The archipelago of the Cyclades is like a shower of rocks which have been thrown into the Greek sea. It stretches from the continent's east coast and across to Crete.

Fifty six islands of varying sizes make up the Cyclades, but only twenty-four of them are inhabited.
These islands are formed of solid mountainous fragments originating from mainland Greece. They became detached and dropped into the waters of the Aegean Sea over many centuries due to a series of earthquakes. The fifty six islands of the Cyclades are located in the middle of the Aegean Sea and are called "kyklos", or circle, in Greek. They form a circle of about three hundred kilometres around Delos, the sacred island where, according to mythology, Apollo was born.
Inhabited since the fifth millennium, as archaeological excavations reveal, the Cyclades were the cradle of a brilliant civilisation that developed at the end of the 4th millennium and continued during the 3rd. This period saw the birth of Cycladic art, known above all for its stark, abstract marble idols that are so surprisingly modern.
The Cyclades cover a surface area of about 2,500 km2 and have a population of some 100,000 inhabitants.

The Cyclades owe the diversity of their scenery to the different rocks that make up the islands: calcareous rocks, crystalline shale, gneiss and marble in the northern islands and volcanic rocks in the southern islands.
The landscape is generally dry and rocky with a predominantly low vegetation. They are windy islands where the often violent "meltem" blows especially during the summer months. Unpredictable, it can last for a day or go on for a week; some of the islands are more exposed to it than others. The architecture of the Cyclades has greatly contributed to their overall beauty. Villages hugging the hillsides are set off by the pure, sober lines of the square white houses, placed side by side or stacked upon one another, contrasting with the blue domes of the innumerable chapels.
In the Cyclades, even the humblest of houses are works of art. The whitewashed walls have been repainted time and again over the course of the seasons and are subdued by gentle shade; bright flowers spill out from balconies, vines span the lanes, while staircases tumble out of covered passageways.
Some sights are common to the whole archipelago.
First of all, cats and donkeys are an integral feature of the landscape.
And then there are the ports that are used for both fishing and tourist trips. They were built in the shelter of creeks, with a "chora", or administrative centre, overlooking them; they are flanked by windmills and at their summit stands a "kastro" a fortress built by Venetian or Genoese occupants.
The hills and mountains have been "sculpted" into terraces so as to retain water for basic cultivation, mainly of olive groves and vineyards.

The Cyclades could be defined as a perfect harmony between the four natural elements: blue water of a shade found nowhere else, ochre land, generally arid and barren, the very strong wind known as the "Meltemi", as it is called around these islands, and a generous and, above all, omnipresent sun.
Staircases with uneven steps, arched passageways, flowerpots placed at random, brightly painted shutters, colourful traditional sailboats known as caïques, old rickety tables and chairs set up along the water's edge, octopus drying in the sun, chapels and dovecotes everywhere. All this is what makes these white and translucent islands emerging from the blue waves such magical places.
The Cyclades convey both emotion and sensuality. Great beaches are not all they offer; there is also the culture, the colours, the well-being and tranquil way of life.
The islands may have the same origins, but each one has its own soul and it's up to you to discover it.