Bourtzi Peninsula

The Bourtzi Peninsula was a Venetian fortress built in 1207 by the Gizzi brothers with the aim of defending Skiathos from continuous pirate raids. It had suggestive walls that protected it and two defensive towers on both sides of the entrance.
Some archaeologists assume that inside the fortress there was also the small church in honor of the protector of the Venetians, or Agios Georgis. It is quite plausible if we count that the Gizzi brothers were Venetians and that the name attributed to the castle was precisely "Kastelli tou Ageou Georgiou" that means "Castle of Saint George".

With the arrival of Admiral Francesco Morozini in 1660 the fortress was completely destroyed.

Meanwhile the Turks tried to invade the island of Skiathos and succeeded by occupying it until 1823.

When the island was no longer under Turkish rule, the first hospital was planned and used as a place of quarantine for the sick.

To date, the Bourtzi Peninsula has only some remains of the ancient castle, is connected to the mainland by a bridge and divides the waterfront of the City of Skiathos into two areas: the new part and the old part. In the first (new part) there is the tourist port characterized by large ships, yachts, catamarans and sailboats. While in the second (old part) you can see motorships and excursion boats, in fact usually to embark on a boat excursion the port where you have to go is just that. Here you can admire the most characteristic side of Skiathos and maybe for some the more pleasant one.

What to visit in the Bourtzi Peninsula?

The Bourtzi Peninsula is the perfect place to enjoy a little relaxation thanks to the magical atmosphere of its tree-lined avenues: many tourists and locals love to go here to walk in the pine-lined streets, admire the spectacular view over the city of Skiathos tasting a good Greek aperitif and participate in the events and theme nights that are organized by the Municipality of Skiathos and the famous present Cafeteria, inside the ancient school which today has become a cultural center and to whose entrance stands the statue of Alexandros Papadiamantis, well-known Greek writer of the nineteenth century, born, raised and died on the island of Skiathos.

Inside the school there are conference rooms and a beautiful summer theater. The construction of this ancient elementary school took place in 1906 following the financing by Andreas Syngros, a famous banker and philanthropist, also a Greek.

Taking a walk on the beautiful Bourtzi Peninsula is what we absolutely recommend doing before leaving the island of Skiathos. It is a way to get away from the chaos of the city for a few hours and enjoy a quiet and serenity that you will find it hard to find elsewhere!