Astypalea, according to the myth, was the daughter of Phoenicos and Perimidi and the sister of Europe.

The island has been known since the Phoenician times and all through antiquity, and has always played a role because of its strategic position. She was an ally to the Athenias, Alexander the Great, the Romans and later the Byzantines.

The Venetians, in 1203, built the Casle to protect themselves and the population from the pirates. Barbarosa, the Turks and the Italians have occupied it until 1947 when it was united with Greece, along with the rest of the Dodecanese islands.

It lays between Amorgos to the west, and Kos and Kalimnos, to the east. It is shaped like a butterfly, the wings joined by a mere hundred meters narrow! In antiquity the island was called the “Banquet of the Gods”, because of the abundance of game and fish.

It is one of the most beautiful and picturesque islands of the Aegean, with a population of 1200 .

Hora is the main village, crowned by the Castro and the old maze like settlement surrounding it. Today Hora and Pera Gialos, the Port, have joined, creating a most spectacular cascade of white, all the way down to the sea. Other villages are: Livadi, the fertile garden of Astypalea. Maltizana, a fishing village on the eastern part of the island and Vathy, a protected and peaceful lagoon.

Small white chapels, tucked away on the hills, and a few sheep and goat farms, are the only human mark in the vast unspoiled landscape, ideal for walking and hiking. (there are no snakes on the island!).

The rolling hills and valleys are covered with an abundance of thyme, sage and fragrant herbs, which help produce the best quality honey. For the bird lovers, a large variety of local and migrating birds, attracted by the large reservoir, offer an exciting time.