The village climbs up the slopes of a hill among the eastern foothills of the Phanaria mountain chain, between two valleys with vines and irrigated land.

The villages was dubbed "Apiranthos" by some unknown literatus a few years before the 1821 Revolution, obviously in an attempt to lend it an air of antiquity. The name as found in popular texts is Aperanthou. It is always referred to in this way in the genitive case and in all probability the name is derived from some landowner of the region called Perathos.

The settlement of Apiranthos is mentioned as an important village as early as 1413 by the traveller Cristoforo Buondelmonti. Its location meant that its inhabitants became emery miners, stockbreeders and vine-cultivators. They still produce a wine which is extremely satisfying both to the palate and the eye, a fact which gave rise to the saying that in Naxos there were springs which produced not water but the sweetest of wine.

The "marble village" as Apiranthos was called because of its marble-paved streets and the considerable use made of marble in the building of its houses, spreads out around two mansions with the Lion of St Mark, the emblem of Venice, at their doors. Until the beginnng of the 19th century, these houses belonged to foreign, Frankish, landowners. They are today referred to as the Zevgolis house (with the Zevgolis towers) and the Bardanis house.

It is well worth strolling about Apiranthos. Passing through the arcades and the alleys of this mountain village, you will be surprised by the unexpected "piazzas" and the cul de sacs, by the great care employed in the details, by the corners of the houses, which have been made into surfaces suitable for chiselling crosses upon and by the covered balconies, which are reminiscent of sea shells and the ocean itself.

Also eye-catching on the roofs of the houses are the gardens of strange flowers, as the chimneys of Apiranthos have been described. The chimneys of Naxos are so varied in type and imaginative in form and constructions that it would be difficult to find two a like on all the island.

The particular feature of the chimneys of Apiranthos is the way in which the local crafsmen build two chimneys close to or touching each other. These double chimneys actually serve the same fireplace and are designed to stop it from smoking.



One must visit the three most important museums:

Archaeological Museum:
It houses prehistoric finds (3000 - 1200 B. C.) from different places of the island, sky maps, Cycladic idols, Ancient Greek writings, etc.

Museum of Popular Art:
It shows household materials of daily usage and woven textiles made by Apirathos' women.

Geological Museum:
Local minerals and fossils of Naxos, like emery.

After your exploration of the village have a drink or some food at one of the nice terraces in the village.