Location information

Eight preserved windmills

Astypalean traditional houses

  The Astypalean traditional houses are similar to those of the Cyclades. Moreover, the cycladic colour seems as though it surpasses the Dodecanese colour around the island.
  The most interesting part of the house other than the fireplace and the divisions of the walls is the wooden loft in the far part of the room decorated with lace, woodwork, which was used as a bed. It has a height of about two metres and to reach it, one must climb a ladder, which is formed by three wooden trunks, one placed on top of the other.
  Next to the bed, three or four rows of carved, wooden shelves make up the "Krijola", on which the most beautiful and the best glassware of the housewife are kept.
  The wooden ornamentation of the bed, the "Krijola", the door and window cases, and the ceiling is a sample of the excellent woodcarving craftsmanship was developed in Astypalea.
  One of the most characteristic pieces of work of this art is the carved, wooden ceiling of one of the houses inside the Castle the only one which has been saved today.
This text (extract) is cited November 2003 from the Municipality of Astypalea tourist pamphlet (1999).

Venetian Castle

  The Venetian Castle, with its two whitewashed churches, stands proudly at the top of the peninsula proclaiming the onset of the development of the settlement.
  As the centuries progressed little white houses began to appear outside the walls of the Castle, which covered the hill and reached the port of Pera Yalos joining together to form a mosaic of our island’s history.
  The portrait of Chora with its white body and ocean blue heart, leaves the visitor speechless because of its beauty and harmony. The Castle takes up all the plateau at the top of the hill. That densely built group of houses there made up the Middle Ages settlement. Today, only a few of the houses have survived, the out sidewalls of which make up the walls of the Castle. Only on the south side there is a strong battle tower, which is known by the name "Serai". Inside the Castle, among the scattered columns and the carved stones, two beautiful churches, Panagia of Castro (the Holy Virgin of the Castle) and Agios Giorgios (Saint George) stand.
This text (extract) is cited November 2003 from the Municipality of Astypalea tourist pamphlet (1999).