MILOS, GREECE: SECRET GREEK ISLAND OF THE SUMMER
- Coco Mymy
- Sep 30, 2016
- 4 min read
The luminous Greek Island of Milos has the best beaches in the Aegean, a fascinating history and superb seafood - and yet it is so often overlooked. All the better for the few who do go there, entirely alone in its turquoise bays
When it comes to beautiful islands, Greece has a lot of them. A lot. You could spend a year just hopping from one to the next.
But if you don’t have that kind of time, you’ve got to pick and choose. The famous ones like Santorini and Mykonos are certainly worth it. But if you’ll allow me to make a case for Milos in a few words and pictures, it might be enough for you to add it to your list.
Among the islands of the Cyclades, even of the world, Milos stands luminously in the history of art. Not because a great artist came from here, or was inspired by it, but rather because of a chance discovery in its soil.
On 8 April 1820 an ensign in the French navy and amateur archaeologist named Olivier Voutier went ashore to dig in the vicinity of the island's ancient theatre. He noticed a farmer a few paces away pause in his labours, peer through a gap in an old wall, register an expression of surprise, and then turn away. Voutier was curious. He went to the wall to have a look. In the recess within he saw a shape, the naked torso of a woman, carved in marble, lying on her side. He paid the farmer to help him dig it out. Torso was followed by draped legs, a wedge from the hip, plinth, foot and other fragments. Wedge and torso were stacked on the legs and in the afternoon light what would become known as the Venus de Milo stood before Ensign Voutier.
How the gouged, dusty, battered figure, arm-, foot- and noseless, became the entrancing star of the Louvre is a tale of disputatious and counterfeit scholarship, lies, cover-ups, vanity and restorations both inept and artful. Above all it is a tale of one-upmanship among imperial nations, for not long before the Venus arrived in Paris, the British government acquired sculptures taken from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin, who had refused a higher bid from Napoleon, and installed them in the British Museum, making it the pre-eminent institution of its kind in the world. The directors of the Louvre were piqued. The Venus would be an eloquent riposte, but there was a problem. It would only be important enough if she was from the Classical Age and evidence suggested that she dated from the later, more prosaic Hellenistic period. Patriotic scholars were deployed. It was as if the empire depended upon it. The scholars delivered the verdict expected of them, the Germans were suspicious, war was waged in academic journals, evidence was destroyed, veils drawn and ambiguity allowed to prevail.
Milos is about halfway between Athens and Crete, and pretty close to being on a straight line between them. It’s the farthest west of the main “famous” islands. It’s 58 square miles, so a bit bigger than Mykonos or Santorini, though much of the island is quite hilly and large swaths are off limits to rental cars and buggies.
My friend and travel buddy stayed for a few days in Adamantas, the main town on the island (though there are a few other smaller towns and villages). We rented a yellow buggy for two days of adventuring, and were able to hit several of Milos’s 70(!) beaches.
Our first stop was Firiplaka on the southern coast. As you can see in the pictures, it’s stunning.
The narrow beach is squeezed between cliffs and sea. The water is shallow, warm, and clear. A small bar rents umbrellas and beds, as well as cold drinks alcoholic and non.
Sarakiniko was our main destination, though we were mostly just out to explore the island. Sarakiniko was one of the most incredible landscapes I’ve ever seen.
White rock, eroded by the wind and sea as if a giant carved it from clay. The water, a cobalt blue no picture could do justice, contrasted the blinding white even more.
And buggies are the way to see the island. Quad-bike if you must, but the small buggies built for two (and sometimes 4) offer a comfortable way to see the island with a modicum of shade.
Breathtaking. Though windy, the small beach is set down in a narrow valley, allowing just a cooling breeze to take the edge off the summer sun.
There are people who would cross continents for a beach. I am one of them. But the beaches of Milos have, for me, a unique allure. You wake up wondering what they will offer. There is one, or more likely a dozen, for any taste. At Paleochori you can have lamb or fish cooked in the geothermal sand. Firiplaka is gold, purple, rose and white. My favourite was next to it at Tsigrado, which you lower yourself to by rope through a crevice in the cliff.
Milos is a quiet island, none of the rowdy nightlife that makes Ios and Mykonos famous. Mostly we saw families and couples. So really, it depends what you’re looking for on a Greek island adventure. If you’re looking to spend a few chill days among some incredible scenery, I definitely recommend Milos.
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