Skopelos

Skopelos is the island the postcards forgot to make famous. It is reached by ferry from Volos, and the first sight of the chora — a cascade of white houses and red-tiled roofs rising up the hillside above the harbour, crowned by the monastery of Panagia Panachrantos — stops visitors in their tracks. The island is impossibly green: pine forests cover the mountains down to the sea, and the road north winds past orchards of plum and almond, vineyards, and hillsides thick with olive trees. The swimming beaches of the south and east coasts include Limnonari, a deep sandy cove ringed by pines; Milia, a long sweep of white sand; and the little pebble coves of Agnontas and Hovolo. The old kalderimi (mule paths) link the villages, the monastery of Panagia Evangelistria stands in the hills, and dinner in the chora takes place amid a town that seems to gather in the narrow lanes for the evening volta. Skopelos is the kind of island that gives everything — beaches, mountains, villages, food — and asks only that visitors slow down.

Skopelos has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, when it was one of the islands of the Thracian Sea settled by the ancient peoples of the north. In antiquity it was known as Peparithos, a name that appears in the histories of Herodotus and in the records of the Delian League, and it was famous for its wine — the Peparithian wine was one of the most prized in the ancient Greek world. The island's history followed the familiar Aegean pattern: Macedonian and Roman rule, the Byzantine centuries, and then, after the Fourth Crusade, the Venetian era, when the island's churches were decorated with frescoes and the old settlements took shape. In 1538 the great Ottoman admiral Barbarossa sacked the island and carried off many of its people, and under Ottoman rule the population withdrew to the hills and the inland villages that survive today. The modern town, with its two great churches and its cascading houses, took its present form in the 17th and 18th centuries. Skopelos became famous in the wider world in 2008, when the island served as the principal setting for the film Mamma Mia!, and the film's fans have been coming ever since — but the island has kept its character, its greenness, and its quiet pride.

Skopelos has some of the finest beaches of the Sporades, most of them reached by the road that winds south and east through the pines. Limnonari is the most beautiful: a deep crescent of white sand enclosed by wooded hills, with crystal water and a single taverna. Milia is longer and wilder, a great sweep of sand with tamarisk shade and clear, shallow water. Agnontas and Hovolo are small, pretty coves near the village of Agnontas, good for swimming and snorkelling. Stafylos and Velanio, on the east coast, are two sandy beaches separated by a headland, reached by a steep path. And the beaches of the north and west coasts are wild and almost empty, reached by tracks through the forest. The water is clean and calm, and the pine shade on the sand is a rare luxury in the Aegean. Bring good shoes for the paths, and you will find a beach to yourself around every headland.

Skopelos food is the cooking of a fertile island, and its specialties are famous throughout Greece. The island produces superb olive oil, cheeses from the local sheep and goats, and honey, and its plum orchards give the famous Skopelos plums and the spoon sweets made from them. The local dish is 'briam' — a slow-baked dish of vegetables, potatoes, and olive oil — and the island is also known for its wild greens, its pies, and its bread. By the harbour and in the chora, the tavernas serve fresh fish, grilled octopus, and the classic Greek table with a generous, homely warmth. For a proper Skopelos meal, order the briam, a plate of the local greens, the fish of the day, and finish with the plum spoon sweet and a glass of the island's wine. And try the local sweets from the little shops of the chora — Skopelos is famous for them.

May, June, and September are the ideal months on Skopelos: warm, green, and uncrowded, with the sea perfect for swimming and the island at its most beautiful. July and August are busy — Skopelos is rightly popular — but the island's size and its many beaches mean you can always find a quiet cove. The island is at its greenest in spring, when the pines and the orchards are in full leaf and the wildflowers cover the hills. Autumn lingers warm into October, with the plums ripening and the light turning golden. Whenever you come, give Skopelos at least a few days, and spend at least one evening in the chora, when the day-trippers have gone and the lanes belong to the island again.

Skopelos has no airport and is reached by ferry from Volos and Agios Konstantinos, from Skiathos in about an hour, and from the other Sporades. In summer there are direct boats from Thessaloniki.

There is no airport. A car or scooter is the best way to explore — the island has good roads and the beaches are spread out. Walk at least one kalderimi path in the hills, and do not miss the monastery of Panagia Evangelistria. Agios Ioannis at Kastri — the chapel on its rock above the sea — is reached by a steep path and is worth the climb, though the crowds in summer can be heavy. The chora is steep; wear good shoes. And plan to swim a lot: Skopelos has the green mountains and the sea of the imagination.