I’m in Mykonos exploring the main town, old port of Chora and of course, the Windmills of Kato Mili. I have been walking for a while discovering the cobbled streets and sparkling town with its overflow of shops, churches, charm and style.
It is late afternoon by now and luckily I stopped mid afternoon for a delicious gelato to consolidate my strength for the rest of the day, there is still so much to enthuse over.
We, my husband and I, round a corner and are suddenly out of the maze of streets and faced with a dazzling first glimpse of Kato Mili, the famous windmills of Mykonos. The windmills, alongside views of whitewashed buildings topped by blue domes, are the most iconic sights of the Greek Islands. There are 16 windmills dotting the island, most of which were built in the 16th century by the Venetians to mill wheat. Five of the most famous sit here on the headland, facing north to harness the powerful winds that blow, some of which we are sampling now.
A set of stone steps takes us up the steep slope and away from Little Venice and then behold, we are right at the base of the windmills. There are no restrictions and we wander around, getting right up close to the structures although there is no access inside. They’re bigger and sturdier than they appear from afar yet I still wonder how they’ve survived the wind all these hundreds of years when everything else up here seems to be completely wind swept.
It’s not just the windmills, the views of Little Venice and Chora are delightful and I pause to capture images of it all. Finally, we descend the stone steps again and stop along the stone beach at the bottom to watch the waves pounding the shore and snap a few more pictures, this time of the stretch of shops and restaurants known as Little Venice – as much for their position right on the waterline as for the fact that they were also built by the Venetians.
This little strip built right over the water was originally known as Alefkanthra (derived from ‘kastro’ or ‘castle’ in Greek). During the 16th Century, ship captains and rich merchants, primarily from Italy settled down and built this neighborhood for its proximity to the sea and in the fashion they brought with them from their homeland. Soon after, piracy became common in the Aegean and a castle was built for protection. This castle later became the first primary school on the island where children were often excused to go fishing (see mymykonosapp.com).
Mykonos island itself came under the rule of the Romans during the Roman Empire but has a history of invasions and occupations since the 12th Century whilst also managing to thrive as a trading port. It also has a theatrical mythological history, being named after Mykons, a local hero who was said to be the grandson of Apollo (the Greek god of the sun). Today, the link to a god of the sun seems very apt. The mercury is pushing 40 degrees Celcius and it’s the height of Summer and the tourist season with many a sun worshiper out and about.
According to legend there was also a great battle held here between Zeus (god of the sky and thunder) and the Titans (members of the second generation of divine beings) where Hercules (son of Zeus and famous for his strength and far ranging adventures) killed the invincible giants having lured them from the protection of Mount Olympus. In fact, legend has it that the large rocks all over the island are the petrified testicles of the giants, giving rise to to the slang term “stones” (see Wikipaedia).
Today’s Mykonos seems a long way from pirates, gods and Venetians but as we wander back towards the Old Port, stopping to admire the view one last time, almost anything seems possible here.
Would I return?
Yes. Kato Mili are just one of the sights to explore in Mykonos Town (Chora) and Mykonos island is also worth exploring in detail. There are some 10 villages as well as plentiful beaches, a maritime museum, an archaeological museum and numerous churches dotted around the island.
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