An island with wild natural beauty, Folegandros in Greece is located between Paros and Santorini. Although it is found close to popular islands of Cyclades, Folegandros island remains away from mass tourism and keeps an authentic character.

The history of Folegandros starts in the Prehistoric times. The Cares from Asia Minor were the first inhabitants of the island. Then came the Cretans who ruled the island with emperor Folegandros at the helm. After the Cretans, it was the turn of the Dorians to follow. Archaeologists have found evidence of this by way of inscriptions that were unearthed from here. This is perhaps one of the principal reasons why Folegandros did not take part in the 1st Athenian Alliance which was held way back in 478 B.C.

The Folegandros Folklore Museum is in Ano Meria. It’s a “themonia” that reconstucts life in a traditional rural house. “Themonies” are self-contained farmhouses, typical of the agricultural economy that prevailed the area. It consists of the main residence, the cellar, the stone-built oven, the stable and the barn. In the open there are the threshing-floor, cistern, grape press and olive press. The museum opened in 1988 and later on a stone building was added housing its library.

Going up the main road from the port, at a 3 km distance, you find Hora, the biggest settlement and capital of the island. Consecutive squares, the Kastro, and well-preserved stone paved streets rank Hora among the best of Cyclades. Arriving at Hora we see the Kastro, a medieval settlement built to protect locals from enemy assaults.