Allonisos Vacation Rentals

Alonissos is a green island due to the winter rains, which top up the aquifers that the island depends on for it's water. It was a pirate base, years ago, and has been subject to Constantinople, and Venice. It was well known for it's wines in times gone by, but the vines were all lost due to disease 50 years ago. The wreck of a trading boat of about 2,000 years ago has been found off the coast of Peristera, a nearby island. It contained amphora that had been full of wine. It is at the end of the hydrofoil route, the least developed of the inhabited Sporades islands. So it is the most difficult to get to, and the quietest. People come here to relax and find the old Greece. There are only two discos, and two "night clubs", and these are sound-proofed. The little tavernas are unpretenious, genuine places where the locals go for a gossip and a coffee or an ouzo. The retaurants are similar, with few non-Greek dishes, but the fresh fish, and grills are delicious. A number of English people have settled here, some of them taking an active part in the local economy. The excursion boats go to nearby deserted islands, some with ancient monasteries, and to distant beaches. The monk seals are protected, and the reason for the Sporades Marine Park. So little of the island has been cultivated that it is a wonderful resevoir of undisturbed nature. The network of paths covering the island have been mapped, and there are guided walks organised by several travel agents. Everyone says that not only do they leave much more relaxed, but also, much fitter due to the swimming and walking.