Paleokastro

Paleokastro (which means “old castle” in English) is a Byzantine castle on the Eastern side of Ios Island, on the road between Agia Theodoti and Psathi. You will see the small sign below for Paleokastro on the left hand side of the road if you are driving to Psathi.

You can walk up the beautiful, winding and paved path leading up the hillside to reach Paleokastro. The path and steps are all whitewashed and it is a pleasant walk taking about 15-20 minutes.

The castle was built in 1397 AD by the Venetian ruler Marcus Crispi in order to protect the island from pirates. The remains of the castle still stand on the very edge of the cliff, along with many parts of the castle walls.

Inside the castle walls is the small pretty church of Panagia Paliokastritissa. It is shaded by an olive tree on the right hand side. There are fantastic views in all directions from here as you can see the small island of Iraklia close by, and the large island of Naxos in the distance.

Within the castle’s walls Panagia Paleokastritissa church has its own festival every year on 8th September in honor of the Virgin Mary.