Astypalaia Astipálaia

Area of island: 99 sq. km/38 sq. mi

The arid karstic island of Astypálaia, the most westerly of the Dodecanese, lying between Kos (40 km/25 mi away), Amorgós (35 km/22 mi) and Anáfi (40 km/25 mi), has close affinities in topography and culture with the Cyclades. Two wide bays on the northwest and southeast sides of the island divide it into a higher western half (1,581 ft/482 m) and a lower eastern half (1,201 ft/366 m), linked by the isthmus of Áyios Andréas, which is only 110 m/120 yd wide. Stock-farming (cheese), the growing of fruit and vegetables and fishing bring the inhabitants a modest degree of well-being.

Boat services run twice weekly from Athens (Piraeus); local services Kos-Kálymnos-Astypálaia) run weekly.

Related Attractions

Livadia Valley

Below the Astypalaia Khóra, to the west, is the fertile Livádia valley, the main area of agricultural land on the island. Scattered all over the island are some 200 churches and chapels, mostly founded by local families and now frequently in a ruinous state. There are numerous small islets and isolated rocks, some of which provide grazing for goats. Some 35-45km/22-28mi southeast are the lonely little islands of Seírina and Tría Nisía.

Castle, Astypalaia, Greece

Astipálaia's picturesque chief town, Astipálaia (Khóra), is finely situated on a bare rocky hill above the harbor (Skála), dominated by a Venetian castle (13th-16th C.).