Skopelos (Greek: Σκόπελος) is a Greek island in the western Aegean Sea. Skopelos is one of several islands which comprise the Northern Sporades island group, which lies east of the Pelion peninsula on the mainland and north of the island of Euboea. It is part of the Thessaly region. Skopelos is also the name of the main port and the municipal center of the island. The other communities of the island are Glossa and Neo Klima (Elios). The geography of Skopelos includes two mountains over 500 m (1,640 ft); Delphi (681 m/2,234 ft) in the center of the island, and Palouki (546 m/1,791 ft) in the southeast. With an area of 96 square kilometres (37 sq mi) Skopelos is slightly larger than Mykonos (85 km2/33 sq mi) and Santorini (73 km2/28 sq mi). The nearest inhabited islands are Skiathos to the west and Alonissos to the east.
According to the legend, Skopelos was founded by Staphylos or Staphylus (Greek for grape), one of the sons of the god Dionysos and the princess Ariadne of Crete. Historically, in the Late Bronze Age the island, then known as Peparethos or Peparethus (Ancient Greek: Πεπάρηθος),[2] was colonised by Cretans, who introduced viticulture to the island.
Perhaps because of the legend of its founding by the son of the god of wine, the island was known throughout the ancient Greek cities of the Mediterranean Sea for its wine. The play Philoctetes (first performed at the Festival of Dionysus in 409 BC) by Sophocles includes a wine merchant lost on his way to "Peparethos, rich in grapes and wine".
Pliny the Elder, in his book "Natural History" [3] writes: "The physician Apollodorus, in the work in which he wrote recommending King Ptolemy what wines in particular to drink -- for in his time the wines of Italy were not generally known -- has spoken in high terms of that of Naspercene in Pontus, next to which he places the Oretic, and then the Aeneatian, the Leucadian, the Ambraciotic, and the Peparethian, to which last he gives the preference over all the rest, though he states that it enjoyed an inferior reputation, from the fact of its not being considered fit for drinking until it had been kept six years."
In 1936 excavations in the area of Staphylos / Velanio uncovered a royal tomb of the era of Mycenaean Greece. The island was briefly under the control of the city-state Chalcis, Euboea since at least the 8th century BC.
In turn the island would come under the political influence or direct domination of:
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Athens.
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the Kingdom of Macedon (338 - 146 BC).
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The Roman Republic (146 - 27 BC).
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The Roman Empire (27 BC - 330 AD).
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The Byzantine Empire (330 - 1204).
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The Latin Empire of Constantinople (ca 1204-1277)
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The Byzantine Empire (1277 - ?).
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The Ottoman Empire (? - 1403)
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The Byzantine Empire (1403 - 1456).
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The Republic of Venice known as Scopelo (1456 - 1538).
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The Ottoman Empire (1538 until the Greek War of Independence).
Skopelos became part of the First Hellenic Republic under the London Protocol confirming its sovereignty (3 February 1830).[4] During World War II, Skopelos fell under Axis occupation. At first it was occupied by the Kingdom of Italy (June 1941 - September 1943) and then by Nazi Germany (September 1943 - October 1944). Skopelos and the rest of Greece returned to democratic style government in 1944.
Skopelos has the shape of a saxophone, with the "neck" pointing northwest, and the "bell" lying on the east. There are not many bays and natural harbors, and cliffs steeply fall into the sea in the greatest part of the coast. Mountains dominate the western and eastern parts of the island. There are several plains; in Staphylos, Ditropon, and Panormos. The main port of Skopelos can sometimes be closed due to northerly gales. The smaller bays of Staphylos, Agnondas on the south coast and Panormos on the west offer better protection.
The main port and municipal center of the island (Skopelos or Chora) is situated in the bay on the northern coast. It is noted for its architectural heritage. On the census of 2001, it had 3,027 inhabitants.
The second largest settlement is Glossa village, situated on the northwestern tip of the island, just above Loutraki harbour, with an elevation ranging from 200 to 300 m (656 to 984 ft). It is 25.4 km (15.8 mi) from Skopelos town. It is a tranquil village with traditional houses, with 1,195 residents.
Neo Klima or "Elios" is a purpose-built village constructed after the great 1965 earthquake to resettle the displaced residents of the severely damaged village of (Old) Klima. It is situated by the coast on the west side of the island. The village had 415 inhabitants in the 2001 census.
Other settlements include Staphylos, Agnondas, Panormos, Ananias, Klima, Atheato, Loutraki, Kalogeros, and Milli.
The length of the coastline of Skopelos is 67 km (42 mi). Due to the island's mountainous terrain most of the coast is inaccessible. The following are beaches accessible by road or trail: Staphylos, Velanio (the unofficial nudism beach), Agnondas, Limnonari, Panormos, Adrines, Milia, Kastani, Elios, Hovolo, Armenopetra, Kalives, Glyfoneri, Glysteri, Perivoliou, Keramoto, Chondrogiorgos.
Skopelos and its neighbour Skiathos were the filming locations of the 2008 film Mamma Mia. The wedding procession was filmed at the Agios Ioannis Chapel near Glossa.