Alónnisos

The long rocky island of Alónnisos (formerly Khiliondrómia; in antiquity Ikos), one of the more secluded places in Greece, lies in the middle of the chain of the Northern Sporades, which runs west from Skíathos. Along the whole length of the island extends a ridge of hills which reaches its highest point in Mt Kouvoúli (1,562ft/476m). The northwest coast is fringed by cliffs; on the gentler southeast coast there are a number of sheltered bays. Here there are traces of settlement going back to Neolithic times.

The inhabitants of this island work in the fields on the small but fertile plains, or else as shepherds and seamen. The center of the island has submerged, leaving two small islets and several smaller ones. A rock mass called Psathoura is all that remains of ancient Alonnisos.