PLACES TO VISIT

1. THE HOLY PLACE OF PANAGIA (THE VIRGIN MARY) WITH ITS MAGNIFICENT MARBLE CHURCH AND BELLTOWER, AND ITS HOLY ICON: THE ANNUNCIATION OF MARY. IN THE CHURCH ONE CAN SEE THE WOODCARVINGS, THE PRECIOUS SILVER CANDLE HOLDERS AND OFFERINGS WHICH HANG FROM THE CEILING. THERE IS ALSO A SMALLER CHAPEL UNDERNEATH THE CHURCH, WHERE THE HOLY ICON WAS FOUND AND THERE ONE CAN RECEIVE HOLY WATER. IN THE COURTYARD ONE CAN VISIT THE MAUSOLEUM OF THE HEROES OF THE ELLI, THE MUSEUMS OF THE HOLY CHURCH (EXHIBITS OF ICONS AND RELIGIOUS HEIRLOOMS, AN ART GALLERY, MUSEUM OF TINIAN ARTISTS, AN EXHIBIT OF ICONS OF THE VIRGIN MARY), THE CANDLE - MAKING WORKSHOP, THE FOUNTAINS, PEBBLED YARD AND THE MARBLE RELIEVES.
2. THE OLD MONASTERY OF OUR LADY OF ANGELS AT KECHROVOUNI WHICH HAS NUMEROUS CELLS, AMONG WHICH IS THE CELL OF SAINT PALAGIA WHO IN 1822 HAD THE VISION OF THE HOLY MOTHER. ONE CAN SEE THE WOODCARVING ICONOSTASIS, NUMEROUS CHAPELS AND THE HANDICRAFT EXHIBIT WHICH IS THE WORK OF THE NUNS. THE MONASTERY ALSO HAS A PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE ISLAND.
3. THE NUMEROUS VILLAGES WITH THEIR CYCLADIC ARCHITECTURE OF WHITEWASHED HOMES WITH COLOURFUL WINDOWS, BLOOMING YARDS, CELLARS, FOUNTAINS AND PICTURESQUE ARCHES. SOME OF THESE VILLAGES SEEM TO CLING ON THE MOUNTAINSIDE WHERE OTHERS ARE HIDDEN IN THE REVINES (KARIA, TRIPOTAMOS, KTIKADOS, TRIANDAROS, ARNADOS, DIO HORIA, AGAPI AND MANY OTHERS).
4. THE PERISTERONES (PIGEON - HOUSES) WHICH ARE AROUND A THOUSAND ON THE ISLAND ARE EACH A MASTERPIECE. THE TWO-STORY STRUCTURES ARE DECORATED WITH VARYING SHAPES AND SIZES OF SMALL STATE. SOME OF THE MORE IMPORTANT PERISTERONES ARE LOCATED AT TARAMBADOS, THE MEADOW OF KOMI - KALLONI AND IN THE AREA OF STENI - FALATADOS.
5. THERE ARE ALSO MORE THAN A THOUSAND CHAPELS WITH VARYING ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN SCATTERED ALL OVER THE ISLAND REPRESENTING THE STRONG FAITH OF THE TINIANS.
6. ALTHOUGH MOST WINDMILLS ARE NOW DESERTED AND FAILING TO RUINS, THERE ARE TWO WHICH ARE STILL WORKING: VARVANIS WINDMILL, LOCATED NEAR THE TOWN (HORA) AND KOSMAS WINDMILL WHICH IS NEAR KAMBOS. THE WATERMILLS NEAR PERASTRA AND THE RURAL STRUCTURES FORM PRE-HISTORIC FIGURES.
7. IN THE TOWN (HORE THERE ARE MANY PLACES TO VISIT: THE CATHEDRAL OF TAXIARHIS WITH ITS BEAUTIFUL WOODCARVED ICONOSTASIS FROM CONSTANTINOPOLE (17TH CENTURY) AND ITS MARBLE BELLTOWER.

SOME OF THE OTHER OLDER CHURCHES ARE: MALAMATENIA, AI-YIANNIS (SAINT JOHN), AI-NIKOLAS (SAINT NICHOLAS), AI-LEFTERIS , AGIA PARASKEVI AND MANY OTHERS. EACH ONE HAS ITS OWN SPECIAL BEAUTY.

THERE IS ALSO THE PICTURESQUE PALADA WITH CATHOLIC MONASTERY OF SAN ANTONIO (1743), THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF SAINT NICHOLAS WITH ITS WOODCARVED ALTER, THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM CONTAINING ART FROM THE GEOMETRIC TILL THE ROMAN PERIOD, THE HOMES WITH THEIR NEO-CLASSIC ART, THE CULTURAL CENTRE WHICH CONTAINS A RICH LIBRARY OF ITS OWN, THE PUBLIC LIBRARY, THE ECLISIASTICAL SCHOOL, THE TRADITIONAL SCHOOL OF WEAVING AND THE FOUR SIDED SCULPTURED FOUNTAIN KATE VRISI (1798). THERE ARE ALSO THE TWO MAIN ROADS WHICH LEAD TO THE CHURCH OF THE VIRGIN MARY, CONTAINING MANY TOURIST SHOPS.

