Municipality of Alonnisos
Alonnisos An ecological paradise
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The prevailing quality of Alonnisos is its peacefulness. It was among the first islands of the Aegean to be inhabited. In recent years the old capital of the island has acquired a new vitality.
Visitors are impressed by the old houses of Palia Alonnisos, now restored and renovated.
Along the dozens of stone-paved paths and the beaches of the island a new kind of tourism is developing, a gentler tourism more friendly to nature.
In the beautiful natural setting of Alonnisos the visitor can enjoy a range of alternative activities all year round, including walking, fishing, sailing, visits to the islands of the Marine Park, etc.).
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The island is also an ideal base from which to visit the National Marine Park, where the visitor may well catch sight of the protected species of Mediterranean seal, Monachus-Monachus, which lives in the caves around the islands' coasts.
Alonnisos is also the home of the International Academy of Classical Homeopathy, which was founded by G. Vythoulkas and is open during the summer months.
The island has always been a natural wildlife sanctuary rich in flora and fauna.
On the Kokkinokastro headland the skeletons have been found of rhinoceri and small species of horse and deer.
Around the little island of Vrachos the submerged remains of an ancient city have been found - indisputable evidence of the great history of the island.
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The island economy depends heavily on tourism, but local people are also engaged in farming and fishing.
In Palia Alonnisos, after a period in which the fields lay uncultivated, agricultural production is now beginning to grow again.
The old terraces of the island, once alive with vines, are now filling again with olive and fruit trees, and the traditional, dry-stone walls are now rising again between the fields.
Although the seas around the island are regarded as some of the richest waters in Greece in stocks of fish, fishing has never been a great island tradition. One explanation offered by historians is that fear of pirates kept the local people on terra firma. But nowadays not a few families earn their living from fishing.
The fishermen of Alonnisos have organized themselves into a cooperative and distribute and market their own catch.
Alonnisos Beaches
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The north-western coast of the island is steep, but the south-western coast offers superb beaches.
Votsi, Steni Vala, Kalamakia, Chrysi Milia, Mikros and Megalos Mourtias, Vrysitsa, Chrysi Milia, Kokkinokastro, Marpounta, Aghios Dimitrios and Tzortzi Yialos are just some of the beaches of Alonnisos which illustrate the majestic natural beauty of the Aegean.
Patitiri, the island harbour, and Votsi - which have now almost combined to form one community - are the areas which are most densely populated.
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Alonnisos The Marine Park
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They are called the Erimonisa - deserted islands - but in fact they are a world seething with life, an ideal natural habitat with a wealth of flora and fauna. They are situated close to Alonnisos and make up the nucleus of the Marine Park. Their names are Peristera, Dyo Adelfoi, Kyra-Panayia, Skantzoura, Yioura, Piperi and Psathoura.
The island of Piperi forms the centre of the Park, and no boats are allowed to come into land here.
Provided that he complies with the regulations in force, the visitor can experience the region at first hand, enjoy the extraordinary natural landscape of the Park and, if he is lucky, come face to face with the Mediterranean seal.
It's easy to get to the Marine Park from Alonnisos; there are daily excursions to the Erimonisa.
Another unforgettable experience is a boat trip to Psathoura, to the monastery of Kyra-Panayia, or to Planitis bay, your boat accompanied perhaps by a school of dolphins.
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Marine Park's Map
Municipality of Alonnisos: www.alonissos.gr