MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE - Tinos Island

nown as the island of Our Lady, Tinos is the greatest center of pilgrimage in Greece. For that reason most of the visitors do not prolong their stay, and thus see little of the beauty of the island: the blindingly-white traditional villages have unadulterated Cycladic architecture and the famous dove-cotes which are constructed with great skill and imagination and are found almost exclusively in Tinos.

hese masterpieces of vernacular architecture should come as no surprise to us, since Tinos is the island of artists. Some of the most important Greek painters and sculptors of the 19th and 20th centuries were from Tinos. .

n addition, Tinos has superb beaches with white sand, crystal-clear water and cool breezes in the summer. The island has long spells of sunlight in the summer, which helps to make Tinos one of the most interesting places in the Cyclades.

he town of Tinos itself, is full of life and movement in summer. Hotels, restaurants and shops are lined up on the quay, and from there a wide, straight, uphill road leads to the Church of Our Lady. The church stands imposingly, high up at the end of the road. It is built of white marble and is ringed by a number of ancillary buildings. Its interior is dominated by the famous icon of Our Lady. It is studded with diamonds, sapphires and pearls, the offerings of emperors, kings and the faithful. The church was built in 1823 on the spot where the miraculous icon was found. .

full tour of the island can be include picturesque villages in the interior like Komi, Kalloni, Kardiani, Isternia and the insuperable Pyrgos (the largest and the most attractive village in Tinos), and a visit to the coast of the island in villages like Kionia, Kolymbithra and the pretty little harbour of Panormos.

major advantage of Tinos are its long beaches, its crystal clear sea, its marvellous sandy shores and the large variety of coastline. There are more than 15 km. of sand beaches and most of them are, by and large, deserted throughout the year. Tinos is the ultimate place for those who want to swim in uttery tranquil surroundings. Beaches like Kionia, Ayios Ioannis, Ayios Sostis, Bay of Isternia, Panormos, Kolymbithra, Porto and Ayios Fokas will give you a taste of the lost paradise! Tinos, the island of religious faith, beauty and art waits for you! .