| The name Skopelos is certainly among Greece's | | | | The island lies on a northwest-southeast axis and |
| greatest prides. Its features don't make it a common | | | | widens considerably to its south-eastern tip. Of |
| beauty in the Aegean Greek world, but make it rise | | | | course, as in the case of most of the planet's islands, |
| among the other miniature island paradises the | | | | it possesses a mountainous region at the centre. All |
| southern European state offers. Skopelos would be | | | | islands are in fact the edges of high underwater |
| wrongly described as merely beautiful. To put it | | | | mountains the highest portions of which peer outside |
| honest, it may be said it is unique in its beauty. It's | | | | of the sea. That is why Skopelos itself has mountains |
| impressive that it is perhaps the single Greek island | | | | in its innermost regions and bushy, rocky hills as you |
| that carries the fame of being the greenest island in | | | | advance to the shore. |
| the Mediterranean Sea. | | | | We're talking here about the "Green and Blue Island", |
| And thinking that the Aegean archipelago was not | | | | for thus was Skopelos christened by the International |
| blessed with astonishingly rich vegetation, it may be | | | | Organisation of Biopolitics, on July the 5th 1997. No |
| concluded that Skopelos is a genuine flower in the | | | | other Greek island could have ever received this |
| desert. Despite Greece's outstanding beauty, its | | | | name. The blue in the title comes from the bright |
| barren terrain has made it hard to live in and offers a | | | | pattern of the sea, as reflected by the clear sky. |
| depressing sight to those seeking lush vegetation to | | | | On October the 19th 1978 a presidential decree |
| enchant their eyes. | | | | honoured the famed island by declaring it a Traditional |
| But here in Skopelos, it's different. The land is | | | | Settlement of outstanding beauty. The place is |
| covered with healthy green vegetation all year round | | | | rewarded each year for its lovely appearance |
| and there is perhaps more shade here to fight the | | | | financially, through the massive inflow of tourists |
| scorching sun then anywhere else in Greece. While | | | | which visit it to know better this slice of heaven. It's |
| numerous other parts of Greece are dressed in pale | | | | like in the case where a gorgeous woman captures |
| patterns, a dazzling green suit makes Skopelos stand | | | | the attention of the public and gets to bare beauty |
| out of the crowd. | | | | titles, but also receives large amounts of cash from |
| Where precisely is this paradise in miniature? The | | | | her admirers. |
| island is located off the coast of the Magnesia | | | | The local industry is also flourishing. Agriculture and |
| half-island, near the town of Volos. It is part of a | | | | fishing have been practiced since ancient times. Wines |
| local cluster of water surrounded worlds, known as | | | | and plumes are the pride of local producers. In |
| the Northern Sporades islands. It has the largest size | | | | Antiquity it was called Peparethos and was attacked |
| of all these tiny islands and a bizarre shape, which | | | | by Philip II of Macedonia in 342 BC. A place which |
| closely resembles a mechanical tool positioned upside | | | | captured the attention of travellers ever since the |
| down. Its municipality lies at the south-eastern edge | | | | dawn of human civilisation, that's Skopelos. |
| and is named Chora, or Skopelos Town. | | | | |