Αs we approach the natural harbour of Ios, a tall palm tree is visible on the top of the hill, next to the church of Panayia Gremiótissa in Chora. Ios is not among the largest islands of the Cyclades, however it is a destination which attracts both upbeat young and restless visitors and at the same time those who enjoy peaceful vacations. Ios has a particular story bringing us back to the late 60s. At that time, the hippies residing in Matala (a beach at the north of Crete) were forced to leave and came to settle to the golden beach of Mylopótas in Ios. They built their huts on the beach and gave the island the unique party atmosphere that is maintained up to today.
Ios or Nios as it is called by the locals has been inhibited since prehistoric times, first by the Carians and then by the Minoans, the Achaeans and the Phoenicians, and finally by the Ionians, who took over the island in the 10th c. BC. In modern times, Ios was occupied by the Turks and took part in the Greek War of Independence in 1821, at the end of which it finally became part of the New Greek State.
As in all Cyclades, in Ios fresh water is scarce (although here the situation is better than in other islands). As far as agriculture is concerned, as in other islands, the residents of Ios were forced due to water shortage to build terraces ( pezoúles ) in order to protect the arable land. Thus, securing the necessary means for survival used to be very hard for the island's residents.
By following old paths on the island, the visitor will come across the threshing floors, the wells, the sheep farms and all that is left behind in the old summer residences (which used to be called "kelía"), and get an idea of how life used to be on the island in the past. Leaving behind the crowded Chora, the traveler can enjoy the unique landscape of Cyclades beautified by wild flowers and herbs while surrounded by the open deep blue sea of the Aegean.