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Modern Description: South from here, the road continues through pine forests passing tranquil bays, empty beaches and beautiful views. (The road surface is unmade, but passable for ordinary vehicles.) After 6 km, the track comes down to the shore at Aghios Phokás, where an enormous, antique block of cut stone beside the taverna on the shore declares an ancient presence in the area. On top of the low rise at the south end of the bay is the chapel of Aghios Phokás; in front of it are the remains of a much older building, the cornerstone of which is a massive, well-cut monolith of the colourful, brecciated marble for which Skyros was famous in Roman times. A line of large, dressed blocks stretches in a north/south line in front of the church and other impressive pieces lie around: an area of the bed-rock has been extensively cut in the undergrowth just to the east side. There was a monastery previously at this site, and it would seem that it had been built in turn out of these remains of an earlier, pagan construction. The eroded surface of the marble looks dull in the bright light, but a splash of water immediately brings life back to its kaleidoscopic colours.

Info: McGilchrist's Greek Islands

(From McGilchrist’s Greek Islands, © Nigel McGilchrist 2010, excerpted with his gracious permission. Click for the books)

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