Schinoussa Sights: The Chora, the Folklore Museum & Messaria
The sights of Schinoussa are its villages and its landscape rather than monuments: the unspoilt Chora of Panagia with its Folklore Museum, the tiny hamlet of Messaria with its old windmills and church, and the low hills laced with walking paths. Schinoussa is a small island with no ancient ruins or grand monasteries, so the pleasure is the place itself. The Chora is set out of sight of the sea, a reminder of the pirate years; Messaria keeps its old windmills in the hills; and footpaths link the villages, the port of Mersini and the beaches. The island is small enough to see on foot.
- Capital
- Chora (Panagia)
- Museum
- Folklore Museum
- Hamlet
- Messaria
- Best seen
- On foot
The Chora of Panagia
The Chora, also called Panagia, is the only real village on Schinoussa and its main sight, set on a hill just above the port and hidden from the sea, a layout left over from the days when pirates raided the island. It is mainly one attractive street, whitewashed and cozy, with a cute little square where you can sit over a coffee or a meal, three small mini-markets, two ferry-ticket offices and an ATM. From the Chora the views over the sea are good and the paths to the beaches begin. It is the kind of place where everybody knows everybody and every visitor is greeted with a smile.
The Folklore Museum
On a side street of the Chora stands the island's small Folklore Museum, which keeps the everyday history of Schinoussa. It is a modest collection in keeping with the island, a quiet stop on a wander through the capital. Like the shops, it keeps island hours, so plan around the afternoon siesta between about two and six.
Messaria and its windmills
Messaria is the island's second village, a tiny hamlet in the hills to the north with a couple of houses, a church, a few decayed windmills and about 20 inhabitants. The good road from the Chora runs on to it, passing a petrol station and several tavernas, and a tavern in the village opens in high season. From Messaria a 400-metre sandy path drops down to the beach of Psili Ammos, and the small Fikio beach lies just to the north, both described in the Schinoussa beaches guide.
Walking the island
Schinoussa has low hills and few paved roads, so its real sight is the walking. Beyond the good roads from the port to the Chora and on to Messaria, the island is a web of dirt tracks and footpaths that link the villages with about 15 beaches. Three springs keep it greener and better watered than its neighbours in the Small Cyclades. A day on foot, from the Chora out to Psili Ammos or down to Tsigouri and back, is the best way to see the island. How the walks connect the villages and beaches is set out in the Schinoussa island guide.
