Apeiranthos

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Apeiranthos or Aperathu (in Greek: Απείρανθος or Απεράθου) is a mountainous village in the island of Naxos (Greece). It is located 28 km north-east of the capital of the island, built on the foothill of mountain Fanari, on an altitude between 550 and 650 m. It is a village with a very rich history and folkloric tradition. The similarities of the local dialect and traditions to the mountainous Crete villages has led some historians to the conclusion that Apeiranthos was built by Cretans during the 10th century. The first historical evidence regarding the existence of the village goes back to 1420, on a reference by the Italian traveler Cristoforo Buondelmonti on his book Liber insularum archipelagi (The Book of the Islands of the Archipelago). Nowadays, the village has four museums: the Archaeological Museum of Apeiranthos, the Museum of Folk Art, the Geological Museum, and the Museum of Natural History. With a population of 1078 (2001 census), the village is one of the biggest in the island; it is considered by many visitors the most beautiful and picturesque village of the island.