Naxos

The Portara belongs to a temple of Apollo begun around 530 BC by the tyrant Lygdamis, modelled on great temples elsewhere in Greece. Work stopped when Lygdamis was overthrown, and the temple was never finished. The doorway is made of four marble blocks, each weighing around 20 tonnes, and faces towards Delos. In early Christian times a church was built on the ruins, and during the Venetian period much of the temple's marble was reused in the Castle of Naxos, while the massive gate was left standing.

In 1207 Venetians established the Duchy of the Archipelago with Naxos as its capital, and the hilltop Kastro of Chora dates from that era. The island's marble had long been prized: in the quarries at Melanes and Apollonas lie two giant Archaic kouroi, statues of young men abandoned before completion. Myth links the islet of Palatia with Ariadne and Dionysus, who is said to have found her there after Theseus left her.

Naxos has a strong farming tradition and is more self-sufficient than many Cycladic islands. Its graviera and kefalotiri cheeses, the latter known locally as arseniko, are widely respected, and its potatoes are famous across Greece. Kitron, a liqueur distilled from citron leaves, is made in green, yellow and clear versions. In Apeiranthos, residents still speak a dialect linked to their Cretan ancestors, and village festivals keep music and dance traditions alive.