Two colours dominate Skopelos, the Aegean Sea’s most densely vegetated island, green and blue. Pines cover the island from coast to coast, all the way to the refreshing crystal-clear blue waters that embrace this blessed destination. Dozens of trails and old cobbled paths cross this paradise of green and blue, making it a leading destination for trekking and adventure.
It seems that there is something in the soil and air of Skopelos that is liked by pine trees, which, since antiquity, have covered the island from its hills to the coastline.
The first people to inhabit the island, settlers from Halkida, northeast of Athens, toiled the land to clear some of the pine forested area and create fields. The efforts of these early settlers led to successful viticulture activity on the island, resulting in the production of one of Greece’s most celebrated wines, the renowned peparithio wine, named after Skopelos’ ancient name, Peparithos.
The island’s success at wine production was, according to ancient legend, owed to Stafylos, the island’s first inhabitant and son of Dionysus and Ariadne, hence his devotion to wine. The island’s ancient winemakers established trails through the forest for access to their vineyards and then also learnt to pave ways through the seas to export their renowned wine to other parts of the Aegean and the Black Sea. This trade accumulated enough wealth for the exporters to mint their own silver and copper coins.
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feature image credit Stephanos Psimenos LinkedIn
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