Karterados Village

Go to Karterados for barley twists from the Kalimeris bakery (the last traditional bakery on the island) and a stroll past the rock houses and the palm-treed mansions, a dim memory of the wealthy shipping town of the 19th century. Faded glories! Today it is just a small inland village, with children playing in the cobbled streets and a few hotels and rooms to let for those who are looking for cheaper accommodation within easy distance of Fira.

The older part of Karterados village is all but invisible from the main street. The rock houses have been dug out of the bed of a torrent, and their roofs are on a level with the pavement. The main road is all hotels, shops and Karterados is first mentioned in historical sources in about the middle of the 17th century. By the 19th century it had become a place of wealthy ship-owners, and according to one story took its name from the fact that they watched and waited for (Greek: kartero) the return of the sailors who sailed to Russia, Malta and Egypt. Another version has it that this was the lookout post for pirate raids. A walk around the traditional village will take you back to another age. Leave your car in the parking lot in the square and walk up to the bend in the road, where the steps begin their climb up to the cobblestones of the old town.

The finishing touches to this picturesque scene are provided by its three churches, the most impressive being the Analipsi, with its fine bell-tower, in the center of the village. Once past the village the road leads to the quiet pebble beach of Exo Gialos, and from there to Monolithos.