Rugged Greek island offers beach, simple pleasures

Much of the walk follows no distinguishable path until it reaches a small hillside church and a stone path leading back to the main road, near Chora. In the setting sun, the cliffs and stone wall terraces glowed copper and donkeys rested in the shade after a day of work, packs still lashed to their bodies.

It was that walk back that brought the island’s fantastic past into sharp focus.

The people of Folegandros for generations were as rugged as the parched island, collecting rainwater in cisterns and building miles of stone walls around fields of wheat and barley.

This is the place exiles found when they arrived in the 1930s. Some decided they were suited to the tight-knit island community woven around a simple life. Their stories are kept in Folegandros’ historical archives, local guidebooks say. (Some histories say Folegandros was used as a place of exile for centuries up through the 1970s when Greece’s last dictatorship ended).

That island is disappearing: Younger generations began leaving long ago. As a result, many of Folegandros’ fields are no longer cultivated.

The main business is now tourism, drawing seasonal workers from Athens and other places. In the cooler months, just a few hundred natives are left, shopkeepers say.

Back in Chora, we ate dinner at a restaurant in the plateia, as we did every night. The wind rushed through, making it chilly, but not unpleasant.

There are tavernas that carry the usual Greek fare, such as stuffed peppers and bifteki. There are fish taverns that specialize in the day’s catch. There are also upscale restaurants that have menus stylized for foreigners, with dishes of goat, lamb and sea bream, a mild white fish caught locally.

The next morning we took the bus to Folegandros’ third big village, Ano Meria, a quiet farming community strung across a chain of hilltops. It is notably home to the stunning church of Profitis Elias, with its sky-blue domes.

A stone path at the far edge of the village led us a couple miles down to the secluded Livadaki Beach.

The beach is a collection of bright, smooth stones that accentuate the crystal clear water, which starts out emerald green and dissolves into the impossibly blue Aegean beyond.

Swimming is easy in the protected inlet, and a broad shelf of rock just above the water offers shade and another place to stretch out.

A boat service connects Livadaki to Angali.

The next day we took on our most ambitious hike — 5 miles over the rolling fields south of Chora and down a steep bank to Katergo Beach.

Katergo is a shallow sliver against the hillside carpeted variously by sand, pebbles and stones. The cove does not provide as natural a nook for swimming as at Livadaki, but the water is pleasant.

The drill for getting out is similar here: You can hike out or you can hop a boat to Karavostasis. Whichever way you leave — you’ll find yourself looking back, wistfully.
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If You Go

FOLEGANDROS: http://www.folegandros.gr. About 100 miles off the coast of Athens, Greece.

GETTING THERE: Fly to Athens, or the tourist islands of Santorini and Milos. Ferries or boats sail to Folegandros from the mainland port of Piraeus (near Athens), Santorini, Milos and many other Greek islands. Check boat and ferry schedules at http://www.gtp.gr or http://www.danae.gr.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Ampelos Resort, http://www.ampelosresort.com or 011-30-22860-41544. Rates vary by season. 2008 rates for two guests: $142 or 102 euro for July 15-Sept. 1; $90 or 65 euro for July 1-14 and Sept. 2-14; $68 or 49 euro Sept. 15-June 30.