Naoussa

Norsk utgave (Norwegian edition)

North on Paros you find the small fishing-village Naoussa. The village, or more accurate, the surroundings has undergone big changes during the last 10 to 15 years. Many new hotels and apartments have been build, and it is no exaggeration to say that at least 50 new units are recently build on the hillsides surrounding the city. If you have been there before 1985 and returns today, you will probably not recognise the city’s surroundings. Luckily the old town has kept its charm despite some new shops.

The harbour from 1982. The hill behind the town are now more or less covered with hotels and apartments.

Naoussa is the second largest town on Paros after Parikia with approx. 1800 inhabitants. From old times it was the biggest and the most important town on the island. It was constructed as a defence against foreign intruders. Therefore this town, as many other of the Cycladic towns, was given narrow, maze-like and often blind-alleys, to confuse the enemies and make it difficult to find the way through the city. Most of its buildings are lived in by locals, but of course, today some of them are rebuild to excellent shops and restaurants. Among others you find antique-shops, fashion-shops, leather-shops and the traditional souvenir-shops, and if you are curious there are quite a few small galleries in the alleys.

In 1982 we were fascinated by all the beautiful flowers planted in tins, buckets and pots. Later on we have experienced that this was not unique for Naoussa, in fact quite common all over the Greek islands. Still, every time we go to Naoussa, we have to visit the street on the photo above, and it is just as fabulous as we remember.

Anne Grete by the harbour in 1982.

The city is famous for its harbour with its fishing-boats in bright colours. In the evening the harbour transforms into the towns most popular restaurant area, and the quay is crammed with small tables, and it is amazing to watch how the waiters twists between them. Soon the whole harbour-area is filled with smoke from the small kitchens frying seafood. They offer a broad variety of fish-dishes to hundreds of hungry tourists. Their speciality is grilled squid, which you can see, hanging in the sun for drying on clothes-lines during daytime. It is well worth a try, but do not taste much after my opinion.

On a hill by the city stands a beautiful church, containing fine icons. You find plenty of in almost all Greek churches. As a tourist you are expected to know the ethical and moral rules in the country you visit. So also in Greece, where you are supposed to dress proper when entering churches. Long trousers and shirts for men and dress and a blouse for women. On the big square by the end of the steps beyond the church, frequently cultural arrangements are held on Sunday evenings.

There are many beaches in the neighbourhood of the town. When you travel from Perikia by bus, you find a couple of small beaches just before arriving the town-centre, but these are not recommendable. I recommend to go by boat or bus for better beaches nearby, as Kolymbithres which can be reach by boat and is absolutely worth a visit. It is not the beach or the sand in particular that is special, but the rocks full of holes carved out into different shapes during thousands of years of disintegration. On Paros you will find these special rocks only in this area.

Detail from Kolymbithres.

Another beach which can be reach by boat situated in the great Naoussa bay, is the Monastiri beach which is a typical youth-beach where you are welcomed by a big beach-bar with the right music and the right loudness. Just north-east of the city (not within walking distance though) is a long, narrow fine beach which is all right, but even further north-east you can find even better beaches. These are easily reached by bus, and the largest is the one who is situated by Santa Maria Camping, where you also find a wind-surfing-centre. Even further north by bus you find the little spot Santa Maria with its two nude-beaches. Further information on beaches you can find under Paros Beaches.

Overlooking Noussa from the hill behind Kolymbithres.If you take a closer look you will find the main church and the town center1/3 to the left on the photo. The majority of the buildings on the right side of the photo is built during the last twenty years. The island in the background is Naxos.

 

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Thanks to Tone Roald, Nesoddtangen, Norway for her translation into English!
© Jan Bergtun, 8. February 1999	Updated, 07.18.2007
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