Panarmitis (Simi) - Dodecanese

The beautiful island of Symi (Italian Simi, Turkish Sombeki) lays about 23 nm north-west of Rhodes flanked by two Turkish peninsulae. It has a much-indented coast, ideal for a sailing holiday and according to Ho¬mer it possessed eight good harbours. The inhabitants live of sponge-fishing and boat-building. The south side of Sesklion island has a small cove guarded by a rock; approach from the east to anchor in wonderful tranquil surroundings. The passage between Symi and Nimos islands is 3.5 m minimum, but is far less dangerous then one might expect.

This rocky, mountainous island, north west of Rhodes, is one of the most beautiful of the Dodecanese. Here, mast of the inhabitants live off sponge diving. The main part is Gialos. Other interesting villages include Nimborios, Marthoundas, Pedi and Panormos. Enjoy swimming in the clear waters of Symi, but don't forget to taste the excellent wine, honey, almonds and olives produced here.

History of Symi

From ancient times the fortunes of Symi were closely linked with those of Rhodes. The island was occupied by the Turks in 1523 and after the Balkan War of 1912 was held by Italy. It was reunited with Greece in 1947.

Symi Port

The island's capital Symi (or Yialos), with its handsome 18th and 19th c. mansions, lies on the north coast, in a bay sheltered by the little island of Nimos. The clock tower on the edge of the harbour is easily identified. Moor stern-to the quay (see photo below), but it is paramount to leave the part of the quay allotted to the ferries clear.

Few islands have Symi's crisp brightness and its amphitheatre ambiance of Neoclassical mansions, in soft ochre or traditional deep shades, stacked one on top of the other right up the barren hill sides.

The classic sea approach to Simi leads to its most accessible point, the harbor of Gialos. Pliny mentioned the place as one of the safest harbors of the known world. It's also the site on the island that bears the clearest stamp of modern times, always hearkening back to the past. Take the clock tower, built in 1890, modeled on London's Big Ben, or the trireme carved into the rock in emulation of the ancient one in Lindos, on Rhodos. The extreme end of the harbor has been filled in to create a cement town square on which sit the Town Hall and the modest Nautical Museum. A bit inland, the church of Agios Ioannis, with fragments of an earlier temple mortared into its walls, has striking krokalia patterns in its courtyard.

From Gialos, many day-trippers in search of immediate beach gratification head off around the point dominated by the clock tower, along Harani Bay with its boatyards, and past the headland of Agios Georgios to the little shingle beach at Nos, packed, in summer, with wall-towall bodies. More hardy swimmers continue on the cement track to Nimborio, where the beach is longer. This was once the island's main commercial harbor; today, commerce is represented by a fish farm.

Inland, a little chapel has Roman mosaics in its courtyard; a little further uphill, a cave leads to ancient, man-made structures whose purpose is debated. There are tales that this was a school of icon painters; another theory is that the old foundations visible at the other end may be remnants of the lost palace of Nereus.

Other visitors in Gialos head to one of Simi's most famous features, Kali Strata, or the "Good Street:" This socalled "street" is a flight of some 400 stone steps, polished and uneven with age, leading up from Gialos to Horio, Simi's main village, which lies draped like a saddle atop a ridge crested with old windmills resembling the spines on the back of a stegosaurus. Especially in the heat of day, these steps are a somewhat daunting prospect, requiring good physical condition and a pair of good shoes; but climbing up, rather than making the detour by bus or taxi, brings you from the bustle of the harbor directly into another of Simi's hidden hearts.

Atop the hill, the stairs suddenly become the main artery of Horio, lined with simple shops and cafds, where people sit on the doorsteps and talk and watch the world go by. Getting lost in side streets, which is very easy to do, is the best way to see Horio, although the town offers a few "sights" as well.

One obligatory stop is the hundredyear-old Pharmacy, which has kept its original equipment. Signs lead you on to the Municipal Museum, with its small collection dedicated to local history, and to the nearby Hatzigapitos House (17th century), also open to the public. The core of Horio's history is the hilltop overlooking Gialos harbor: once the city's acropolis, it still bears traces of Pelasgian walls. Later, it became the site of a castle, first Byzantine, later Crusader. The whole thing, along with a number of surrounding houses, was blown up when the British took the island from the Germans in September 1944; the Germans had been using it to store munitions. There's a church, Megali Panagia, at the top, with a 16th-century icon.

From Horio, it's about a 20-minute walk down to the island's second, quieter harbor of Pedi, with fishing boats, a stretch of tawny, tamarisk-lined beach, and a few tavernas. While you can swim here, there are better beaches concealed in the long arms of land on either side of the fjord-like harbor. To the right, as you face the water, a path leads to Agios Nikolaos (wear sturdy shoes, especially for the last rocky bit); to the left, a slightly longer path to Agia Marina.

A hike of about one hour from Gialos leads you to the monastery of Roukoniotis. There's been a church on the site since the 5th century; the Knights of St. John built atop this in the 14th century, and much of the present edifice dates from the 18th; inside, it's covered with a patchwork of brilliant frescoes.

The first sight many travelers see of Simi is the monastery of Panormitis, a long, elegant building standing between rocky arms of land that reach out to embrace a bay of still blue water. The tower atop the large, rather institutional-looking complex was a gift from the seamen of Idra and Spetses. In the church, there is a miracle-working icon of the Archangel Michael, the island's patron saint, which is the destination of many a pilgrim. Each year, on November 8, the whole island descends on the monastery to celebrate the saint's feast day. The iconostasis attests to the renowned skill of Simi's woodcarvers.