Island of the Week - Tinos (Tenos)
Quick! Name the most-visited Greek island.Hint - it's one of the Cycladic islands. No, it's not Santorini.
Hint #2 - 90% of the annual visitors are Greeks. And it's certainly not Mykonos.
Give up? (Or did the title of this article just possibly give it away?) It's Tinos, a large island just northwest of Mykonos, (see Dilos' map of the Cyclades) its better-known neighbor. While Tinos is definitely a tourist-oriented island, the focus is on the Greek tourist, not the American or European one, and so most of the tourist clutter misses the target. Since the Greeks are looking for a "typical" Greek island experience, even the tourist-oriented blandishments are relatively mild and the island retains a pristine quality that makes it very attractive.
This church, the Church of the Megalochari or Panayia Evangelistria, still stands on a small hill overlooking the port of Tinos, the aptly-named Tinos Town, also known as Chora or Hora, the capital. The ancient icon is viewable by the public, and is believed to have particularly potent healing powers. Because of this, Tinos is sometimes called "the little Lourdes of Greece".
Major festivals are held on March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation (which is also Greek Independence Day) and on August 15th, the Feast of the Assumption.
On August 15th, there is also a secular fair held in the streets of the town. This is definitely the busiest moment in the year for Tinos - a wonderful experience of living religious faith, but not for the claustrophobic.
In addition to the Panhellenic Foundation Evangelistria, the complex of museums and galleries around the church, there is also the interesting Archeological Museum of Tenos. Tinos is also the island of dovecotes, with hundreds of these complex and beautiful structures dotting the island. Also keep an eye out for the lovely fountains adorning many of the villages.
Another unique Tinosian adornment is the pheggites, bright slabs of carved marble depicting birds, the sun, ships, and other motifs related to Tinos. And listen for music in the wind - the peak of Mt. Tsiknias, legendary home of Aeolus, god of wind, is the highest point on the island. Aeolus shared the ancient care of the island with Poseidon (Roman Neptune), god of the sea, and his companion Amphitrite, protectoress of seafarers, whose joint temple was excavated at Kionia beach.
A visit to Xomburgo, the high rock which was possibly the first place of human habitation on the island, is also in order. A shrine to Demeter was excavated there. Another unusual feature of Tinos is the presence of a Roman Catholic population, primarily in villages around Xomburgo.
Tinos Town has the greatest concentration of hotels, mostly "B" and "C" class. One with an on-line presence is the Akti Aegeou, an apartment-style lodging. The resort areas of Agios Ioanis and Kionia offer "A" class hotels, but remember, these are designed for the Greek traveler and may not always offer the same amenities European or especially American travelers may be used to. (For me, I prefer to stay in less "amenable" quarters - I'm still shocked that the beautiful, gracious, marvelous "old" section of the Hotel St. Francis in San Francisco, California, costs less to stay in than the ugly, sterile, hotel-in-a-box "new" building.) For those who want to reject hotels entirely, Tinos also offers campsites.
Other Useful Links:
From Infoxenios, handy guide to boat service to Tinos.
From United, a list of online restaurants on Tinos.
