Sifnos

Sifnos is the island the foodies love, and the reason is apparent on arrival. The island is famous across Greece for its cooking, its pottery, and its beautiful, austere architecture. The landing is at Kamares, the port, with a winding road up to Apollonia, the capital, a town of whitewashed lanes and small squares at the heart of the island. From there a walk leads to Kastro, the old Venetian capital, perched on a cliff with views over two seas — a maze of narrow alleys, arches, and ancient doorways. In the village of Artemonas, workshops still turn the wheel as they have for centuries. And then the cooking: the famous Sifnian chickpea stew, slow-cooked all night in a clay pot; the island's fried cheese; the local honey and the almond pastries. Sifnos is small, quiet, and beautifully made, and its food is a reason in itself to come. It is the kind of island that rewards every step taken.

Sifnos has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and in antiquity it was one of the richest islands of the Aegean — its gold and silver mines made the Sifnians famously wealthy, and they built a great treasury at Delphi as a thanksgiving. The mines were exhausted in ancient times, and the island's prosperity shifted to the sea, pottery, and olive oil. In the Middle Ages Sifnos was part of the Duchy of the Aegean, and its capital was moved to the fortified town of Kastro, which remained the island's centre for centuries. Under the Ottomans, Sifnos was a centre of Greek education and a refuge for scholars. The island's great tradition is its pottery: for generations the potters of Sifnos made the famous cooking pots and water jars of the Cyclades, and the island's kitchens are still famous across Greece for their food. In the 20th century, Sifnos became a favourite of artists and writers, and it has kept a quiet, cultured, welcoming character that makes it one of the most beloved islands of the Cyclades.

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 Sifnos son of Sunius". (Ethnica, s.v. Σίφνος).

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.

Sifnos does not have the long beaches of Naxos or Paros, but its coves are pretty and peaceful. Kamares, by the port, is the island's main beach, a long stretch of sand at the foot of the mountains. Platis Gialos, on the south coast, is a beautiful bay with a few tavernas. Vathy, in the southwest, is a calm, shallow bay with tamarisk shade. And the coves of the east and north coasts — Cheronissos, Fassolou, and the little beaches below the hills — are quiet and mostly empty. The water is clear and calm, and the swimming is gentle and pleasant. Bring a mask and water shoes, and expect the beaches of Sifnos to be simple, natural, and lovely.

Sifnos is the food capital of the Cyclades, and its reputation is deserved. The island's signature dish is revithada, the chickpea stew slow-cooked all night in a clay pot and served on Sunday, with its famous juices mopped up with bread. The island is also known for its fried cheese, its honey, its almond pastries (amygdalota), and its local wine. The tavernas of Apollonia, Artemonas, and the villages are among the best in Greece, serving the classic Cycladic table with an unusual care and elegance. For the definitive Sifnos meal, order the revithada (on Sunday), the fried cheese, a plate of the island's greens, and a glass of the local wine, and eat slowly — the food of Sifnos is made for long, happy meals.

May, June, and September are the golden months on Sifnos: warm, quiet, and beautiful, with the tavernas at their best and the beaches calm. July and August are busier, but Sifnos draws a quieter, more cultured crowd than the famous islands, and it never feels overwhelmed. Spring is lovely, with wildflowers, and autumn lingers warm into October. The island's festivals — the panigiria of its many churches — are famous for their food and music, and summer is the season for them. Whenever you come, give Sifnos a few days, and let the island's rhythm — walking, eating, swimming, resting — set your pace.

Sifnos has no airport, so arrivals come by ferry from Piraeus — two and a half hours on the fast boats in season, closer to five on the conventional ones. The alternative is to fly to Syros and take the short hop across.

The island is small enough to cross on foot once you are at Kamares. A car or scooter is useful, but many visitors walk the island's beautiful stone paths, which link the villages. Do not miss Kastro — walk its lanes at dusk, when the light is best. Visit a pottery workshop in Artemonas, and watch the potters at work. Swim at Platis Gialos or Vathy, and walk to the monastery of Chrysopigi. And eat well: the food of Sifnos is the reason people return year after year. Buy a piece of Sifnian pottery — a cooking pot, a jar, a cup — to take home, and a jar of the island's honey.