While Spain and Italy produce more olives than Greece, Greeks consume more olive oil than any other nation in the world. Olives are also a critical part of the Greek economy, amounting to US$700 million every year. And because of the strong role olive oil plays in Greek heritage, the cultivation, health and growth of olives is extra important to farmers, scientists and consumers alike.
Dazzling white rock formations, hidden caves and breathtaking beaches contrast with arresting blue seas to make Milos one of the most impressive islands in Greece.
This craggy volcanic island in the Aegean Sea is the most southwesterly of the Cyclades group, and is where the Venus de Milo, the most graceful marble statue of antiquity, was discovered.
With myriad nooks and crannies shaped by wind and water, and striking strands dotted around the coast, Milos is a captivating destination to while away a summer.
“We Greeks understand — and anyone who has traveled widely here knows — that each Greek island is a small unique world. Milos, though, is special,” says Milos resident Leonidas Fotinos.
“On Milos, the power and magnetism of nature really is strong, it overwhelms the area and its deep within us. That’s why we love it here and why people who discover Milos love it too.”
Fotinos, whose father was born on Milos, had a yearning to return after so many happy memories of childhood holidays here, and 25 years ago he did just that.
Since then he has seen Milos “discovered” as the perfect backdrop for Bollywood filming, fashion campaigns and video shoots that demand surreal backdrops.
“The variety of beaches here is truly unreal. In a small area of 150 square kilometers, you hop from one world to another,” says Fotinos, who runs Small Islands, a tourism agency focusing on holidays on the smaller Cyclades.
Here’s a look at the most stunning of the 77 beaches and swimming spots on Milos:
Sarakiniko
If a moon beach were to exist, Sarakiniko would be it.
Its bone-white contortions of sculpted stone, shaped and smoothed over time, create a striking contrast with the Aegean’s sapphire and turquoise seas. A true lunar landscape on the shores of the Med.
Papafragas
At Papafragas, two huge rock formations meet over a sandy beach where dancing sunlight creates an ever-changing palette of sea colors.
Named after a French monk who lived there, the scene is framed by a fantastic cave carved out of the cliff’s side.
In the nearby ancient town of Phylakope, the ruins of walls, buildings and tombs reveal a civilization that thrived during the Neolithic period.
Firiplaka
A short hike brings you to a stunning crescent of pebble beach that has been carved into the face of steep, coffee-colored cliffs.
Sparkling waters lap the beach, while immense rocks pocked with little caves jut out of the shallow waters close to shore.
