Kastro (Castle) Of Old Town

On a low hill above the harbour, the Kastro, meaning Castle, is the walled medieval core of Naxos town, and walking up into it feels like entering another century. It was founded in 1207 by Marco Sanudo, a Venetian adventurer who seized the island and established the Duchy of the Archipelago, which ruled many of the Cyclades for over three hundred years. The fortified settlement he built became the seat of his dynasty, and Venetian and Frankish families lived inside its walls while the Greek population remained in the lower town.

The outer wall once formed a rough circle with towers at intervals, and much of the stone came from ancient buildings, including marble from the unfinished Temple of Apollo that stands today as the Portara. Several gates gave access, and the main entrance on the northwest side is still known as the Trani Porta, or Great Gate. Of the original towers, only the Crispi Tower survives in good condition. Inside, the lanes are narrow and often covered by arches, and many houses carry coats of arms above their doorways, a reminder of the noble families who built them.

The Della Rocca Barozzi Tower, a fortified mansion that remains in family hands, houses a small museum devoted to Venetian life on the island and hosts cultural events. The Catholic Cathedral, still in use, has a plain interior with marble floors and memorial slabs, an unusual sight on a mainly Orthodox island. The former French school, a building from the seventeenth century run by Jesuit and later Ursuline teachers, now houses the Archaeological Museum of Naxos, with a good collection of Cycladic figurines; the writer Nikos Kazantzakis studied in the school as a boy.

Visitors tend to enjoy wandering without a plan, following the lanes and stairs between small courtyards with flowering plants, shuttered windows and unexpected glimpses of the sea. In the evening the walls are lit, and tables spill out of tavernas on the upper lanes. The walk up from the harbour takes about ten minutes, and the surface is cobbled and uneven, so sturdy shoes help.

A visit is best combined with the Portara across the harbour and with the old market lanes in the lower town. Quiet mornings or evenings give the best atmosphere inside the walls, while the midday heat can make the climb tiring.