Mykonos

History & Culture

Less prominent in antiquity as the poor relation of Delos, Mykonos was once an impoverished Athenian colony. These shifting tides of poverty and wealth, of isolation and inundation, created a tolerant and progressive race. Their notorious hospitality hastened Mykonos' evolution into the playground of the rich and famous. Gradually, archaeologists and intellectuals en route to the ancient site at Delos began to recognise Mykonos in its own right. Artists came for the architecture - le Corbusier once said that, unless you had seen the houses of Mykonos, you could not pretend to be an architect. Poets praised the dazzling light. And the locals charmed everyone, with their easygoing generosity. By the early 1970s, the free-spirited and fun-loving Mykonians, had attracted a large style-conscious crowd to the island. Today, Mykonos is still undoubtedly the best-dressed island in Greece.