Folegandros, an alternative and unexpectedly charming island. So what if we got lost? Just after we photographed a donkey next to a "Themonia" (traditional farmhouse) and found ourselves on steep rocks, we were compensated by the crystal clear waters of the beach that we reached.
In the silence of the night, the sound of a violin and a guitar invites you to a spontaneous feast. Whoever passes the square on such a night joins in the song and dance till dawn. It is admirable when local elders dance authentic balos (traditional dance of the islands). The enchanting Cycladic violin makes you feel like your steps on the ground are lighter. For sunrise we climbed up to the church above the town. The now derelict terraces that we crossed stand in memory of the time when people used them to increase arable land.
The island's history is long and turbulent, with many invaders coming and going. The settlers had built the castle in which they lived in order to avoid looting by pirates. The castle stood on a steep rock in such a way that it was difficult to distinguish it from the landscape. When they saw someone approaching, the inhabitants would rush into the castle and close the door and so would become invisible to the eyes of the invaders. It is said, however, that once an elderly woman who was on the field did not manage to get inside the castle in time. She was caught, the secret was revealed and Chora (the main town) was destroyed.
According to the findings of the settlement that has been found at Kastelo, the island has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The ancient names found inscribed on the walls of the cave Chrisospilia indicate that the island was known in antiquity, and perhaps the cave was used for some kind of initiation ceremony. The historical data shows that the Carians were the first inhabitants of the island followed by the Phoenicians, the Lelekes and the Minoans (3rd-2nd century BC) led by Folegandros (hence the name of the island). Others believe the name comes from the Phoenician word «phelekgundari» meaning rocky land. Then followed the Dorians, Macedonians, and in Roman times it became an island of exile. It was under Byzantine rule until 1307 when occupied by the knight of the Order of the Knights of St. John, the Spaniard Giannoulis Da Crown. In all these years of successive conquerors and during the years of rule by the house of Da Crown, there were many attacks recorded, some of which were so disastrous they had completely devastated the population. Then travelers from Crete and Macedonia came and stayed in dilapidated houses and abandoned cultivated the land. In the following years, as in the rest of Greece, it was occupied by the Ottoman Empire. During these years the antipathy of the admiral of the Ottoman fleet Tzanoum Hodja, who was the local governor, towards the governor of the island, Georgakis Stai, was the cause for which nearly all the inhabitants were arrested, poisoned and slaughtered. After the Greek revolution of 1821, Folegandros was united with Greece in 1828. In modern history (1936-1941) it was used to exile educated people with a love for knowledge and art and certain political ideals. These people became part of the island's society which affected the quality of life.