Serifos island

In the centre of western Cyclades, between Kythnos and Sifnos, where light of the blue Aegean meets red rocks and white of the houses.Serifos invites the traveller to get to know the place and its people, to find calm and relaxation in golden coasts and to take place in the rhythms of the island’s way of life.

Serifos is a small island of Cyclades that impresses its visitors with its wild beauty of mountainous volumes and its enchanting traditional settlement of Hora. With an extent of 75 square kilometres, length of coasts of 70 km and 1200 roughly permanent residents, Serifos maintains intact its authentic island colour, since it has accomplished to remain outside intense tourist growth like other Aegean islands. Its capital is the beautiful Hora of Serifos, built panoramically on the top of an abrupt rock, with a Venetian castle on the top that gazes at the light blue Aegean. The port of Hora, at a distance of 5 km to the south, is Livadi, a picturesque settlement that is stretched out in a well protected by the north winds gulf, where you can swim in a splendid sandy beach. In order to really get to know Serifos you owe to walk in its paths, which lead to many bays and sandy beaches. Serifos is a natural balcony in the Aegean with views to all surrounding islands – Kythnos, Syros, Paros, Sifnos, Kimolos, Milos.

Sights

Hora
The beautiful Hora of Serifos, built panoramically on the top of an abrupt rock, with a Venetian castle on the top, which gazes at the light blue Aegean Sea. The settlement has two districts: the Epano Hora and the Kato Hora. Here the traditional Cycladic architecture reveals all its grandeur: white picturesque houses with colourful small door-windows, narrow cobbled streets, white labyrinths which invite visitors to get lost in their beauty, old windmills that catch the eye, reminding of past periods labour.
Above Hora, on the top of a hill you will find the Castle and inside it the church of Agios Konstantinos.
Under the castle, the Pano Piatsa is found, an old commercial centre, built in 1907. Important churches, as well as an archaeological and folklore museum, are located in Hora.

Kastro
A Venetian Castle is found on the top of the hill above Hora.By going up to the castle, we meet two entries, parts of the walls of houses (with Venetian blazons) which shaped the exterior defensive ring and relics of the ancient citadel. From the top of the castle, where the church of Agios Konstantinos is built, the view is impressive  while the sunset is one of the most beautiful in the Aegean!

Churches
The churches of Serifos are many and appreciable. Apart from Agios Konstantinos-which is built on the top of the Castle-in the same region, built inside rocks, we find the church of Agios Ioannis Theologos, and next to the precipice, stands the church of Christ with the chapel of Agia Sofia. The church of Agios Athanassios from the 19th century (metropolis of the island), with wood carved iconostasis and marvellous icons, Agios Eleftherios and Evaggelismos, are also found in Hora.
In the southern region between Hora and Megalo Livadi we find the churches of Agios Nikolaos, Agia Triada (in Megalo Horio) and Agios Ioannis Prodromos (in the Avessalou bay).
The church of Panagia (the oldest on the island) with remarkable icons from the 13th century, dominates in the settlement Panagia. Other churches of the region are Agios Stefanos and Panagia Skopiani. After Galani you will meet the imposing Monastery of Taxiarhes, that from a distance resembles a castle, built in 1572 with tall walls for protection from pirate raids.

Museums
In the Archaeological Museum, which is found in the neoclassical building of the Town hall (1904), you will admire a very interesting collection of Hellenistic and Roman exhibits.In the Folklore Museum you will see old photographs, equipment of old houses, as well as samples of the mining wealth of the island. In the open theatre of the Folklore Museum, cultural and artistic events take place during summer.

Megalo Livadi
This is a small settlement next to a splendid beach. The houses were built in 1880. It was the seat of the Serifos-SPILIAZEZA company, which was founded by the French Mining Company of Lavrion, aiming at the excavation of iron ore from the island. The head office of the company and the “Monument” that was built to honor workers that lost their life in the revolt of 1916, stand today in Megalo Livadi.

The monastery of Taxiarhes
Near the Galani village, you will find the eminent Monastery of Taxiarhes which is the most important monument of Serifos. It was founded around 1600, has the form of a fortress, and had a school functioned in its space for centuries. Pay attention to what has remained from the murals of the 18th century; exceptional iconostasis, an embossed two headed eagle in the centre of the floor, but also its appreciable ecclesiastical heirlooms

Beaches

Serifos has a lot of marvellous beaches. Apart from an ideal place for swimming, its beaches are also beloved places for windsurfing friends.

Its main beaches are: the Livadi, a splendid sandy beach in front of the picturesque settlement of the harbour that is stretched out in a well protected by the north winds gulf.Next to it, Livadakia, continuous beaches in the next bays. In the southern side we meet Megalo Livadi, Koutalas, in front in the settlement and Ganema. Westwards the beaches of Avessalou and norther the Ellinika, Karava, Sykamia-one of the most beautiful beaches of Serifos, the Platys Yialos, while to the east we find the beaches of Agios Sosti, Psili Ammos, Agios Yannis and Kentarchos.

Source: http://www.cyclades-tour.gr