Kalymnos is widely known as the spongefishers' island, since such a large portion of the
population is engaded in this age-old occupation. Once the island's capital was located
at Horio, which benefited from the protection offered by the castle of the Knights of St. John
just above it. Today's capital is Pothia founded around 1850 by the inhabitants of Horio.
Its brightly coloured houses surround the port like the seats in an amphitheatre, arranged
along the hillsides down to the caiques and fishing boats bobbing Wow, An old church
dedicated to Christ the Saviour adorns the waterfront. It is decorated with frescoes and
valuable icons, while its iconostasis is the work of the well known sculptor,Yiannoulis
Halepas. Kalimnos has other charming villages, like Vathi, set in a fertile valley full of
citrus tress, and Metohi, on the southeast side of the island. The quiet hamlet of Emborios
lies to the north. To the west are Massouri, Mirties, Kamari and Panormos where one can
try sea-food delicacies such as "fouskes" and "chtapokeftedes". On the road to Panormos,
you will notice the remains of a three - aisled basilica dedicated to Christ of Jerusalem,
which was erected around the 6th century on the site of an ancient temple where Delian
Apollo was worshipped. To the north of the main town is Pera Kastro, also called
the Castle of the Golden Hands (Hrissoheria), because the chapel in its interior has an
icon of the Virgin whose hands are covered with gold leaf, Northeast of Pothia, at the
foot of Flaska hill, is the cave of the Seven Virgins or Nymphs (not to be visited).
Kalimnos boasts two other caves, the richly decorated Skalies, about100 metres from
the village of Skalia in the north of the island (not to be visited), and Kefalas or Trypas
Kefalas to the south (which can be visited and one can approach it by boat). At Therma,
only one kilometre or so from Pothia, there are radioactive springs and therapeutic
bathing installations, rooms where visitors may spend the night, and specially trained
personnel to assist them. Among the lovely beaches on Kalimnos are Massouri,
Mirties and Arginondas along the west coast and Vlyhadia in the south.