Page 192 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Greek Islands

EXPERIENCE The Dodecanese Agía Saavas on a rocky

spur overlooking the
island of Kálymnos

26 Folklore Museum offers
fascinating photos showing
KÁLYMNOS the history of Póthia and a
miscellany of old specialized
An hour’s ride east of
ΚΆΛΥΜΝΟΣ seafaring equipment.
Póthia, the islet of Psérimos
has a sandy beach in its port
g Póthia, Myrtiés @ Behind the market place, Póthia
n Town hall, Póthia; www.kalymnos-isl.gr town, Avlákia; if it’s crowded,
you’ll have to hike to one of
Famous as a sponge-fishing island, Kálymnos’s history three more remote beaches;
can be traced back to Bronze Age times, though most the best is Grafiótissa.
surviving monuments are of the Byzantine era. Today,
Kálymnos is known as one of the top rock-climbing
destinations in the world thanks to the rocky land- 2
scape and breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea. Chrysoheriás
⌂ Póthia # Daily
1 mermaid on the quay is one A well-preserved fortress built
of 43 works donated to the
Póthia island by local sculptors Irene by the Knights to defend the
The capital and main port of and Mihalis Kokkinos. town, the Knights of St John
the island is a busy working The state-of-the-art castle at Chrysoheriás looms
harbour. Wedged between two Archaeological Museum, over Póthia. Inside the walls
mountains, the town’s pastel- features the Lady of Kalymnos, are two churches, one with
hued houses extend a long a 3rd- or 2nd-century BC Byzantine frescoes.
way inland from the quay. bronze retrieved by fishermen The Byzantine citadel of
The waterfront is lined with in 1994. The Maritime and Péra Kástro is just to the
cafés and tavernas, and the
main landmarks are the
russet-domed Italian SPONGE FISHING
structures like the adminis- Kálymnos has been a sponge-fishing centre from ancient
tration building (1926–34), the times, although fishing restrictions and two blights since
town hall (1933–4), which is the 1960s have all but wiped out the trade. Men diving
now home to a covered for natural sponges, which were used for cosmetic and
market, and the silver-domed industrial purposes, were weighed down with rocks or
church of Christós (Christ). used crude air apparatus. Many men were drowned or
This 19th-century cathedral died of the bends. Now most of the former sponge fleet is
has an altar screen carved by engaged in commercial deep-sea fishing.
Tiniot master Yannoulis
Chalepas. The sculpture of the
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