The Island Of Paros
Paros island is the third largest Cycladic island after Naxos and Andros located in the Aegean sea in the center of Cyclades. It has an area of 205 sq.km and lies 90 nautical miles from Piraeus and 80 nautical miles from Rafina ports, a very important maritime knot. It is connected by boats with nearly all the Aegean islands and Crete. The island also hosts an airport with connections to Athens.
Its rolling landscape falls gently from the heights of Profit Elias mountain down to the coastal plains which cover much of the island. The island is a wonderful combination of softly rolling mountains, beautiful sandy beaches with crystal clear water and traditional Greek houses.
Paros has become a popular tourist destination. Visitors seek out the fishing villages and especially enjoy the local seafood restaurants. Conditions are perfect along the Paros beaches for wind surfing and kite surfing. Conditions are so ideal that the Professional Windsurfers Association Championship Grand Prix is held on this island every August.
Modern Paros may be known for windsurfing, but Paros has always been famous, since very ancient through current time, for the Parian semi-transparent marble that is still quarried today. The mountains of Paros produce the best white marble in the world. Most of the masterpieces of ancient Greece were made of this marble: Venus d'Milo, Praxiteles' Hermes, Parthenon.
The island is also famous for the quality of its wine, both white and red.
