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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