Antíparos

A mile to the west, mostly flat little Antíparos (‘opposite Páros’), was known as Oliaros when it was first mentioned as a base of Phoenician merchants of Sidon. Famous for its laid back attitude (and love of bougainvillea), it’s now firmly on the maps of visitors, and will be even more so when the Sanctuary of Apollo on Despotikó is open to visitors. There are frequent ferries from Poúnta on the west coast of Paros.

A deep cave full of stalactites was discovered on Antíparos in antiquity (tradition has it that the poet Antilochos of Páros was the first to visit and carve his name on a stalactite back in the 7th century BC), and ever since it’s been an essential stop for every Grand Tour traveller in the region.

Antíparos is also the octopus capital of Greece, and it may be an unsung aphrodisiac, considering the island’s lusty reputation – significantly (or not), Tom Hanks has a home here, and not a few Hollywood stars are known to pop in, and even the year round population is rising, and that, in the Cyclades, is rare.