Agathonisi vacations
Agathonisi is the north most islet of the Dodecanese islands complex.
Today the population of the island is about 120 people.
The oldest settlement is Megalo Chorio or Big Village with 80 inhabitants.
This village has been built in such a way so that it is not visible from the sea, thus protecting it from pirates.
Built in the same way and for the same reason is Mikro Chorio or Small Village with 20 inhabitants.
The third and newest settlement is St George with 20 inhabitants and is found in the innermost part of the bay from which its name is derived.
The most important sight you can visit is Tholi.
There are byzantine structures used as food storehouses.
Agathonisi is an ideal place for those who wish for quiet holidays away from the hustle and bustle of the main tourist routes.
Famous beaches of Agathonisi Island are: St. George, Poros, Vathy Pigadi, Tsagaris.
A tiny island, Agathonisi is quiet and peaceful with only donkeys and roosters to wake you up in the morning, since it is almost traffic free.
The islanders live mainly off fishing and the estimated 800 tourists that visit the island every summer.
The locals have often gone through hardships because of poverty and isolation, but they are warm and friendly and will try to make you feel at home as soon as you arrive.
The island was originally called Tragea or Netousa and got its current name by a priest in the beginning of last century.
The word agathos means good or gullible and a common translation is Island of the good-hearted.
Agathonisi lies only ten km away from the Turkish coast and this has had consequences for the tiny island through history.
Originally a place for exiles during Roman and Byzantine times and constantly attacked by pirates, Agathonisi did not have a proper community until the 19th century.
By then, it had been under Turkish rule since the 16th century, but the Turks never actually lived on the island.
In 1922 Agathonisi was occupied by Italian troops and was not liberated until after the second World War.
In the 1980, the island finally got electricity and telephone lines.