Megisti (or Kastellorizo) is the Aegean’s easternmost island. It
has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The Dorians who
settled it later constructed fortified acropolises near the
present day town and at Palaiokastro, where some ruins can still
be seen. The name Kastellorizo comes from its castle, Castello
Rosso (or red castle), erected by the Knights of St. John.
The island’s only settlement is Megisti, otherwise known as
Kastellorizo, on the northeast coast. Its houses line the
horseshoe-shaped port and climb up the foothills of the mountain
behind it. The top of the mountain is crowned by the
aforementioned castle, where Lambros Katsonis fought the Turks
in 1788. The gracious two-storey neoclassical houses with their
brightly painted doors and windows, wooden balconies and tile
roofs on the waterfront and the majestic domes of the churches
testify to the island’s former prosperity. A photograph in the
Archaeological Museum will show you how many hundreds of houses
there used to be. Most of them were destroyed by World War II
bombs.
Though there are no beaches as such on the island, you can take
a little boat to the particularly beautiful blue grotto of
Parasta, and there is excellent swimming from the rocks near the
port. Boats are also on hand to take you to the nearby islets of
Ro (6 n.mi. west) and Strongli (5 n.mi. southeast). Both islands
have wonderful beaches. Ro became famous when its sole
inhabitant, the lady of Ro, used to raise the Greek flag there
every morning. |
