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Spetses
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Of the Saronic Islands, Spetses is the furthest from the mainland. The island owes its name to the Venetians, who called it "the island of spices" for the spicy smells emanating from its luxuriant vegetation and Mediterranean herbs.
Spetses was one of the first Greek islands to attract tourism.
How to get there
Spetses can be reached by high speed boat from Piraeus and there are easy connections to Hydra, Poros, Aegina and to a lesser extent Angistri.
There are also boats from Porto Heli, Hermioni and Kosta in the Peloponnese and if there aren't any when you arrive and you don't feel like waiting you can hire a water taxi to take you.
History
The island has a very ancient history. In Ancient Greece it was called Pytiousa, due to the numerous pine trees that covered it. Spetses was occupied by Macedonians and Romans, and later by Byzantines. The island has stood out since ancient times for the skill of its inhabitants in building ships. In the 1st century the Venetians dominated the Aegean. It was in this period that the island took its current name, which derives from "island of spices", thanks to the scents emanating from its aromatic herbs. When it was time for Ottoman domination, the island of Spetses stood out thanks to its heroine, Laskarina Bouboulina, who led the war of independence with the warship Agamemnon. The “Armata” festival in Spetses is a re-enactment of a naval battle that took place just off the harbour, in which the Turks were defeated on 8 September 1822. The first Greek flag is said to have been raised on the island of Spetses.
Spetses Beaches
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