the coves of the north coast, and allow the island's wild beauty to work its spell. Samothrace is not for everyone — it is for those who love mountains, mystery, and the raw edge of the Aegean.