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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.

Map of Anti Paris Antiparis (Andiparos)    

Key dates:
1207 Marco Sanudo a Venetian adventurer conquered Nasso and the nearby islands including Antiparis
1566 The last Duke of Nasso, Jacopo IV Crispo was cashiered by the Sultan
1645-69 During the War of Candia the Venetians often controlled the Cycladic islands including Paris and Antiparis

Antiparis (opposed to Paris) is located opposite the southern part of Paris: there is only a very narrow passage between the two islands.

Searching for Kastro
Searching for Kastro

Many tourists try to escape the crowded beaches of Paris by taking the ferry which links the two islands: when they land on Antiparis they hardly notice the difference because Kastro the main town of Antiparis looks as crowded and cosmopolitan as those in Paris. Kastro means castle but apparently there is no castle in sight although a cafè at the end of the main street is named in a mixture of Spanish and Italian El (Span.) Castello (Ital.).
An inscription in the pavement (you can see it in the image used as background for this page) is another indication of the existence of the castle together with a long series of adjacent buildings.

Main church
Entrance to the fortified town and the main church

After a relatively long walk one reaches a low passage which gives access to a square where a large 1645 church is located. This part of the castle is called Xopyrgo (outside the tower) and is an addition to the original fortified village (because the castle turns out to be a fortified village similar to that of Argentiera).

Gate and structure of the Kastro
Gate and structure of the castle

The older part of the castle was built in the XVth century when Antiparos was ruled by Giovanni Loredan and his wife Maria Sommaripa: they both belonged to important Venetian families. They most likely resettled their farmers and servants living on the island in one location which offered some protection, if not from the attack of a proper army, at least from the raids of pirates. This type of countryside village was typical of central and northern Italy where it was called cascina: S. Maria di Galeria near Rome was built following a similar pattern.

Inside the Kastro: ruins of the keep
Inside the castle: ruins of the keep

A keep at the centre of the village was most likely the residence of the lords of Antiparos: it was damaged by being used as a base for building a water tank.

Details of the houses
Details of the houses

All the houses were built on three levels according to a similar pattern: the lower level was most likely used for stables and sheltering farming equipment.

Lintel of the church and symbol of Venice
Lintel of the main church and a relief showing the winged lion, symbol of Venice

Introductory page on the Venetian Fortresses

Map of the fortresses Corfu Butrinto Dodoni Ioanina Parga Paxi Preveza Nikopolis Vonizza Santamaura/Lefkada Asso Itaca Patrasso, Castel di Rumelia, Castel di Morea Lepanto Cefalonia Zante Navarino Calamata Castel Tornese and Glarenza Modon Corone Mistrà Malvasia Castelrosso Schiatto Scopello Alonisso Negroponte Oreo Corinto Egina Atene Hadrian's Athens Napoli di Romania/Nafplio Argo Cerigo/Kythira Tinos Micono Milo Nasso Candia/Creta Fortresses of Maina Lemno Stampalia Scio Schiro Andro Spezzia Imbro Tenedo Patmo Lero Calimno Metelino Metimno Cunda Candarli Fochies Cismes Argentiera Sifno Serifo Paris Antiparis Siro Rhodes Coo Castel S. Pietro Lindos Nissiros Symi Castelrosso (Kastelorizo) The Asklepeion of Kos Santorino Folegandros Afrodisias Ephesus Kale Sultanieh Kilitbahir Pergamum Sardis Seddulbahir Roman Smyrna Delphi Priene Miletus Didyma Iasos Euromos Milas default - Corfù
Clickable map: hover on the dots

On the Ionian Islands:     Corfù (Kerkyra)     Paxo (Paxi)     Santa Maura (Lefkadas)     Cefalonia (Kephallonia)     Asso (Assos)     Itaca (Ithaki)     Zante (Zachintos)     Cerigo (Kythera)
On the mainland: Butrinto (Butrint)     Parga     Preveza and Azio (Aktion)     Vonizza (Vonitsa)     Lepanto (Nafpaktos)     Atene (Athens)
On Morea:     Castel di Morea (Rio), Castel di Rumelia (Antirio) and Patrasso (Patra)     Castel Tornese (Hlemoutsi) and Glarenza     Navarino (Pilo) and Calamata     Modon (Methoni)     Corone (Koroni)     Braccio di Maina, Zarnata, Passavà and Chielefà     Mistrà     Corinto (Korinthos)     Argo (Argos)     Napoli di Romania (Nafplio)     Malvasia (Monemvassia)
On the Aegean Sea:     Negroponte (Chalki)     Castelrosso (Karistos)     Oreo     Lemno (Limnos)     Schiatto (Skiathos)     Scopello (Skopelos)     Alonisso     Schiro (Skyros)     Andro (Andros)     Tino (Tinos)     Micono (Mykonos)     Siro (Syros)     Egina (Aegina)     Spezzia (Spetse)     Paris (Paros)     Antiparis (Andiparos)     Nasso (Naxos)     Serifo (Serifos)     Sifno (Syphnos)     Milo (Milos)     Argentiera (Kimolos)     Santorino (Thira)     Folegandro (Folegandros)     Stampalia (Astipalea)     Candia (Kriti)
Genoese Bases:     Metelino (Mytilini)     Metimno (Molyvos)     Cunda (Alibey)     Fochies (Foca)     Candarli     Cismes (Cesme)     Scio (Chios)
Fortresses of the Knights of Rhodes:     Lero (Leros)     Calimno (Kalimnos)     Coo (Kos)     Castel S. Pietro (Bodrum)     Symi     Nissiros     Rhodes (Rodos)     Lindos     Castelrosso (Kastelorizo)     Other fortresses
Ottoman fortresses:     Imbro (Gokceada)     Tenedo (Bozcaada)     Seddulbahir     Kale Sultanieh (Canakkale)     Cilitbahir
Other locations shown in the map:     Patmos     Dodoni (Dodona)     Nikopolis     Hadrian's Athens     Pergamum     Roman Smyrna     Sardis (Sart)     Ephesus     Afrodisia     Delphi     Ioanina    Kos    Priene    Miletus    Didyma    Iasos    Euromos    Milas

You may refresh your knowledge of the history of Venice in the Levant by reading an abstract from the History of Venice by Thomas Salmon, published in 1754. The Italian text is accompanied by an English summary.