 Zakynthos island | Zakynthos, the southernmost of the lonian islands, owes its name to the son of Dardanos,
the king of Troy, who according to myth built the first city here. It is also mentioned in
"The Iliad". All who came to this island fell under its spell. The Venetians baptized it
"the flower of the Orient" (Fior' di Levante). Others gave it just as evocative names like
"earthly paradise", and "Perfumed Isle", while Dionysios Solomos, the father of modern
Greek poetry and a native son, wrote "Zakinthos could make one forget the Elysian Fields".
No one who has been here can forget the emerald green of its sea, its pine-studded
mountains, its musical people and their hospitality. The first thing to welcome you, as soon
as you step off the ferryboat, is the town of Zakinthos. Zakynthos today has pleasantly
arcaded wide streets, spacious squares imposing buildings and cheerful houses. The
Museum of Post-Byzantine Art on Solomos Square contains treasures salvaged from the
island's historic churches. On the waterfront, one should visit the churches of Agios
Dionysios, the island's patron saint, with its tall campanile, and of Agios Nikolas tou
Molou, a church out of the Italian Renaissance with, surprisingly, a 17th century Byzantine
belfry. The town is watched over by the Venetian fortress on the hill above. Only the gate,
outer walls and battlements still stand. But from this vantage point a spectacular view
can be had of the harbour, fertile Inland plain and beaches as far as the eye can see.
Nearby is another hill, the Lotus Strani where Solomos Dionysios composed the famous,
the father of modern Greek poetry "Hymn to Liberty", which became the Greek National
Anthem. Zakynthos is almost triangular in shape, with two green mountainous promontories
extending into the sea to form the huge bay of Laganas. There are more pine-covered
mountains and hills in the north, but the centre is gentle and lush, richly planted with
currant vines, olive trees, almonds and seasonal vegetables. There are dozens of
beaches to choose from, sandy and sheltered with invitingly sparkling water. Have a
swim at the wide sandy beaches in the company of sea turtles, go snorkelling or
scuba diving between rocks and in underwater caves. Take a sailboat out or go
surfing. Make a trekking-tour in the mountain-areas. Enjoy the great weather on the
sunniest island in the Mediter-ranean, and let yourself be swept away by the rhythms
of Zakynthian life, joining the hospitable people of this island. But that's not all.
Zakynthos (its total size is 406 square km) has much more to offer, so use the
special links on the navigation board to see the aspects of this island of sea turtles,
in which you may have an interest. |
| Zakynthos Lİterature | Literature origins dated back to the XV century when the island poets were popular
for their poems, prose, and the translation of texts from ancient Greek to the spoken
language. In the following century Zakynthos strongly contributed to the Greek literature
and art by founding the first Greek Academy and with characters such as Martelaos,
Foscolo’s teacher, Gouzelis and Solomos and Matesis, playwrights considered the
forerunners of the modern Greek theatre. Among the most popular poets of the
XIX centuries there are Foscolo, Italian language, Kalvos, whose sentence “Freedom
requires virtue and audacity” is quoted in the symbol of the city of Zante and Dionisio
Solomos to whom a church and a square have been dedicated. Solomos studied in
Italy and wrote poems in Italian, then came back to Zakynthos, his homeland,
where he wrote poems to sustain the population during the war against the Turkish
domination; among his works some lyric compositions of the modern Greek literature.
Kalvos and Solomos' mortal remains are at the museum that has
been dedicated to them. |
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Greek Islands 
