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CYCLADES
SIGHTSEEING - KEA
 The history of Kea is especially interesting and
the excavations of Agia Irini show that this history starts around
3000 BC., at
the end of the Neolithic Period.
In
antiquity Kea was reigned over by the native god Aristaios, son
of Apollo, who saved
the Cyclades from drought by bringing the cool north winds
or "Meltemia" as
they are called here.
Also called Tziα, the
island has an area of about 121 square kilometers and contains
86 kilometers of beaches. It is connected from Lavrion and Piraeus
by ferry (it is only 12
miles from Lavrion - 1 hour by ferryboat).
 The name Tzia is a Frankish adaptation of its name (Kea-kia-Tzia)
and remained as a memento of the occupation by the Franks and Venetians during the
Middle Ages.
This is an island with several similarities
with the other Cycladic Islands but at the same time somehow different, with
its own charm.
The style of the island today in mostly Cycladic but has
kept some differences including the style of houses, using tiled roofs instead
of the mainly Cycladic white washed tower tops.
It also has more than 200 churches,
some of which, such as Agia Anna, Episkopi and Agios Panteleimon are Byzantian
monuments.
 The
picturesque narrow alleys of Hora
are covered by arches called "stegadia" and the roofs of the little white houses
are decorated with tiles. The harbour of Korissia is the main holiday resort of
Tzia, attracting many visitors to its shady beach.
It was here that one of the most important
sculptures of the ancient world was found -namely Kouros of Kea- which is exhibited
in the Archaeological Museum of
Athens.
On
the southern side of Tzia is Pissa beach, one of the island's most famous,
with finely -grained sand and
crystal clear waters.
Climb up to Hora when the sun sets
and visit loulida built on the site of the ancient city. A few ruins of the acropolis
are visible on the top of the hill, at the same place where the castle was built
during the Middle Ages, in order to protect its population
against pirate attacks.
SIFNOS,
ANDROS,
AMORGOS,
DELOS,
IOS,
KEA,
KYTHNOS,
MILOS,
MYKONOS,
NAXOS,
PAROS,
ANTIPAROS,
SANTORINI,
SERIFOS,
SIKINOS,
SYROS,
TINOS,
FOLEGANDROS
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