Zakynthos (Zante) island in Greece

 

Zakynthos - Zante, the southern most of the lonian islands, owes its name to the son of Dardanos, the king of Troy, who according to myth built the first city here. It is also mentioned in "The Iliad". All who came to this island fell under its spell. The Venetians baptized it "the flower of the Orient" (Fior' di Levante). Others gave it just as evocative names like "earthly paradise", and "Perfumed Isle", while Dionysios Solomos, the father of modern Greek poetry and a native son, wrote "Zakinthos could make one forget the Elysian Fields".

No one who has been here can forget the emerald green of its seas, its pine-studded mountains, its musical people and their hospitality. The first thing to welcome you, as soon as you step off the ferryboat, is the town of the island. The Town today has pleasantly arcaded wide streets, spacious squares imposing buildings and cheerful houses. The Museum of Post-Byzantine Art on Solomos Square contains treasures salvaged from the island's historic churches. On the waterfront, one should visit the churches of Agios Dionysios, the island's patron saint, with its tall campanile, and of Agios Nikolas tou Molou, a church out of the Italian Renaissance with, surprisingly, a 17th century Byzantine belfry.
The town is watched over by the Venetian fortress on the hill above. Only the gate, outer walls and battlements still stand. But from this vantage point a spectacular view can be had of the harbour, fertile inland plain and beaches as far as the eye can see. Nearby is another hill, the Lofos Strani where Solomos Dionysios composed the famous, the father of modern Greek poetry, "Hymn to Liberty", which became the Greek National Anthem.
Zakynthos is almost triangular in shape, with two green mountainous promontories extending into the sea to form the huge bay of Laganas. There are more pine-covered mountains and hills in the north, but the centre is gentle and lush, richly planted with currant vines, olive trees, almonds and seasonal vegetables. There are dozens of beaches to choose from, sandy and sheltered with invitingly sparkling water.

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