Two isles of the Cyclades have long been famous for their marble—but equal treasures were recently found on tiny, neighboring Despotikó.
WHEN A SHEPHERD—THE only resident on the three-square-mile island of Despotikó—spotted a Byzantine coin lying in his goat pen in 2010, it was like finding an “X” on a treasure map, but the coin was only the beginning of the riches waiting to be unearthed.
Considered to be the birthplace of twin gods Apollo and Artemis, ancient Greece’s majestic port of Delos stands protected by the Cyclades, or circular islands. As the halfway point in the Aegean Sea between trading centers in Athens and Crete, this “sacred” Greek island of Delos became a frequent stop for sailors and pilgrims seeking to pay their respects at Apollo’s temple. [See the insider's guide to the best things to do in Greece.]
Just south of Delos is the island of Paros. Its semi-translucent, snow-white marble earned its distinction as “the most prosperous and greatest of the Cyclades” by Greek historian Epiphoros.
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