8. OUTSIDE THE TOWN ONE CAN FIND BEAUTIFUL BEACHES SUCH AS: STAVROS WHICH IS THE ANCIENT HARBOUR AND IT ALSO HAS THE CHAPEL OF THE HOLY CROSS NEAR THE WATER, KIONIA WHERE THERE IS THE ANCIENT TEMPLE OF NEPTUNE AND AMFITRITI, AGIOS FOKAS, AI-SOSTIS, AI-YIANNIS OF PORTO (HAS REMNANTS FROM A HELLENIC TOWER) AND LYHNAFTIA, AMONG MANY OTHERS.
9. SOME OTHER PLACES TO VISIT ARE: THE CHURCH OF AGIA VARVARA AT SMOVOLO AND THE OLD MONASTERY OF AGIA TRIADA NEAR GYRIA WITH ITS WOODCARVED ICONOSTASIS FROM 1764, AN UNDERGROUND SCHOOL AND A COLLECTION OF BAS - RELIEVES. A LITTLE FURTHER THAN KIONIA, (WALKING DISTANCE) THERE IS THE CAVE OF GASTRIA WHICH CONTAINS RUINS AND INSCRIPTIONS WHICH DATE BACK TO THE 7TH CENTURY AD
10. AT THE IMPOSING FIGURE OF XOMBOURGO (640 METERS) WAS THE LOCATION OF THE CAPITAL DURING THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD. THERE YOU CAN STILL FIND THE REMNANTS OF THE TEMPLE OF THE ANCIENT GODDESS DEMETRA. THERE ARE ALSO TWO CONTEMPORARY CHURCHES, AGIA ELEOUSA (ORTHODOX) AND THE CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART (CATHOLIC).
11. THE VILLAGE OF VOLAX, WITH ITS ASTONISHING LOCATION IS SURROUNDED BY ENORMOUS SMOOTH GRANITE BOULDERS. ALL OF THE VILLAGERS ARE BASKETWEAVERS AND ONE CAN EVEN VISIT THEIR WORKSHOP.
12. THERE ARE ALSO THE TWO LARGE AND BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES OF FALATADOS AND STENI WHICH LEAD TO THE MAJESTIC RAVINE OF LIVADA AND TO FANEROMENI. AT MESI THERE IS THE OLD MONASTERY OF FRANCISCANS (1680) WITH ITS BEAUTIFUL TEMPLE, ITS IMPRESSIVE COAT OF ARMS ON ITS TOMBSTONES AND A SMALL MUSEUM WORTH VISITING.
13. TWO OTHER CATHOLIC MONASTERIES LOCATED AT LOUTRA ARE: JESUITS, WITH ITS IMPRESSIVE LIBRARY AND OURSOULINE WITH ITS SCHOOL OF CARPET - MAKING (TAPESTRIES). THERE IS ALSO THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF TINOS - NAXOS AT XINARA.
14. THE ONLY EXTENSIVE LEVEL AREA ON THE ISLAND IS LOCATED AT KATO MERI (KOMI - KALLIONI) WITH ITS GRAPHIC VILLAGES AROUND IT AND THE BEAUTIFUL BAY OF KOLIMBITHRA.
15. THE CHURCH OF SAINT KATERINA AT KAMPOS IS A MONUMENT OF THE RUSSIAN OCCUPATION.
16. ONE MUST ALSO VISIT PANAGIA AT VRISI (A CATHOLIC SHRINE) AND THE GREEN VILLAGE KARDIANI WITH ITS TWO RENOWNED CHURCHES: AGIA TRIADA (ORTHODOX) AND KIOURA (CATHOLIC). AT AGIOS ROMANOS AND YIANNAKI THERE ARE LOVELY SANDY BEACHES.
17. ISTERNIA AND THE AREA OF PANORMOS (WITH PYRGOS AND ITS SURROUNDING VILLAGES) WERE THE LARGE CENTRES OF MARBLE SCULPTURES. THERE ARE CHURCHES WITH SCULPTURED ICONOSTASIS AND BELLTOWERS, MARBLE RELIEVES, QUERIES AND AN ALL AROUND ARTISTIC ATMOSPHERE IN THE VILLAGE. AT ISTERNIA THERE IS THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTISTS OF ITS VILLAGE, THE CHAPEL OF AI-THANASIS, A GROUP O WINDMILLS, AND A LITTLE FURTHER THE HISTORIC MONASTERY OF KATAPOLIANI.

AT PYRGOS THERE IS THE FAMOUS CEMETERY OF THE 18TH CENTURY, WITH ITS BAS - RELIEF TOMBSTONES, THE HOME AND MUSEUM OF HALEPAS, THE HOME OF LITRAS, THE WORKSHOPS OF MARBLE SCULPTURES AND WOODCARVERS, THE SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS AND THE PUBLIC SQUARE WITH ITS MARBLE FOUNTAIN. AT PLATIA THERE IS ALSO AN IMPRESSIVE CEMETERY. A LITTLE FURTHER ARE THE OLD MONASTERIES OF KYRA XENI AND KATO PANAGIA. AT THE SEASHORE OF PANORMOS AND THE ORMOS (BAY) OF ISTERNIA THERE ARE BEAUTIFUL BEACHES, FRESH FISH AND SERENITY.