Milos is an island in the Aegean Sea, and is the fifth largest of the Cyclades island complex. Its population is estimated at about 5,000 people, rising to 20,000 during the summer season.
It was first inhabited during the Neolithic Period, and its location was right at the heart of the Cycladic civilization, which was eradicated by a massive eruption of the famous Santorini volcano in 1,500 BC.
The island of Milos is famous for the statue of the Venus de Milo, currently kept at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Visitors of Milos may view a copy of the original statue in the museum of Plaka, which is the island’s capital town.
The island of Milos is one of the most idyllic islands of Greece, with paradise coasts, where the visitor is given the unique opportunity to enjoy the turquoise seawater and lie on the golden beach, under the generous Mediterranean sun.
Therefore, it is not a surprise, the fact that every single summer, the island is flooded by thousands of tourists, arriving either by plane or boat.
Since the history of Milos expands in several prehistoric and historic periods, a number of museums have been established, offering the visitor the opportunity to become familiar with the island’s distinctive cultural identity, enriching and thus deepening his/her tourist experience.
The Archaeological museum is a place worth visiting, where archaeological findings are on display, dating as back as 5.000 BC, characteristic of the prehistoric Cycladic civilization, as well as various objects and works of art from the Classical, Roman and Hellenistic periods.
Moreover, the Mining museum is another place of interest, where samples of the island’s rich mining tradition are on display.
It has to be noted that the mining of minerals is, even nowadays, one the island’s major wealth resources.
There are two more museums, the Maritime museum, where objects, pictures, information and data are displayed from the island’s-interdependent with the sea-historic past, and the Ecclesiastical museum hosted in the church of Holy Trinity, built at about 1000 AD.
From the Venetian castle, which was built in the 13th century AD, a visitor may enjoy a panoramic view of the Aegean, traveling in mind to an era where pirate and state boats, powered by the wind, were sailing throughout the Aegean Sea.
One of the trademark spots on the island of Milos is a geological formation called “Kleftiko”, a complex of rocks, creating a mystifying sensation, which, when blend with the view of the crystal blue seawater, generates the feeling of being in the nature’s cuddle, calm now after centuries of volcanic activity, providing a refuge of rest and peace, beyond the rush of the modern stressful life.
It is not an accident that a great number of spots on the island have been designated as protected areas of high environmental value, within the framework of Natura 2000, a European program for the protection of the environment.
We should not forget to mention the Milos cuisine, a characteristic way of cooking in the broader area of the Aegean Sea, formed by the marriage of the Mediterranean cooking and the local fresh produce, leading to culinary delights, meeting the criteria of gastronomic fulfillment, reserving at the same time, their traditional, uncomplicated character.
Simple recipes, departing from natural, fresh, local products, consummating in harmony and balance found, indeed, everywhere, within the island’s environmental and historic framework, expressed in a simple, austere, clearly defined manner.
Sources and further reading:
Milos Travel Guide
Milos-Wikipedia
Venus de Milo