About Amorgos Island

“For many island lovers, Amorgos (ah-mor-ghoss) is the jewel in the Cycladic crown. Lying well to the southeast of the main group, this exquisite island rises from the sea in a long dragon’s back of craggy mountains that is 30km from tip to toe and 800m at its highest point … There’s plenty of scope for beaching, but Amorgos is much more about compelling archaeology, Cycladic life and the outdoor world …”
Lonelyplanet

“The landscape of Amorgos invites dramatic settings … Walking on the island is perhaps the greatest pleasure it affords. The three cities founded in historic times – tactfully distanced from one another so as to divide the island into three equal parts … Two thousand years later, monks fleeing Arab incursions into Palestine took refuge on the island and established their community in the most impossible site of all – the Panaghia Chozoviotissa Monastery, half-way up a 400m precipice above the sea, is one of the most unforgettable sites of the Aegean.”
Nigel McGilchrist – Greek Islands 2010

“… The easternmost island of the Greek Cyclades is a stunner, with whitewashed houses, trestled alleyways and fiery rust sunsets. Couple that with the fact that it’s criminally under-visited and you’ve got Greek Eden … There’s also food for thought: Amorgos’ thin passageways, draped in bougainvillea, are peppered with authentic tavernas serving simple Greek cuisine, usually owned and operated by a one-man host/server/chef band. Then there’s the local firewater: Psimeni Raki … What more do you want? “
Kevin Raub in New York Post, July 27, 2010

Video made by Amorgos Lovers Sabien Rodenbach & Rogier Frensdorf

History of Amorgos Island

Amorgos is also known as Yperia, Patagy, or Platagy, Pagali, Psichia and Karkisia. A long human presence on the island (5th millenium BC) has left many monuments and settlements behind, all of them characterised by sites of courageous beauty. The famous monastery of the is one of the most unforgettable sites of the Aegean – a lot of things to discover on Amorgos Island!

Geography and amazing Landscape

Map of Amorgos – Click to enlarge

Amorgos Island (length 33 km, width 1.5 km to 6km) is located on the southeastern edge of the Cyclades. Its mountains, its impressive rock slopes, the mountain slopes where plants are cultivated, its steep coasts in the south side and the scenic bays with their beautiful beaches compose Amorgos landscape.

Le Grand Bleu – The Big Blue

The well known cult-movie and freediving drama, directed by Luc Besson, was partly produced on Amorgos Island in 1988. Production places were Chora, Agia Ana beach and Kalotaritissa bay. The stunning widescreen cinematography and intense, varied score by his regular composer, Eric Serra, give the film a unique flavor and an eerie resonance. Le Grand Bleu was the most financially successful French film of the 1980s and French tourists came to Amorgos to look for the unforgettable locations from the movie.
Movies review at New York Times | The Big Blue on wikipedia

Cuisine

In Amorgos you can try traditional tastes like “patatato” which is traditionally cooked lamb with potatoes, Easter “stuffed goat”, fava (split pea dip), kakavia (fish soup), xidato (goat meat soup with entrails), locally produced cheeses, pasteli (sesame bars), pure dairy products, honey and xerotigano. and local drinks such as rakomelo (hot raki with honey), psimeni raki (sweet drink with raki, honey and herbs and a variety of beverages made of herbs.