Villages of Aegina

Aegina island is one of the Saronic islands. Other Saronic islands are Agistri, Salamina, Poros & Hydra. Next to that Aegina island belongs (together with the municipalities of Agistri, Hydra, Kythira, Poros, Salamina, Spetses & Troizinia) to the peripheral unit "Islands". "Islands" is one the 8 parts of the periphery of Attika.  The island of Aegina covers an surface of 87.41 km2 and a lovely nature, there are areas covered with a pine forests, there a some wedlands and bare mountains. Around the whole island you will find lots of beaches and spots where locals swim and are sunbathing on the rocks.

The municipality of Aegina island is subdivided into the following five communities: Aegina town (7783), Kipseli (1949), Mesagros (1603), Perdika (743) & Vathi (1474).
(population in 2001 in brackets). These communities include the villages listed on the right of this page.

Almost all the villages are inhabited and connected by a concrete road and easily accessible by car or motor bike. Each village on the island has its own character. You can visit fishing villages, inland villages & mountain villages with stone built houses. The population of the island, normally around 13.500, can double in the month of August. During this period a lot of Athenians are spending the holiday in their privately owned holiday homes on the island. A lot of houses are only occupied during the weekends, at Easter time and the month of August.

If you are looking for a place to stay for your holiday, accommodation can be found in Aegina town, Aeginitissa, Agia Marina, Marathonas, Mesagros, Perdika, Souvala & Agii and Vagia. The biggest holiday village is Agia Marina. This summer resort with a big sandy beach offers a wide range of (lower priced) accommodation and is lively from June until the end of August.

Aegina town is the biggest community on the island. All year through Ferries & Flying Dolphins are connecting Pireaus with the main port in Aegina town. The port of Aegina is a populair sailors destination. Unlike most of the other villages on the island, Aegina town is lively all year through. There are restaurants, cafeteria's, bars, shops, car & motor bike rentals, cinemas (3 summer and 1 winter cinema) a post office & various banks with ATM's. Aegina town is a perfect base for your discovery of the island, particulairly in the off season months when the weather is not too hot.


Some of Aegina's Tiny Mountain Villages

Green tourism is alive and well in Aegina, where visitors frequent the tiny mountain villages that ring Mount Oros, in the southern part of the island. Though many are now depopulated, there is at least one with two tavernas: Anitseo, which is also accessible by two main roads. They all offer good walking and fine sea views. Main access to within walking distance of the villages is via the eastern coastal road beyond Agia Marina and (alternatively),  the road to Pachia Rachi heading southeast from Aegina town.

Excavations have proven the existence of numerous very old villages, though many have been reduced to piles of stones. Areas where remains of villages were found include the island's northeast corner near Tourlos (east of Vagia), Kavouropetra (near central Kipseli, Dragonera, Vathi, near the temple of Afea, in Perdika, and a Mycenean settlement on the peak of Mt. Oros. Still others existed between the monastery of Agios Minas and Agia Marina, above Alones, and below Pachia Rachi.

The descriptions of the following tiny mountain villages: Anitseo, Vlachides, Kanakides (not inhabited), Kilindras
Lazarides & Sfendouri have been taken from a booklet (2003) based on a project directed by Giorgos Bitros and his students at the gymnasio (middle school) of Kipseli. Warm thanks to this educator, whose later study of Pachia Rachi (and subsequent booklet) provided information for the article about this village, and to his students, who wrote the articles for the 2003 booklet.

Other villages described in the booklet are Tzikides, Psachni, Freatsi, Skotini and Pachia Rachi, along with some brief notes on still others.

Bibliography:
Παραδοσιακοί Οικισμοί στα Βουνά της Αίγινα/ Traditional Settlements on the Mountains of Aegina, 2003, Giorgos Bitros and his students from the 2nd gymnasio of Aegina in Kipseli.