Schinoussa

Schinoussa (also spelled Schoinoussa) is a small island in the Lesser Cyclades, lying south of Naxos between Irakleia and Koufonisia. Covering just 8.5 square kilometres, it is the fourth-largest of the Lesser Cyclades, yet its unspoiled, low-key character has kept it well off the main tourist track. The 2021 census recorded only 229 permanent residents, a modest decline from 256 a decade earlier, spread across three small communities: Chora, the hilltop capital; Mesaria; and Mersini, the island's tiny port.

People have lived on Schinoussa since antiquity, and the island preserves scattered traces of ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine occupation, including the remains of a medieval castle. From the 11th century the Hozoviotissa Monastery on nearby Amorgos held sway over the island, a link that shaped much of its early history. Since 2011 Schinoussa has been administered as part of the municipality of Naxos and Lesser Cyclades, within Greece's South Aegean region. Its dry, sun-baked climate is among the driest in the country, with barely 240 mm of rain a year.

For sailors, Schinoussa's remoteness is precisely its appeal: quiet coves, clear water and an almost total absence of crowds. Thanks to its position between Naxos and the other Lesser Cyclades, it makes a popular stop for gulet charter guests exploring Greece looking to break away from the more frequented islands for a day or two.