Skiathos (also known in Italian toponymy as Sciato) also includes the islets of Tsougria, Tsougriaki, Maragos, Arkos, Troulonisi, and Aspronisi.
Although Skiathos is mainly known as a seaside tourism destination (with beaches of all kinds, now almost all well-equipped), it is possible to undertake about twenty hiking trails to discover its landscape, historical, and architectural beauties.
Mostly inhabited in the southern and southeastern part, the island of the Aegean Sea has as its only inhabited center the town of Skiathos, located precisely on the southeastern tip, a favorable position as it is protected from the wind.
The city port is certainly noticeable as it is divided into two by the peninsula of Bourtzi, once a fortress founded by the Gizi brothers. With battlement walls and loopholes for defense, Bourtzi was also called ‘Kastelli tou Agiou Georgiou’ (meaning ‘Castle of Saint George’) because inside the fort there was a small church erected in the name of the Venetians’ patron saint. Thanks to the abundance of pines, the breathtaking view, and the always fresh air, today Bourtzi is a place where body and soul find the right well-being.
Among the few ruins of the Church of Saint George and those of the ancient fortress, in fact, there are also a municipal café and a picturesque cultural center, with conference rooms and an open-air theater hosting theatrical and musical performances.
