Skópelos

Chief place: Skópelos

Skópelos, known in antiquity, down to the A.D. third century, as Peparethos, is a hilly and well wooded island in the Northern Sporades. The steep northeast coast is unwelcoming, and, apart from the wide bay of Skópelos near the east end, without inlets or irregularities of any consequence, and the gentler southeast coast is also relatively featureless. The fertile areas on the island are mainly devoted to the growing of almonds and fruit (particularly plums; dried fruit packing station in Skópelos town). In many convents the nuns make woven goods and other craft products for sale. The tourist trade also makes a contribution to the island's economy.

The oldest traces of human settlement date from the Neolithic period. The ancient city of Peparethos was said to have been founded by the Cretan hero Staphylos, son of Dionysos and Ariadne. In the so-called Tomb of Staphylos gold jewellery, idols, a variety of implements and utensils and Minoan double axes were found; they are now in the museum in Vólos.