The island of Naxos (in Greece)

The Cultural Action "Nikandre" (see below) wants to give you some information about the island of Naxos and also about our activities to help you to discover interesting sides of history, culture, entertainment and modern life on Naxos. 

Naxos is a place with wonderful nature, excellent climate, produces high-quality and very tasty products (milk, cheese, potatoes, meat, fruits, etc.), has a long history with monuments from the most remote antiquity to the present days, scattered throughout the island, with wonderful archaeological sites, excellent Byzantine and newer picturesque churches.

You can swim in wonderful extended (several kilometers) of beaches, but also in smaller coast beside rocky landscape. (Switching of nature is spectacular in Naxos, where every few kilometers you can see a different landscape). (It is said that the landforms of Naxos combines such landscapes that one can meet in the five continents of the Earth). You can stay in one of the exquisite or luxurious hotels or lodgings, also enjoy your meal in the restaurants and taverns, to stroll in the town, the shops, enjoy a beautiful sunset at the Portara or elsewhere, get your coffee, ice cream or drink on one of the many cafes or patisseries of the coastal road of the city or in the evening you can get a meal (made from vintage products of the island, in one of the idyllic seaside restaurants or taverns near the sea or in the city streets and picturesque villages.

You can visit very important antiquities, other historical monuments, to see watermills, windmills, olive oil mills, folklore museums, towers, make excellent routes in nature on officially signed and labeled (or other) trails, climb mountains, walk through lush valleys, do water sports, etc.

You can practice sports in the excellent Municipal Stadium of the island, or in the private tennis court and fitness centers or getting involved in some of the many sports activities on the island.

With the cultural collective action "Nikandre" as your assistant, you can make your stay on Naxos more interesting, more productive, more creative, full of valuable experiences in relation to the history and culture as well as to your entertainment.

Naxos and Ancient Greek Art

Naxos is an island with rich prehistory and history. A wonderful mythology precedes them including Jupiter, Dionysus and wine, nymphs etc. Naxos in the center of (South Aegean) has a valuable course through the centuries. In the Cyclades created the first European civilization, the Cycladic Culture, which preceded the Minoan Culture of Crete, with whichNaxos had a significant relationship.

 Wonderful examples of the Cycladic civilization (in which an important position Naxos holds) are the renowned Cycladic figurines (usually small in size) Cycladic period.

 In later centuries again Naxos proved pioneer in ancient Greek art. The existence of marble and workshops on the island facilitated the progress in this field. Achievements and innovations of the ancient sculpture of Naxos became a model for similar structures in other parts of Greece and influenced the art of  of the Parthenon construction. So the Naxian art (which was partly the forerunner and teacher for the immortal monument of world cultural heritage, the Parthenon in Athens.

 Other great feats of ancient Naxian and Cycladic art are archaic "kouroi" and "kores" (men and women statues) made of marble from Naxos and even from some islands of the Cyclades. Such examples of this important art  of Naxian and Cycladic marble adorn many museums in Greece and around the world.

 " Nikandre" of Naxos

 Cultural collective action " Nikandre" was founded on Naxos in 2014. It is a cultural and social institution with competent people whose  aim is to help visitors of Naxos to enjoy a pleasant stay on a wonderful island for a few or many days on an island with many entertainment opportunities and pleasure.

 Dear guests and friends, cultural movement " Nikandre"has the intention and mood, to explain in more detail what it is that makes life better on this island compared to other areas of the province or in a bustling urban center, without sacrificing the comforts of modern life amenities offered by services of Naxos, shops, schools, banks, excellent medical care with the great hospital of high quality and there are also private medical centers and a great number of doctors of various specialties, etc. " Nikandre" can give you more information and to decide or not for a permanent stay in Naxos.

The choice of the name "Nikandre" refers to the fact that the statue devoted by the illustrious Naxian woman Nikandre to the goddess Artemis at Delos in the 7th century (around 650 BC and is now in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens) is one of the most ancient Greek sculptures symbolizing the first steps of the great Greek artistic sculpture, in which the Naxos pioneered. Statue Nikandre is connected with the history of Naxian marble, which is a key element of Naxian nature and the local economy up to now, but was closely connected with the history of plastic art, since therein are carved many important artworks from ancient times until today.

 This symbol of Greek art and culture chosen to name the new cultural institution "Nikandre"  that we formed and whose one of its main objectives will be the promotion of the historical and cultural sites and monuments of the respective island and visibility alternative forms of tourism in Naxos.