Paros of “balance”, Syros of “neoclassical elegance” and Kimolos of “stone and primeval silence”, is presented in another multi-page tribute by the Italian magazine Emotion, following previous publications on each of the three islands, as a result of a familiarization trip by journalist Teresa Carrubba.
The trip was organized by MTC GROUP with SEAJETS as a sponsor. The hospitality was provided by the Municipalities with the assistance of local professionals.
The 18-page tribute (6 pages for each island) is written in a narrative manner and enriched with rich photographic material and presents the unique “identity” of each destination. And, as stated in the prologue, “each island has a different voice: some proclaim their beauty loudly, others whisper it softly, like a secret shared only with those who know how to listen”.
Below, some characteristic excerpts from the vivid description of the islands:
Paros, the island that breathes to the rhythm of the wind
Paros is the heart of the Cyclades, a crossroads where the white of the houses meets the intense blue of the domes and the silvery green of the olive trees.
Disembarking in Parikia, the main port, is like entering a labyrinth of light: narrow alleys, pergolas of fuchsia bougainvillea, cobalt-blue doors and the sound of slow footsteps between the whitewashed walls.
In Paros, the sea is not just a horizon, but a way of life—changing, luminous, irresistibly Greek.
It is a dynamic but not frenetic island, capable of combining a modern rhythm with the ancestral tranquility of the Greek sea. The beach comes alive with a series of taverns and cafes offering the best traditional Greek cuisine and a truly remarkable family welcome. Paros is the island of the wind. Surfers have turned it into a haven, especially in the south along the vast expanse of the Golden Coast, where colorful sails cross the horizon, moved by the incessant breath of the Meltemi. The beaches of Paros are like a mosaic of light, each with a different shade of blue. But you only need to go a little further, towards Kolymbithres, to rediscover the silence of the wind-sculpted rocks, natural sculptures that the sea has smoothed like the hands of a divine craftsman. Not far away, Monastiri beach, nestled between the hills, combines the tranquility of the sea with the scent of pine resin. More intimate and wild is Faranga, surrounded by rocks and silence, ideal for those seeking tranquility away from the limelight. On the eastern side, Pounda overlooks Antiparos, to which it is connected by boat, with fine sand and shallow waters that invite for great swimming. Every bay, every cove seems to have its own soul: social or solitary, family or romantic.
In Paros, the sea is not just a horizon, but a way of life – changing, luminous, irresistibly Greek. But this island is also a land of stone and faith: in the heart of Parikia lies Panagia Ekatontapyliani, one of the oldest and most revered Byzantine sanctuaries in the Aegean. Inside, time slows down and the stone exudes history. Ekatontapyliani, known as the church of the “hundred doors”, dominates the city with its majestic sobriety. It is considered one of the oldest and most valuable early Christian monuments in Greece.
Syros, the discreet elegance of the Aegean
To be seen, not to be shown off: that is the grace of Syros, an island unlike any other in the Cyclades. Here, white often gives way to the ochre and pink of neoclassical buildings, a legacy of a glorious past as a naval capital.
Ermoupolis, the main town, is a surprise: a small urban jewel overlooking the sea with the elegance of a lady of the past. The ornate facades, loggias and marble-floored cafes tell the story of the time when Syros was the heart of modern Greece, before Piraeus took its place. The Apollon Theatre retains an elegance from another era. Built in 1864 and designed by the Italian architect Pietro Samp?, it is a perfect miniature of the Milanese scale, with four levels of boxes, red velvet and gold decorations reflecting the cosmopolitan taste of Ermoupolis, a city that at the time saw Europe as a source of artistic inspiration. Its thin and luminous frescoed ceiling frames one of the best acoustics in the Aegean. Today, the theater is a vibrant cultural center, hosting performances, operas and the Aegean Festival, a timeless symbol of the artistic orientation of Syros. Walking along Miaouli Square, you can breathe the air of a miniature Athens, but just go up to Ano Syros, the upper town, to rediscover the Cycladic geometry: narrow alleys, blue doors, the scent of wild fennel and freshly baked bread. From up there, the view of the Aegean is dizzying, a mosaic of blue stretching into infinity. A Catholic community still lives here, a reminder of the long Venetian rule, which has coexisted for centuries with the Orthodox community: two bell towers, two religions, a single sound of the sea. Syros does not thrive on mass tourism. It is an island for those who love observation. In the evening, the sunset light paints the domes bronze, while young people dive from the rocks of Asteria beach, a stone’s throw from the city center. In the distance, fishing boats slowly return and the first lights come on in the harbor. It is a beauty more spiritual than instinctive, a Greece that is not immediately revealed, but remains engraved in your memory like slow music.
Kimolos, the silence of stone
Small, remote, Kimolos is the most secretive of the three, the largest in soul. Compared to the more secular Milos, its older sister, Kimolos seems like an echo of the past.
No more than six hundred inhabitants, a tiny harbor, a single main village, Chorio, which climbs the hill like a nest of white stones. Here, time does not pass: it stands still. The houses seem to have come from another era, with walls scarred by salt and wind, and courtyards filled with pots of basil. Women chat in front of their doors, men drink ouzo under the pergolas, and the silence is broken only by the chirping of crickets. No hustle and bustle, no boutiques, just the beauty of the essential.
The beaches of Kimolos are not glossy postcards, but familiar dreams: Prassa, with its white sand and mint-colored sea. Mavrospilia, where the sunset sets the rocks on fire. Or Ellinika, which hides, under the waters, the sunken ruins of an ancient Hellenistic settlement. It is an island that demands respect, revealing itself slowly, to those who are not in a hurry. Petra is the real protagonist of Kimolos. Its name, in fact, comes from the chalk.
The emblem of Kimolos’ natural power is Skiadi, an extraordinary rock formation in the shape of a huge stone mushroom, shaped over the centuries by the wind and the salt of the sea.
When you reach the top, the view is breathtaking: the Aegean Sea opens up on the horizon like a curtain of light and sea, and the silence seems almost “sacred”. The local Kimolists Association has restored ancient paths and mule tracks, resurfacing them and making them accessible again.
Daily life on the island is centered in Chorio, the central village, a small maze of cobblestone alleys, white houses and blue domes. The tranquility is absolute: With just six hundred inhabitants, Kimolos is an island where the door remains open and trust is still the custom. At the heart of Chorio is the Kastro, an ancient fortified village built in the Middle Ages, with houses nestled right inside the defensive walls. Walking through its narrow streets is like walking through the centuries: carved lintels, blue doors, blooming bougainvillea that explodes with color among the pale stones. At sunset, when the lanterns are lit and the breeze brings the scent of the sea, the village is transformed into a floating, almost unreal vision, a small world that seems to belong to a bygone era. Kimolos is a return to its roots, an island where tourism has not yet imposed its rhythm. A selective tourism that the local government is trying to expand over time, offering initiatives from May to October.
In the epilogue of the tribute – hymn to the three islands it is mentioned: “Paros, Syros, Kimolos: three pieces of the same dream. Different in form and destiny, united by the same breath of the Aegean. The journey there is not simply a movement between ports and ferries, but a crossing of three dimensions of time: the harmonious modernity of Paros, the cultivated memory of Syros, the primordial purity of Kimolos.”
